The Japanese attacked Manila and the Phillipines on December 7, 1941, and caught one of America's great generals, Douglas MacArthur relatively unprepared. The loss of the American air forces on the ground in the initial attacks, forced the Army to make a quick retreat to the Bataan peninsula and the fortress of Corregidor. This film shows the early stage of the battle, and was made shortly after MacArthur fled the Phillipines for Australia where he would go on to command Allied forces. The second half of the film profiles this American Caesar, and includes rare footage of MacArthur being decorated by General Pershing in 1918, and serving as the youngest Chief of Staff in 1930. It also shows him at West Point, and reviewing forces in Germany. The film's stirring portrait underscores the fact that one of MacArthur's greatest assets beyond military prowess -- was his media savvy.
