Gary Cooper
Doctor Canavan
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Fort Mysang, southern Philippine Islands, under US rule, 1906. A small group of army officers and native troops resist the fierce and treacherous attacks of the ruthless Alisang and his fanatical followers.
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| Release Date | 1939-09-29 |
|---|---|
| Runtime | 1h 37m |
| Directors | Henry Hathaway, Rudolph Maté, Richard Talmadge, Edmond F. Bernoudy |
| Producers | Samuel Goldwyn, Robert Riskin |
| Writers | Robert Presnell Sr., Jo Swerling, Charles L. Clifford |
There is something of the Rudyard Kipling about this story of a troop of American soldiers left on Mindanao after the US army withdrew from the Philippines at the start of the 20th century. They are tasked with training up a local police force to try and combat some religious fanatics bent on subjugating the local population. It's an odd, but good, role for Gary Cooper ("Dr. Canavan") who is the army surgeon whom alongside David Niven ("Lt. McCool") must try to save the military contingent and the local populace from the brutal and frequently ingenious tactics of their foes. Broderick Crawford and Reginald Owen feature as his less than competent military superiors, and Andrea Leeds puts in a decent effort as "Linda Hartley", a damsel not afraid to join in and help out!
— CinemaSerf