Cry ‘Havoc’ (1943) in Color — Starring Margaret Sullavan & Ann Sothern

Cry ‘Havoc’ (1943) — Buy This Classic in Color

Experience the powerful wartime drama Cry ‘Havoc’ (1943) Colorized, directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Margaret Sullavan, Ann Sothern, and Joan Blondell, a harrowing and emotionally searing account of a group of American volunteer women trapped on the Bataan Peninsula during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in 1942, serving as nurses and medical aides under impossible conditions in a makeshift jungle hospital where bombs fall constantly, supplies dwindle to nothing, malaria and dysentery ravage the staff, and the approaching enemy draws closer every day, a film about ordinary women finding extraordinary courage in the most desperate circumstances imaginable, now available for purchase in stunning color for just €15.00. This digitally enhanced version brings this powerful war drama to vivid new life. Own this DRM-free digital download today.

Plot Summary

Bataan, the Philippines, early 1942 — the American and Filipino forces, overwhelmed by the Japanese invasion, have been pushed into a desperate defensive position on the Bataan Peninsula. The fall is only a matter of time. Among those trapped in this shrinking pocket of resistance is a group of American women who volunteered as nurses and medical aides at a jungle field hospital.

These are not professional military nurses — they are civilians of varied backgrounds who answered the call for volunteers. Among them are a tough, wisecracking former burlesque performer; a quiet, reserved society woman fleeing personal scandal; a young, frightened girl barely out of her teens; and a hardened, experienced head nurse who must somehow hold them all together as conditions deteriorate from difficult to impossible to catastrophic.

The hospital is a collection of crude shelters dug into the jungle earth — roofed with palm fronds, lit by kerosene lamps, and equipped with medical supplies that diminish daily. Japanese bombing raids target the hospital area with increasing frequency. The wounded pour in from the front lines in numbers that overwhelm the staff. The women work round the clock on inadequate food, with dwindling medicine, in constant danger.

As the siege wears on, the personal conflicts and hidden histories among the women surface under the pressure of shared suffering. Rivalries and resentments that would be trivial in normal circumstances become magnified in the hothouse atmosphere of the jungle hospital. But so too do acts of courage, compassion, and selfless sacrifice that reveal the best in each woman.

The Japanese advance relentlessly. The military situation grows more hopeless by the day. The women face the growing certainty that there will be no rescue, no evacuation — only the choice between surrender and resistance, with all the terrible implications of either option.

Cast & Crew

Director: Richard Thorpe

Stars: Margaret Sullavan as Lt. Mary ‘Smitty’ Smith, Ann Sothern as Pat Conlin, Joan Blondell as Grace Lambert, Fay Bainter as Captain Alice Marsh, Marsha Hunt as Flo Norris

Margaret Sullavan brings her characteristic blend of vulnerability and steel to the role of Smitty, while Ann Sothern provides welcome comic relief as the brassy Pat. Joan Blondell is deeply affecting as a woman concealing personal pain beneath a tough exterior, and Fay Bainter anchors the ensemble with quiet authority as the head nurse.

Why Buy This Classic in Color?

The colorization of Cry ‘Havoc’ brings the nightmare of Bataan to visceral life — the deep jungle green of the Philippine forest canopy that provides uncertain shelter from bombing raids, the harsh orange and red of explosions lighting the night sky above the hospital compound, the pale khaki and olive drab of the women’s increasingly tattered and stained volunteer uniforms, the deep brown of jungle mud that coats everything and everyone during the tropical rainy season, the sickly yellow-green of malaria-stricken faces beneath mosquito nets, the bright crimson of fresh blood against white surgical bandages that are washed and reused until they fall apart, the warm amber of kerosene lamplight in the underground operating theater during nighttime bombing raids, the dusty brown and sun-bleached white of the Bataan roads visible through the hospital clearing, the pale exhausted flesh tones of the volunteer women pushing through sleepless nights of unending casualties, and the deep blue-black of tropical nights when the sound of advancing enemy forces draws closer. Now also available in colour. Buy Cry ‘Havoc’ (1943) Colorized today for €15.00 and own this powerful war drama in a DRM-free format.

Historical Significance

Cry ‘Havoc’ is one of the most powerful and unflinching American films about women’s wartime experience, focusing exclusively on the female experience of combat conditions with a seriousness and emotional honesty rarely seen in 1940s cinema. Based on a stage play by Allan Kenward, the film assembles one of the most impressive all-female ensemble casts of the wartime era: Margaret Sullavan, Ann Sothern, Joan Blondell, Fay Bainter, Marsha Hunt, Ella Raines, and others create a gallery of distinct, fully realized characters whose varied backgrounds and personalities make the ensemble feel authentic rather than stereotypical. Like So Proudly We Hail, the film was based on the real experiences of the nurses and volunteer women who served in the Philippines, and its unsparing depiction of their suffering served to educate the American public about the human cost of the Pacific War. The film was released while the Philippines remained under Japanese occupation and while real American women were still imprisoned in internment camps, giving it an emotional immediacy that is still palpable. Through colorization, this important tribute to women’s wartime courage is preserved for modern audiences.

Technical Details

• Format: MP4 digital download
• Resolution: HD 720p
• Colorized: Yes, professional AI-assisted colorization
• Audio: Original English mono soundtrack
• Runtime: Approximately 97 minutes
• DRM-free: Yes — watch on any device
• Instant download: Available immediately after purchase
• Price: €15.00

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Movie-Specific Questions

Q: Is this based on true events?
A: Cry ‘Havoc’ is inspired by the real experiences of American nurses and volunteer women who served in the Philippines during the fall of Bataan in 1942.

Q: Is this similar to So Proudly We Hail?
A: Both films address the same subject — American women during the fall of the Philippines — and were released in 1943. Cry ‘Havoc’ focuses more on civilian volunteers and has a more ensemble-driven structure.

Q: Is this an all-female cast?
A: Virtually, yes — the film focuses almost exclusively on the women in the hospital compound, with male characters appearing only briefly. The all-female ensemble is one of its most distinctive features.

Digital Download Questions

Q: What format is the download?
A: The film is delivered as a high-quality MP4 file in HD 720p resolution, compatible with virtually all modern devices and media players.

Q: Is the download DRM-free?
A: Yes, your purchase is completely DRM-free. You own the file outright and can watch it on any device without restrictions or recurring fees.

Q: How quickly will I receive the download?
A: Your download link is available immediately after payment is confirmed. You can begin watching Cry ‘Havoc’ (1943) Colorized within minutes of your purchase.

Related Colorized Classics

• So Proudly We Hail (1943)
• Since You Went Away (1944)
• The White Cliffs of Dover (1944)
• Mrs. Miniver (1942)
• They Were Expendable (1945)