This article on Movies About Bataan is something I’ve written to honor the World War II American and Filipino Heroes.
The 9th of April is an important date in the history of both the Philippines and the United States, and it is called The Day of Valor (or Araw ng Kagitingan). In a nutshell, it was the exact day in 1942 when Filipino and American soldiers lost the Battle of Bataan to the Japanese forces while hopelessly waiting for a reinforcement. This event was one of the succeeding battles after the Pearl Harbor attack. The aftermath of the Battle of Bataan led to the infamous Bataan Death March, where Filipino and American soldiers walked almost a hundred kilometers from Bataan to Tarlac.
This particular highlight in history has inspired filmmakers to create movies about Bataan, making the said province rise to fame as one of the historical places in the Philippines any history lover (like me!) should visit.
The history Professor in me wants to provide more details about Bataan in World War II, but I came here to provide you information on movies about Bataan. Hence, you should watch them instead. It’s better that way since we are all trying to be productive while in community quarantine.
So, without further ado, here are movies about Bataan that you should watch to celebrate the Day of Valor or Araw ng Kagitingan.
BATAAN (1943)
Bataan is a classic movie that portrays the defense of the Americans of the Bataan Peninsula against the Japanese forces. Critiques say that this move provided the most realistic portrayal of what really happened during the said period in history.
SO PROUDLY WE HAIL (1943)
So Produly We Hail is a movie based on a book written by an American army nurse whos served in Bataan and Corregidor during World War II.
CRY ‘HAVOC’ (1943)
Cry ‘Havoc’ highlights the role of American army nurses in Bataan during World War II and emphasizes the feminine side of wars.
BACK TO BATAAN (1945)
Back to Bataan portrays the struggles of Filipino and American soldiers leading to the infamous Bataan Death March by the Japanese forces. One of the main characters of this movie is Andres Bonifacio, a Filipino resistance fighter.
THEY WERE EXPENDABLE (1945)
Another classic that portrayed the Fall of Bataan during World War II.
AMERICAN GUERRILLA IN THE PHILIPPINES (1945)
American Guerrilla in the Philippines is not exactly focused on Bataan but tells us the events that happened in the Philippines during World War II. While most Hollywood movies about Bataan were actually never filmed in the Philippines, this one have scenes taken in Subic.
THE LONGEST HUNDRED MILES (1967)
Set in World War II Japanese invasion of the Philippines, The Longest Hundred Miles features a group of refugees in escape aboard a creaky bus as their getaway vehicle.
WOMEN OF VALOR (1986)
Women of Valor is a movie about a group of American army nurses that were captured and imprisoned by Japanese troops during World War II.
YAMASHITA: THE TIGER’S TREASURE (2001)
A proudly Filipino film, Yamashita: The Tiger’s Treasure is about a grandfather World War II veteran telling storied to his grandson about being involved in hiding the Yamashita’ treasure.
THE GREAT RAID (2005)
The Great Raid is movie about 500 American soldiers who were imprisoned at Camp Pangatian Shrine in Cabanatuan towards the end of World War II and the dangerous mission to save them was led by a group of Rangers.
It was a huge flop with an $80 million dollar budget but only earning $10.8 million. It was indeed very underrated but it was a nice movie though!
ALSO READ:
A HISTORICAL DAY TOUR OF CABANATUAN CITY, NUEVA ECIJA
(where I actually visited Camp Pangatian Shrine!)
THE WAR (2007)
The War is a docuseries that covers the perception on World War II of citizens across 4 US states. The first episode of the series entitled “A Necessary War” covers the Pearl Harbor Attack and the events that followed it, including the Bataan Death March.
The War episodes are available in Netflix.
THE INHERITANCE OF WAR (2009)
The Inheritance of War is a documentary following the fight for justice of World War II soldiers as they file a class action suit against the now multi-billion dollar corporations which committed wrongdoings against them.
MOVIES ABOUT BATAAN AND WORLD WAR II: Your recommendations are welcome! 🙂
There you have it! But let me know if I missed any important movies on the list. You can send me an email or slide a DM to my Instagram account. in the meantime, happy binge-watching! And I’m willing to discuss World War II history, btw!