So Proudly We Hail (1943)

Set in the early days of WWII, a group of Army nurses are sent to the Philippines to serve in Bataan and Corregidor which would eventually surrender to the Japanese forces. Directed by Mark Sandrich (TOP HAT), this is yet another of many propaganda films made during WWII to boost the morale of U.S. movie audiences. For what it is, it's well done and quite effective. Though there's the usual speechifying and flag waving sentiment, there's also many touching moments and grim reminders of the hardships these women went through. Paulette Goddard got an Oscar nomination for her performance but it's Veronica Lake as a bitter Japanese hating nurse that gives the film's best performance. I did like the affable romance between Goddard and a big lug of a soldier played by Sonny Tufts. Miklos Rozsa did the underscore. Claudette Colbert heads a cast that includes George Reeves, Walter Abel, Barbara Britton, John Litel, Mary Treen, Ann Doran and Dorothy Adams.