''Lost Battalion'' (aka ''Escape to Paradise'') is a 1960 black-and-white

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

romantic

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about naval, air, or land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle scenes means that war fi ...

produced and directed by

Eddie Romero Edgar Sinco Romero, (July 7, 1924 – May 28, 2013), commonly known as Eddie Romero, was a Filipino film director, film producer and screenwriter. Early life Romero was born on July 7, 1924. His father was José E. Romero, the first Philipp ...

, and co-produced by Romero and

Kane W. Lynn Kane W. Lynn (1919–1975) was an American film producer who made a number of movies in the Philippines with producer Irwin Pizor and Filipino director Eddie Romero as Hemisphere Pictures, or the ''House of Horror'' as they often referred to them ...

. Set during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, it stars

Leopoldo Salcedo Leopoldo Salcedo (March 12, 1912 – June 11, 1998) was a Filipino film actor dubbed as "The Great Profile" who specialized in portraying dramatic heroes. Early life Salcedo was born in Cavite. His father was of Spanish descent whose family i ...

Johnny Monteiro John Jude "Johnny" Monteiro (born 28 November 1938) is a Hong Kong field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a rou ...

and

Diane Jergens Diane Jergens (born Dianne Irgens; March 31, 1935 – October 9, 2018) was an American film and television actress. Early years Jergens was the daughter of Norman C. Irgens, an alderman in Minneapolis, and his wife. In 1944, at age 8, she au ...

. It was later released in the US by

American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...

as ''Lost Battalion'', on a

double feature The double feature is a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatres would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown. Opera use Opera ho ...

with ''

Guns of the Black Witch ''Guns of the Black Witch'' ( it, Il terrore dei mari) is a 1961 adventure film directed by Domenico Paolella. Cast * Don Megowan: Jean * Silvana Pampanini: Delores * Emma Danieli: Elisa * Livio Lorenzon: Guzman * Germano Longo: Michel * ...

'' in 1962. The film's ad line read "200 Men and One Girl Trapped in a Ring of Steel!"

Plot

In the Philippines during World War II, an American major tries to move a guerrilla unit and group of American refugees to the coast, so they can be rescued by submarine, all the while trying to avoid capture by the occupying Japanese forces. Leopoldo Salcedo played the handsome Filipino guerrilla leader who is in love with a stranded American girl Kathy (Diane Jergens).

Cast

as Ramon de Cortes *

as Kathy Hughes *

as Bruno *Jennings Sturgeon as Mr. Hughes *Joe Sison as Pepe *Joe Dennis as Col. Landis *Bruce Baxter as Jimmy *Rosi Acosta as Pepe's Wife *Joe Dennis as Landis

Notes

The Philippines were overrun by the Japanese during WW2, and had to resort to guerilla fighting until General

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...

made his famous return. The Philippines was liberated in 1945. This movie also features the main character, Ramon, with Mr. Hughes and his daughter Katherine, both Americans, hiding in a cave and discovered by a primitive band of locals. These are presumed to be the Aeta people, thought to be the original people of the islands. The Aeta are smaller and darker than most Filipinos, and possess dark curly hair that made the Spanish, when they invaded in the 1500s, label them as "negritos".

References

External links

* 1960 films Films directed by Eddie Romero Philippine black-and-white films Films set in the Philippines Pacific War films Philippine World War II films 1960s war adventure films Films shot in the Philippines American International Pictures films {{WWII-film-stub