CHINA 1943
This 1943 Paramount Pictures production stars, Alan Ladd, Loretta Young and William Bendix. This wartime flag-waver is set in China just before the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Ladd plays a war profiteer who sells oil and gasoline to whoever pays the most. At the moment it is the Japanese. Ladd is a tough, anything for a dime type, who could care less about the war going around him. His sidekick is William Bendix, in the second film pairing of an eventual five, for the pair. When the Japanese start bombing the town, it is into their truck, and on the road. Bendix brings along a small baby he found during the bombing raid.
Further up the road, they hit a group of Chinese refugees who include missionary schoolteacher type, Loretta Young. The next thing you know, Ladd's truck is full of young women from a school Young was running. They want to stay ahead of the advancing Japanese forces.
Miss Young of course tries to melt Ladd's mercenary heart and get him to drive them to their destination. Ladd is bound and determined to dump Young and her charges at the next stop. This changes when one of the girls is gang raped by a Japanese motorcycle patrol. The little baby Bendix had rescued is also killed by the Japanese. Ladd grabs a handy Thompson machine gun and obliterates said Japanese.
The group soon joins up with members of the Chinese forces that are out to hinder the Japanese advance. The group includes, Victor Sen Yung, Philip Ahn and Richard Loo.
Ladd and company now pull a midnight raid on the pursuing Nipponese. They swipe several hundred sticks of dynamite, pausing only to kill a few dozen of the enemy. Ladd of course just happens to know a thing or two about explosives. They plant the dynamite in a pass through the mountains. The Japanese need to go through the pass in order to continue their attack.
Ladd, in a bid to slow down the Japanese, offers up himself as bait. He flags down the leading Japanese staff car, and has a chat with the General in charge. Bendix and the Chinese need the time to finish setting the explosives.
Ladd earns the Chinese the time needed, but, is killed in the massive explosion that brings down the walls of the pass. The motorized Japanese Regiment in the pass is wiped out as well.
Bendix and Young load up the girls and drive off to safety.
This fairly brisk and entertaining war film was directed by John Farrow. This was the third war film in a row for Farrow. He had just finished, COMMANDOS STRIKE AT DAWN and WAKE ISLAND. Farrow would work with Ladd and Bendix in two other films, TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST and CALCUTTA. The twice Oscar nominated, one time winner, Farrow, scored with a number of film noir, war, adventure and western films. These include, HONDO, FIVE CAME BACK, THE BIG CLOCK, NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES, WHERE DANGER LIVES, HIS KIND OF WOMAN and PLUNDER OF THE SUN.
The cinematographer was Leo Tover. He was also twice nominated for an Academy Award. His film work, includes, DEAD RECKONING, I WALK ALONE, THE SNAKE PIT, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, A BLUEPRINT FOR MURDER and JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH.
The film apparently set a record for the most special effects explosions used during a wartime production. Studios were rationed a certain amount of explosives for each picture. Paramount just used supplies that had been carefully husbanded from other productions. There are plenty of big bangs here.
This was the last film Ladd made before being drafted into the military.
This 1943 Paramount Pictures production stars, Alan Ladd, Loretta Young and William Bendix. This wartime flag-waver is set in China just before the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Ladd plays a war profiteer who sells oil and gasoline to whoever pays the most. At the moment it is the Japanese. Ladd is a tough, anything for a dime type, who could care less about the war going around him. His sidekick is William Bendix, in the second film pairing of an eventual five, for the pair. When the Japanese start bombing the town, it is into their truck, and on the road. Bendix brings along a small baby he found during the bombing raid.
Further up the road, they hit a group of Chinese refugees who include missionary schoolteacher type, Loretta Young. The next thing you know, Ladd's truck is full of young women from a school Young was running. They want to stay ahead of the advancing Japanese forces.
Miss Young of course tries to melt Ladd's mercenary heart and get him to drive them to their destination. Ladd is bound and determined to dump Young and her charges at the next stop. This changes when one of the girls is gang raped by a Japanese motorcycle patrol. The little baby Bendix had rescued is also killed by the Japanese. Ladd grabs a handy Thompson machine gun and obliterates said Japanese.
The group soon joins up with members of the Chinese forces that are out to hinder the Japanese advance. The group includes, Victor Sen Yung, Philip Ahn and Richard Loo.
Ladd and company now pull a midnight raid on the pursuing Nipponese. They swipe several hundred sticks of dynamite, pausing only to kill a few dozen of the enemy. Ladd of course just happens to know a thing or two about explosives. They plant the dynamite in a pass through the mountains. The Japanese need to go through the pass in order to continue their attack.
Ladd, in a bid to slow down the Japanese, offers up himself as bait. He flags down the leading Japanese staff car, and has a chat with the General in charge. Bendix and the Chinese need the time to finish setting the explosives.
Ladd earns the Chinese the time needed, but, is killed in the massive explosion that brings down the walls of the pass. The motorized Japanese Regiment in the pass is wiped out as well.
Bendix and Young load up the girls and drive off to safety.
This fairly brisk and entertaining war film was directed by John Farrow. This was the third war film in a row for Farrow. He had just finished, COMMANDOS STRIKE AT DAWN and WAKE ISLAND. Farrow would work with Ladd and Bendix in two other films, TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST and CALCUTTA. The twice Oscar nominated, one time winner, Farrow, scored with a number of film noir, war, adventure and western films. These include, HONDO, FIVE CAME BACK, THE BIG CLOCK, NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES, WHERE DANGER LIVES, HIS KIND OF WOMAN and PLUNDER OF THE SUN.
The cinematographer was Leo Tover. He was also twice nominated for an Academy Award. His film work, includes, DEAD RECKONING, I WALK ALONE, THE SNAKE PIT, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, A BLUEPRINT FOR MURDER and JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH.
The film apparently set a record for the most special effects explosions used during a wartime production. Studios were rationed a certain amount of explosives for each picture. Paramount just used supplies that had been carefully husbanded from other productions. There are plenty of big bangs here.
This was the last film Ladd made before being drafted into the military.