An interview with Great Raid director, John Dahl

John Dahl (JD): As a boy Pilipino Express • Vol. 2 No. 12 growing up, I knew that my father Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada had served in World War II, like a June 16, 2006 lot of kids that I grew up with. There were shows on television The summer of 2005 saw the about the war and it was part of release of the movie The Great growing up in the sixties. My dad, Raid, which told the true story of a like a lot of other veterans, didn’t daring rescue mission to save over really talk about the war. I knew 500 American prisoners of war that he served in the Philippines from a Japanese camp in Cabana- and I knew that he was in the in- tuan, Nueva Ecija near the end of fantry, but that was about it. World War II. You may have My mother would always tell Director John Dahl missed this movie due to its un- me that her cousin “Packy,” as they ing POWs. I met Bob Prince [the usually short stay in the theatres, called him, died at Clark Field and leader of the raid], Rudy, a Filipino which is more often than not the that he was awarded a medal. I guerrilla, as well as Bob Lapham telltale sign of a mediocre movie – didn’t even know what continent [U.S. Armed Forces guerrilla leader but not in this case. Clark Field was on. in Luzon] and many others. Many critics and moviegoers, There was a man who went to When trying to come up with the including me, expected this movie our church, Ben Steele, who was a right tone for the letter that Gibson [a to be an ultra-patriotic piece of professor of art at a local college. My POW] writes at the end of the film, I American propaganda and con- dad would tell me, ‘He survived the even wrote to my Aunt Muriel who demned it as such before it was Bataan Death March.’ I had no idea sent me Xerox copies of her cousin released. Fortunately for me, I gave what the Death March was, other Packy’s letter that he wrote home, he it a chance and I was rewarded than it must have been bad. Obvi- was only 18 when he died. with an entertaining and realistic ously I missed quite a bit of U.S. My father, who had not been in depiction of some events that really history in my liberal arts education. contact with any of the men from happened in the Philippines during When I was given the chance to his platoon, contacted a buddy from the Second World War. make a film that put so much of my the war who lives in South Carolina. The true story of the great raid own family’s history together for They got together and talked about at Cabanatuan is hardly known me, as well as being part of a group their experiences. They hadn’t seen both here and in the Philippines, of filmmakers that got the opportu- each other or talked to each other in but with the release of The Great nity to tell a true story about an over 60 years. All in all, [the making Raid on DVD last February, this amazing event, I was thrilled. It of The Great Raid] has been a great important part of Filipino history allowed me to talk to my father experience, mostly meeting the has another chance to be seen. about his war experience. It gave me people who were actually there. Naturally, the story is told the opportunity to interview Ben PM: When you first got involved from the Americans’ point of view Steele as well as many other surviv- with The Great Raid, the script was but it is told honestly and, surpris- ing for a Hollywood movie, it does not ignore the non-American heroes, which in this case are the Filipinos. It gives the credit where it is due and for that we can thank the director, John Dahl. Last month, Mr. Dahl was in Winnipeg filming his latest feature entitled You Kill Me, starring Sir Ben Kingsley, Téa Leoni, Bill Pullman and Luke Wilson. I had a chance to talk to him about The Great Raid. Paul Morrow (PM): Your father was an infantry rifleman in the U.S. Army and was part of the 9th wave to land on Luzon in 1944 and he later spent some time in Cabanatuan shortly after the raid. Did you know “Cesar Montano was the only guy we Son of Nueva Ecija, Captain Juan much about the war in the Philip- seriously considered for the part of Pajota c. 1945 pines before you took on this project? Capt. Pajota” – John Dahl Paul Morrow • In Other Words • The Pilipino Express • June 16, 2006 much more “Hollywood” than his- nese to play Japanese, etc. We hired torical. Was it difficult to persuade a casting director in Manila to find the studio to let you make it more more Filipino talent and ultimately historically accurate? this is how we became aware of JD: Miramax approached me Richard [Joson]. He is an excellent with a script. It was more of an action actor, but given the chance to play film than a World War II drama. It his grandfather was just something was basically 12 guys shooting their we could not resist. way across the Philippines and rescu- PM: Some of the scenes with ing 500 prisoners. In this original Margaret Utinsky and the Filipino draft, Capt. Prince died, and Pajota underground resistance movement was an American deserter. For what were in the theatrical release but it was, it was a good script, but the they weren’t included in your Direc- last page in the script said, ‘based on tor’s Cut on DVD. (They can still be a true story.’ I asked Miramax for the viewed in the DVD’s supplementary book and read, The Great Raid by material). Why was that? Bill Breuer and realized how much JD: I always liked those scenes, license had been taken. John Dahl on the Winnipeg set of but felt like they slowed down the You Kill Me, May 2006 I wrote out a seven-page out- story. The studio liked those scenes line of the book – of what really because they felt the audience would happened – and convinced them relate to Margaret. There is nothing that if they were going to make a really wrong with the theatrical ver- film out of this event, it was too sion, I just prefer the Director’s Cut. important to take license with. I It feels a little less contrived to me. agreed to do the movie if it was The shootout in Manila and the Rizal based on what really happened. Bridge were kind of “Hollywood It wasn’t easy [to persuade Mi- Action Movie Scenes,” which I Cesar Montano and Fil-Australian ramax], but once I made the case actress Natalie Mendoza didn’t feel the movie needed. I never that this is an important true story really saw it as an action film, more a and that there are many survivors ested in the role of an American straight-out drama with some action still alive; to do the “Hollywood” deserter, however when we went to at the end of the film. version of the movie would not be a more realistic approach, this role PM: What kind of reactions to fitting of the Miramax name. Ulti- was one of the casualties. There was the film have you received from mately they agreed. no American deserter who took part Filipinos? Did you attend the pre- The only part of the story they in the actual raid. There was how- mier in the Philippines? wanted to maintain was the love ever, Captain Pajota, who Captain JD: I was not able to attend the story between Margaret and Gibson. Bob Prince credits for much of the premier in the Philippines, however Once I read Margaret Utinsky’s true success of the raid. I felt it was im- the producer, Marty Katz, did and story, [her autobiography entitled, portant to be accurate and cast a said it was very well received. Miss U] I was hooked. I knew that Filipino in this role, fortunately Mi- I did have the opportunity to the story of the Filipino resistance ramax agreed. We were also very screen it for two Filipino veterans of and the underground had to be part fortunate to find Cesar Montano. the Bataan Death March in Chicago. of the story. Margaret Utinsky got PM: On the commentary track When the lights came up at the end the help of some of the wealthiest of The Great Raid DVD you said there was this 80-year-old man in and most influential citizens in Ma- that you cast Cesar Montano based tears, it was very touching. He was nila. They did this out of compas- on his performance in one of his very moved by the film [because] he sion for the POWs, and they also movie’s that you had seen. Which felt this story had never really been did it as a form of resistance to the movie was it? told. Many people do not realize Japanese. For their efforts, the Japa- JD: Muro-Ami. It was subtitled that most of the casualties on the nese executed them all, along with in English. Cesar was the captain of Death March were Filipino. Of the five Irish priests. The Filipino resis- a fishing boat that employed young nearly 75,000 men on the march, tance during the war was essential. boys to do very dangerous work. It 60,000 of them were Filipino. I PM: You said that Cesar Mon- was a really good movie and Cesar think it’s an important story, the tano’s character, Captain Juan Pa- was very good in it. movie aside, and I want to do what I jota, wasn’t in the original script. Is PM: Was it a coincidence that can to increase people’s awareness it true that Miramax wanted Johnny Pajota’s fellow officer, Captain Edu- of the war in the Pacific, and the Depp to play the part of the Ameri- ardo Joson was played by the grand- relationship between a country like can deserter? son of the real Eduardo Joson? the Philippines and the U.S. JD: It’s always good to have a JD: We strived for accuracy in E-mail the author at: movie star in your film, and Johnny almost every detail. We wanted [email protected] Depp is a great talent. He was inter- Filipinos to play Filipinos, Japa- or visit www.mts.net/~pmorrow