DVD Review Manila Calling DVD Review (1 Viewer)

Manila Calling DVD Review

The 1942 war thriller Manila Calling was produced early enough during the war for America for there to have been some doubt about the effectiveness of the Pacific campaign up to that point. The film still shows Allied heroism above and beyond the call of duty, and it mentions those famous words of General Douglas MacArthur that he would eventually return to the Philippines to reclaim the area, but viewers of the movie might be surprised at the number of protagonists’ lives lost and the true sacrifice played out in this tense, taut little B-movie action picture.

Studio: Fox

Distributed By: N/A

Video Resolution and Encode: 480I/MPEG-2

Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1

Audio: English 2.0 DD

Subtitles:

Rating: Not Rated

Run Time: 1 Hr. 20 Min.

Package Includes: DVD

Amaray case

Disc Type: DVD-R

Region: 1

Release Date: 11/03/2014

MSRP: $19.98

The Production Rating: 3.5/5

A crew of Allied soldiers manning a communications unit in Mindano attempting to counteract Japanese propaganda to the people of the Philippines by broadcasting the facts about the true nature of the Japanese war machine skillfully manage to capture a Japanese broadcast tower located on a hill surrounded by jungle. The group’s captain is killed in the attack, so the unit comes under the command of the less experienced Jeff Bailey (Cornel Wilde). There is a considerable difference of opinion about what their mission should be once they gain this foothold since the generator which would allow them to broadcast has been knocked out and food and water are running dangerously low. They’re also surrounded by Japanese squadrons of snipers, must deal with aerial attacks and various tricks to subdue them, and Bailey’s decisions about fighting or fleeing aren’t made easier when a local plantation owner Wayne Ralston (Lester Matthews) and his houseguest, fetching dancer Edna Fraser (Carole Landis), show up requiring sanctuary.John Larkin’s original screenplay stuffs plenty of exciting events into a very short amount of running time. As usual in the case of these war stories, the crew is an eclectic one made up of Americans of various stripes: a ladies’ man (Ralph Byrd), a risk taker (Lloyd Nolan), an opportunist (Elisha Cook Jr.), a greenhorn (Ted North) as well as an Austrian (Martin Kosleck) who grieves over the world he has lost due to the war, a spiky Irishman (James Gleason), a wily Spaniard (Harold Huber), and a native Filipino (Victor Sen Yung) who hates the Japanese for their invasion. This new breed of guerilla fighters must deal with the selfish outsider who takes their safety and then wants to betray them as well as the wisecracking dancer who goes through at least half of the movie seemingly unaware of the danger she’s facing. Director Herbert I. Leeds stages not one but actually three attacks on the compound (the final two in the last ten minutes) with various beloved characters falling by the wayside as they’re obviously outnumbered, but the fighting spirit and the never-say-die attitude of the squad’s real heroes is inspiring, and the film’s pacing is such that there isn’t a wasted moment. The movie may have been made quickly and on the cheap, but that doesn’t negate the courageous storytelling and entertaining characters that can be found here.Lloyd Nolan gets top billing and is the most commanding of the crew in spite of not always wanting to follow orders and enduring the expected cat and mouse seduction game with Carole Landis’ Edna. Her brusque putdowns and refusal to obey commands makes her an irritant for much of the movie, but she performs the character she’s been given well and certainly grows in estimable qualities the longer the movie runs. Cornel Wilde is billed third but is decidedly lesser of interest than several of the showier and more colorful characters like James Gleason’s headstrong Irishman or Martin Kosleck’s tender Heller. The latter gives an especially winning performance as a wistful and lost European heartbroken over the loss of his old world traditions due to the Nazis. Elisha Cook Jr. with his trained monkey and his fighting rooster assumes most of the comic duty for the movie, and he’s most appealing with Harold Huber’s confident Santora and Victor Sen Yung’s feisty Armando also deserving praise for their individuality.

Video Rating: 3.5/5 3D Rating: NA

The film’s theatrical 1.37:1 aspect ratio is faithfully delivered in this made-on-demand transfer. Sharpness is excellent throughout, and the film’s grayscale offers decent black levels and an overall appealing monochromatic picture. The reel change markers are still present, and there are various sprinkles of dirt and debris from time to time, but this is a well above average entry in the Fox Cinema Archive roster. The film has been divided into chapters every ten minutes so there are 9 chapters present.

Audio Rating: 3.5/5

The Dolby Digital 2.0 sound mix is decoded by Dolby Prologic into the center channel. Dialogue has been cleanly and clearly recorded and is presented well with the Cyril Mockridge/Emil Newman background score and the multiple sound effects never interfering with complete understanding of what’s being spoken. The volume level of the sound is a bit louder than necessary, but that’s easily remedied with a quick twist of the volume knob.

Special Features Rating: 0/5

There are no bonus features present on this made-on-demand disc.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Small films like Manila Calling that received a quick release in their day and then were quickly forgotten are prefect for the Fox Cinema Archive program. This made-on-demand disc offers a very entertaining wartime propaganda picture which contains, even with some expected clichés of the genre, a few twists and turns that even the most seasoned moviegoer might find surprising.

Reviewed By: Matt Hough

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Good review. I enjoyed this film and appreciated the above-average disc Fox produced.

I don't think I've ever heard of this film director before or seen any other film he worked on.

Just looked up Leeds. Mr. Moto, Cisco Kid, Michael Shayne, and another Carole Landis movie, IT SHOULDN'T HAPPEN TO A DOG.Another Leeds directed movie I have always liked is BUNCO SQUAD, an RKO, available from the Warner Archive.An interesting part of MANILA CALLING is that the crew is mostly independent civilian contractors for the phone company, who teamed up with soldiers and other fighters in the hills.