Back to Bataan Page #3

Synopsis: The US Army's defense of its Philippines colony and the allied Malay countries/colonies behind it counted on its island fortress of Corregidor on Luzon -and a few others- but loses it in the 6 May 1942 Japanese combined forces attack. Colonel Joseph Madden is among the escaping survivors who are ordered by general Douglas McArthur to organize a guerrilla. As he finds many native Filipinos inclined to resist the occupier's vision of returning to the South Asian fold under a paternalistic empire which doesn't hesitate to 'spank the unruly', but is mainly civilian, unprepared, inept in military matters, Madden appeals to the legendary anti-US freedom fighter Andres Bonifácio's homonymous grandson Captain Andrés Bonifácio, who is luckily rescued from a POW dead march, to inspire the resistance -once his own fighting spirit is rekindled- with him in a still very unsure war, retaliated by bloody, ten to one repression. When the Japanese realize the people side against them, they stage fake i
Genre: Drama, War
Director(s): Edward Dmytryk
Production: Turner Home Entertainment
 
IMDB:
6.7
APPROVED
Year:
1945
95 min
177 Views


As principal of this school,

you will haul down the flag.

Unless you haul down the flag,

you will hang in its place.

You contempt...

- For the last time, Senor Bello.

- Senor Bello, haul down the flag.

I speak to you in the name of every man,

woman, and child in the United States.

- All right, Bernessa.

- Yes, sir?

- Let's get under way.

- Yes, sir.

Break it up.

He was so little. Not a healthy child.

He hated Americans because his father

had fought with Aguinaldo.

It is Miss Barnes.

I gave him an apple.

It was the first he'd ever seen.

And then we became friends.

- Here, lady, you'd better sit down.

- No.

- What happened?

- The Japs came into Balintawak.

He was not a brave man.

He was too terrified even to speak.

But when they ordered him

to haul down our flag...

he could only shake his head.

And then they hanged him...

in the schoolyard,

in the presence of his pupils.

It was a bad thing to look at.

I am Miss Barnes, schoolteacher.

- Who are you and what is your rank?

- Col. Madden, ma'am.

Colonel, is it? Then I'm sure you'll know

what must be done.

When you attack the village, I want you to

attend especially to the Japanese Captain.

- It was he who gave the order.

- We're not attacking the village.

You're an American, are you not?

It was your flag he refused to lower,

not his.

The village isn't much out of our way.

Our only chance of getting to

the gasoline dump is by surprise.

- Yes, but...

- The moment we'd attack that village...

the whole countryside

would be on the alert.

I'm thinking of 70,000 men on Bataan.

How do you fellows feel about it?

We think you're right.

Are you proposing

to leave this crime unavenged?

We fight for the Philippines,

not for revenge.

- Bernessa?

- Yes, sir?

- We're moving out immediately.

- Yes, sir.

You stay here with Miss Barnes.

You'll find food and blankets in the lean-to.

- Take good care of her till we get back.

- Take care of her, indeed.

- Do you think I'd stay here for a moment?

- You can't go back to the village.

Furthermore, young man,

I am not accustomed...

to being ordered about

by every young popinjay in uniform.

- The men are ready, sir.

- Goodbye, Miss Barnes.

Colonel...

you really are not returning to the village?

Really not.

Then I shall give you

Buenaventura Bello's epitaph.

Someday you may come back

into the village of Balintawak again...

and put it over his grave.

"The place matters not-

cypress or laurel or lily white

"Scaffold or open plain

"combat or martyrdom's plight"

Those words were written by Jos Rizal,

the Philippines' greatest hero...

on the night before he was executed

by the Spaniards.

Remember those words.

Carry them in your heart...

so that wherever men fight for freedom,

there it may be said:

"Here lies Buenaventura Bello...

"schoolteacher of Balintawak."

- Colonel?

- Yes?

What would you think

our chances are now?

- Good.

- Funny thing. So would I.

Hold it up. There's Mt. Mariveles ahead.

We ought to be about two hours

from the airfield.

We better split up. Check your watch.

- That is Mt. Mariveles, isn't it?

- Yes, sir.

We should be hearing gunfire from Bataan.

Yes, sir.

- Cruz?

- Yes, sir.

Hold this group here,

and keep them under cover.

Bring along four men.

We'll take a look-see.

Scouts.

Give me a hand.

- Bernessa.

- Yes, sir?

- Post some guards.

- Yes, sir.

- What happened?

- Bataan has fallen.

Seventy thousand men.

How could it happen?

- We're beaten.

- The Japs have beaten us.

Hunger and sickness beat us, not the Japs.

Then why didn't America send food

and medicine? Why didn't America help?

Maybe you can still get away, sir.

There is no more army here.

Now the fighting will be done in Australia.

Maybe there will be fighting here.

- Maybe the people will wanna fight.

- Sure. The people will fight.

Against thousands of Japs,

after they've beaten our armies?

We have fought that way before.

We've never been conquered.

With bolos against machine guns?

If a schoolteacher

can die for the American flag...

we can fight for the Philippines.

We must have a hope.

We cannot die for nothing.

You remember the name

Andrs Bonifacio?

Every Filipino does.

If he were alive and sent out a call,

would the people answer?

- Bonifacio's dead.

- But his grandson is alive...

among those prisoners.

Maybe we'll be able to find him, sir.

For you, Captain.

- All right, set him down.

- Don't. Take him into the lean-to.

Put him down carefully.

He's a very sick man.

Which one of you men

calls himself the cook?

- Me.

- I shall want some hot water first.

Then some clear broth.

Do you know how to make it?

Don't pretend you do if you don't.

Good. Hurry off.

Maximo, get these men some water.

- Can't you see they're thirsty?

- Yes, ma'am.

Cook, that's a petticoat you're gaping at.

You've seen a petticoat before.

- Yes, but not lately.

- Hurry with the broth.

- Who is he?

- He's the grandson of Andrs Bonifacio.

No wonder you carried him so carefully.

Those men are waiting for you.

- Where are you from?

- From the north. Lingayen.

- I've come to fight.

- We come from Batangas.

- We've come to fight, too.

- Good. Plenty of fighting to be done.

- Do you bring any news?

- They say the Japs have taken Bataan.

- I know. How about Corregidor?

- They don't say about Corregidor.

You men can do the most good

if you go back to your barrios...

and tell them

that the war hasn't ended yet.

And now the people must fight.

We need men.

We have no arms.

- Where did you get this?

- Killed a Jap.

Kill more Japs and get more guns.

When you have men and arms,

send your leaders to me.

You'll know where we are.

Good luck.

- Thank you.

- Be careful.

We'll drive all the Japs out.

We'll chase them out of Balintawak.

Sure you will, Maximo.

Hurry to the village and try to find eggs.

Don't forget those papers. Hurry now.

You know what this will mean

for the people? Reprisals and terror.

It's always been an all-out war.

Now there's no pretense about it.

You can't inflict this on them.

They've suffered too much.

I'm gonna make arrangements

for you to leave the island.

Leave? You can't ask me to leave.

My children are here, my work.

Do you know what they do to guerrillas?

If Filipino women can endure it, I can.

- No, I'm afraid...

- Besides...

you need someone to nurse him.

At least until he's better.

We'll see.

- You spoke of an epitaph for Senor Bello.

- Yes, I did.

Get it ready.

We're going into Balintawak tonight.

Col. Roberts?

Last time I saw him he was still alive.

How about Delfonso?

He was in pretty bad shape.

He's still going.

There was a rumor about taking

our entire outfit to the same prison camp.

- You haven't eaten a thing.

- Sorry, ma'am, I'm not hungry.

You can't get your strength back

if you don't eat something.

Here's some real chicken broth.

If you knew the trouble we went...

Sorry, ma'am.

I don't know what I'm going to do

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Ben Barzman

Ben Barzman (October 12, 1910 – December 15, 1989) was a Canadian journalist, screenwriter, and novelist, blacklisted during the McCarthy Era and best known for his screenplays for the films Back to Bataan (1945), El Cid (1961), and The Blue Max (1966). more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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