BEASTS OF THE EAST (PH, 1953), OUTRAGES OF THE ORIENT (Ph, 1953) & ATROCITIES OF THE ORIENT (PH/USA, 1959)

Now, this is a little out of the ordinary on this site; here's a couple of war movies alright ... and they ARE from the Philippines ... but they're not like the trashy Vietnam War films from the 1980s and '90s that we usually deal with here. They're from 1953 and are set in the Second World War. Oh, and one more thing: I don't actually own these films!!

I stumbled over them on SOMETHING WEIRD VIDEO's site. Although the headline promises THREE movies we're actually really only talking TWO original movies here. BEASTS OF THE EAST and OUTRAGES OF THE ORIENT were both filmed in the Philippines in 1953. Then in 1959 the Americans apparently wanted to release ONE movie but instead of just choosing one of the two they took them both, spliced them together and probably threw a lot of footage away. The result is what Something Weird Video's reviewer describes as "one glorious (and barely comprehensible) anti-Japanese epic". Haha. And needless to say it would probably be easy to think all three titles are alternative titles for the same film. Well, they're not and if you need proof I urge you to get hold of the SWV DVD; both of the original films are included.

The "DVD" is a DVD-R and it's only available thru SWV's site. Go here. If you're outside the USA you'll need to order thru email and yes they do take PayPal. The DVD is $10 + postage. Here's a trailer I ripped from their site; The quality sucks (they REALLY don't want you to copy their trailers!! And I'm scratching my head here: Why the hell not!!?? Trailers are adverts for films. It's not like a reviewer posts the FULL movie for free when he posts a trailer. If anything, people get to get a glimpse of what they'll get if they buy the DVD. Very strange attitude).

I would assume some kind of DVD of the edited version is available, maybe as a boot or PD (same thing really) in the US. Screen grabs and a brief reference to a DVD is mentioned on Andrew Leavold's site.

From SOMETHING WEIRD VIDEO's website about their DVD:

Hot on the heels of World War II came these two Filipino-made war movies – bubbling over with hatred for the Japanese invaders and full of home-grown patriotism for the heroic Filipino soldier – which were re-edited by producer LLOYD FRIEDEGEN for release in the U.S. in 1953. Both films take cruel delight in portraying the Japanese as particularly vicious and, in fact, both films were categorized as “Atrocity Films” when sold on the grindhouse circuit.

Beasts of the East (released in the U.S. by Classic Pictures) cuts right to the chase by starting the story in the late summer of 1944, just prior to the landing of American troops, and stressing how “the Japanese persecution and torture of the people grew worse and more unbearable day by day.” It also opens with a musical number. Yes, happy Filipinos work the fields by singing a happy song until they’re interrupted by stock footage of the Japanese shooting down an American plane flying overhead. Though the plane crashes, the American pilot is saved and hidden in a jungle village where everyone works as guerilla fighters against the Japanese. The American, Tom Clark, is so appreciative, he gives them his remaining cigarettes: “Oh boy! The real McCoy! Genuine stateside Camels!” Tom also falls for Lydia, a Filipino Florence Nightingale who nurses him back to health. But the Evil Japs find his downed plane and search for the missing American by thugging their way through the local populace, torturing the men and carrying off the women. Tom quickly joins with his Filipino comrades and everyone is soon busily slaughtering everyone else. Happy ending? Nope, not in this one…. (Beasts of the East also comes with a second musical number as well as an apology for the heavily-accented English the cast speaks throughout.)

Outrages of the Orient ups the ante immediately with the Japanese seen attacking Corregidor by killing old men and ripping the clothes off young women. In the midst of this war, two brothers carry on a personal war of their own by fighting over the woman they both love, made instantly more complicated by her death: “Yes I killed her! I’d rather see this woman dead than be a victim of those savages!” And “savages” is exactly how the Japanese are portrayed here: bloodthirsty bastards who take particular delight in bayoneting and beheading their Filipino prisoners: “There is only one God, the Emperor of Japan!” All of which is punctuated with a man driven insane by the death of his wife, a sexy female guerilla fighter named Colonel Eve, the brothers’ mother popping up at a most inopportune moment to sob, and another grim ending.

There’s been much confusion over Outrages of the Orient and the similarly titled Atrocities of the Orient to the extent that most sources assume they’re different titles for the same film. Not so. The above Outrages of the Orient is the originall version of the film. Atrocities of the Orient combines footage from Outrages of the Orient with footage from Beasts of the East and elsewhere into one glorious (and barely comprehensible) anti-Japanese epic.
And remember, kids: “They died so that we may live!”



1274 views


Product Details

SKU: 34553
Weight: 0.25 lbs
Format: DVD-R
Year: 1953
Color: B&W

Price: $10.00