Bataan Death March film in the making

[VeeVee]

Found out about this...

www.reuters.com/article/filmNews/idUSN0557910020071105

[legionnaire]

Very interesting info and thanks for posting it. I guess it will portray Homma taking the blame of all the atrocities even though it was during Yamanutsa's command that the death march happpened. And I wonder if they will bring up the massacre of Filipinos in Manila by the Japanese Marines. And make MacArthur again the "monster" for orchestrating the final sentence.
Sadly it will be filmed in Australia. And the Philippines is to risky for the film insurance companies again.

Philip

[26th]

Hey Philip:

As you know someone had to pay. Homma was more resposiable for Manilia than the death march. That was 4 years later. I think MacArthur was political on this and in the end right now the Japs will fight with us this time if anything happens in the East. Yes no one wants to invest in the PI's and who's fault is that. Good people are still in the PI's but the corruption is still going on and why should anyone go and make a movie in a place unstable. All the good people have left, including you and Victor.
Sometimes I read to much in your stuff. Had to much wine today my friends.
Rudy

[VeeVee]

Ahh but like MacArthur... I shall return (wink). That's where I'm going to retire... but for now... a 3 week Christmas vacation there will have to suffice

[fox]

United Movietone Pictures has just spent 6 months in Bataan filming it's new documentary entitled ' Deathmarch' The re-enactments are currently being filmed in Australia. The film is directed by Rainer Loeser. He stated that this film will
show re-enactment scenes based on eye-witness accounts of the brutality and atrocities that the enemy inflicted on American and Filipino troops during the Deathmarch and later at Camp O'Donell and Camp Cabanatuan. While most of this footage is rather shocking, it's a story that needs to be told uncut. If you want to know more you can send me a message. Fox

[legionnaire]

Yes Fox,

Thank you for sharing some of the info. Please post any new updates, photos and info on the production of the docu.

Philip

[legionnaire]

Please feel free to contact Rainer Loeser (Director) who will be most happy to assist you or answer any questions. This film "Death March" is now open for the public.

You can contact him on his email address is [e-mail]

You can also check his previous documentaries that are out on DVD at ebay.com. Titles are ANGELS OF BATAAN or SIEGE OF CORREGIDOR as well as others.

FOX

[legionnaire]

Wed 12/12/07 7:33 PM

Hello Philip,

I appreciate your interest in this project and I hope that you will be able to pass on this to everyone in the forum and hopefully to some of the veterans and victims of the horrific event. This film is focused specifically about the forgotton tragic events that occured during the 9 day March and later at Camp O'Donell and Camp Cabanatuan. Showing what the Japanese inflicted on the American and Filipino soldiers during that period. It also shows scenes of mutilated women and children who were rape and children who were shot for showing the V sign for victory as the POW's march through the towns. I'm sure that you know the story. I'm don't have any doubts that this film will even shock the censor's board who will most likely tell me to re-cut it. But it is a story that needs to be told as it was and I hope it will make the front page news.

Production notes:

I was inspired to do this film after I finished doing ' Angels of Bataan and Siege of Corregidor. Just been there where it all happened I became more interested. We always hear and see films on the Pacific war, but on Bataan not much. Apart from Movies like 'Back to Bataan' So Proudly We Hail ' The Last Raid ' and Bataan with Robert Taylor, not much else has been shot. And when they did shoot something it was always more Hollywood style not telling the truth or showing what really happened because they did not want to offend anyone.

I have been doing research for this project for the last 12 months and all the re-enactments you will see are based on eyewitness accounts. I spent the last 6 months in Bataan filming the Deathmarch. The re-enactments will be shot here in Australia next month (Jan) The rest of the film has already being edited and is completed. Most of the Japanese uniforms were bidded on from ebay and are genuine coming from Japan. Some of the weapons are also genuine. The only items that aren't would be the boots that the Japanese are wearing.
As for the Americans, their canteens, web belts, caps, gaitors pitch-helmets etc are all genuine items. Except for their boots, shirts and trousers.Most of the shirts and trousers will be torn, covered in mud, sweat, blood etc so it was not wise to get the genuine items.

the first half of the film is the Battle of Bataan, the second half is after they surrender and begin the March.

STILLS;

I will pass on to you some stills of the re-enactments which you can show. These stills will show the horrors and may shock some members, so I'll leave it up to you what pictures you want to put in the forum.

MARKETING;

I hope to get this film release in the US since it is their story, but as yet have no distributor. You may be able to spread the word among your members around the US and hopefully some Film festival, TV network or cable will hear about it and pick it up.

Please feel free to ask me any questions concerning 'Deathmarch'

Regards

Rainer Loeser

[VeeVee]

I saw the ebay items... Thanks for the additional info. I've never bought an ebay item from Australia before. Does Paypal automatically take care of the conversion?

[fox]

Yes Paypal does the conversion.

[rickthelibrarian]

Keep us posted on the status of the movie.

[legionnaire]

United Movietone Pictures new documentary entitled ' Deathmarch'























"So you are dead. The easy words contain

No sense of loss, no sorrow, no despair.

Thus hunger, thirst, fatigue, combine to drain

All feeling from our hearts. The endless glare,

The brutal heat, anesthetize the mind.

I can not mourn you now. I lift my load,

The suffering column moves. I leave behind

Only another corpse, beside the road."


Lt. Henry G. Lee...A Soldier Poet.

Director Rainer Loeser

[e-mail]

[VeeVee]

Looks good. What parts of the movie where shot in on location in Bataan?

[fox]

PRODUCTION NOTE; Only the reenactments were shot in Australia. The rest of the film was shot on Bataan Peninsular. From Mariveles/ Cabcaben/ Limao/ Orion/ Limay/ Abucay/ Pilar/ Layac/ Dinalupihan/ San Fernando/ Capas/ Tarlac Cabanatuan.

Fox

[fox]

The making of 'Death March Of Bataan' is near completion. The last scene is the hospital scene at Camp O'Donnell. Referred to as the Zero Ward. For the dying Zero Ward was the end of the line. Too weak to care and unattended, they lay there on the floor in their own filth. It was only a matter of time before the disease spread to other areas of their body. They simple waited to die. One eyewitness who saw the ward in July 1942 gave this graphic description; There were the ever-present dying men, most of them with little or no clothing, living skeletons with dysentery eating their guts out, maggots working in their rectums.

[legionnaire]

New additions!
















still images courtesy of Rainer Loeser, United Movietone Pictures.

[fox]

I would just like to say thank you to Director Rainer Loeser for inviting me to the set of 'Death March Of Bataan' and the images he has provided. I have seen his previous films 'Siege Of Corregidor' and 'Angels Of Bataan' which were excellent.
I look forward in seeing 'Death March Of Bataan' hopefully it will be released soon. It is not every day when we find a Film Director who has giving us so much on Bataan and Corregidor. The men on Bataan will never be forgotten.

Fox

[legionnaire]

ZERO WARD still



very graphic portrayal of "raped and sadistically murdered" Filipina civilian



Horrors of the Death March.

[fox]

Rainer Loeser the Director of 'Death March Of Bataan' is considering showing his film on a tour of the US. If anyone can assist to organized it he can be contacted at [e-mail]


Fox

[legionnaire]

Hi Fox,

My suggestion would be to have shown at the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society National Reunion on May 23 & 24 2008 in San Francisco as we will also be there.

The following notice is posted on our PSHS website [www.philippine-scouts.org] as are registration and souvenir program advertising forms.


Reunion Notice: The 24th Annual Reunion of the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society will take place May 23 & May 24, 2008 at the Embassy Suites Hotel, Burlingame, California (near the San Francisco Airport).

The reunion and business meeting of the Society will include presentations and panels concerning the early days of World War II in the Philippines, as well as exhibits of scout memorabilia, photos and insignias. A registration form for the reunion and an advertising form for the reunion souvenir program can be accessed thru the following link:

For additional information, call [phone] or email the Society's President at [e-mail].

Sen. John A. Patterson, President

Philippine Scouts Heritage Society