Fritz Lang directed American Guerrilla in the Philippines (“I Shall Return” in the UK), a war film starring Tyrone Power as U.S. Navy ensign stranded by the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II.
Based on the 1945 book of the same name by Ira Wolfert, it was filmed on location.
Grade: B-
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original film poster
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In April 1942 in the Philippines, an American motor torpedo boat is destroyed by Japanese planes. The survivors, among them Ensign Chuck Palmer (Tyrone Power), make their way ashore on Cebu.
Their commander orders them to split up. Chuck pairs up with Jim Mitchell (Tom Ewell) and reaches Colonel Benson on Leyte, only to be told that General Douglas MacArthur had ordered a surrender.
Chuck helps Jeanne Martinez (Micheline Presle), a French woman married to a Filipino planter, get medical assistance for a pregnant woman.
Jeanne pleads with Chuck to stay and fight, but he buys an outrigger canoe and recruits a crew of Air Corps soldiers in a desperate, but unsuccessful attempt to sail to Australia.
When the boat founders, the crew is rescued by Miguel (Tommy Cook), a member of the Filipino resistance. The Americans evade capture and Chuck meets again Jeanne and her husband Juan (Juan Torena), secret supporter of resistance movement.
Chuck is ordered to stay in the Philippines to help set up stay behind network to gather intelligence on the Japanese. Later, Juan is beaten to death in front of Jeanne in attempt to find out where the guerrillas are hiding out.
Joining the resistance, Jeanne is reunited with Chuck at Christmas time and predictably they fall in love.
Making of Lang’s Movie
After three years of fighting, Chuck, Jeanne, Jim and their band are trapped in a church by a Japanese patrol.
However, just when it looks as if they will be wiped out, squadrons of American planes appear overhead, announcing the liberation of the Philippine, and the Japanese leave.
US Navy Ensign Iliff “Rich” Richardson was the exec officer of PT 34. After its sinking by the Japanese, Richardson and dozen fellow Americans attempted to sail a native outrigger to Australia, but the boat was sunk in a storm. He eventually joined the Philippine guerrilla forces, setting up a radio network to keep the various bands in touch with each other and Allied forces in Australia. After the liberation, Richardson dictated his memoirs to war correspondent Ira Wolfert, who published them in 1945 as An American Guerilla in the Philippines.
It became a Book-of-the-Month Club selection and was published in condensed form in March 1945 issue of Reader’s Digest.
Darryl F. Zanuck of Fox bought the film rights and had Lamar Trotti write a screenplay by August 1945. The original plan was to shoot the movie in Puerto Rico with Fred MacMurray and William Bendix to be directed by Henry King,.
Later plans were to star John Payne and Linda Darnell to be filmed on Catalina Island. The end of the war led Zanuck to shelve all films with World War II theme.
In 1950, American Guerrilla in the Philippines was the first American film made on location in the Philippines in color. Lang was assigned the project, but said it was the least favorite of all his films.
Though the story was well received in the Philippines, there was a protest that Filipino actors were left out of the credits, with the studio placing their names later. Zanuck, who also worked on the script and edited it, rushed the completion to tie in with the start of the Korean War.
Cast
Tyrone Power as Ensign Chuck Palmer
Micheline Presle as Jeanne Martinez
Tom Ewell as Jim Mitchell
Robert Patten as Lovejoy (as Bob Patten)
Tommy Cook as Miguel
Juan Torena as Juan Martinez
Jack Elam as The Speaker
Robert Barrat as General Douglas MacArthur
Credits:
Directed by Fritz Lang
Screenplay by Lamar Trotti, based on American Guerrilla in the Philippines (book) by Ira Wolfert
Produced by Lamar Trotti
Cinematography Harry Jackson
Edited by Robert Simpson
Music by Cyril Mockridge
Production and distribution: 20th Century Fox
Release date: November 8, 1950
Running time: 105 minutes
Box office $2,275,000 (US rentals)
