Isoroku Yamamoto, the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet

[Chalenge]

When you watch this movie you will see that Pearl, Midway, and Guadalcanal are portrayed at odds with reality. The "execution" of Yamamoto is fairly accurate if you take into account the American reports (and discount the invalid claim). The CGI is inconsistent throughout the movie. It will be on sale next week in a format you cannot play in the U.S.

[Old Sport]

When you watch this movie you will see that Pearl, Midway, and Guadalcanal are portrayed at odds with reality. The "execution" of Yamamoto is fairly accurate if you take into account the American reports (and discount the invalid claim). ...

So this is sort of a Japanese complementary version of that legendary movie "Pearl Harbor" then?     

[GScholz]

When you watch this movie you will see that Pearl, Midway, and Guadalcanal are portrayed at odds with reality. The "execution" of Yamamoto is fairly accurate if you take into account the American reports (and discount the invalid claim). The CGI is inconsistent throughout the movie. It will be on sale next week in a format you cannot play in the U.S.

What did you find at odds with reality?

A format you cannot play in the U.S.?

[Chalenge]

For one, the film makers refused to mount even the slightest criticism of Yamamoto. At Guadalcanal it was his refusal to commit his strongest forces that allowed the Americans to gain a foothold (Yamamoto's mistake) but that is not mentioned at all. Midway? Did you watch this film? You think Midway was a realistic portrayal?

This is a DVD created for Region 2 in PAL format. You can watch it on transatlantic flights right now or buy a region 2 player. The Blu-ray version will work in the U.S. for bluray players.

Dont expect an excellent or accurate film though.

[GScholz]

For one, the film makers refused to mount even the slightest criticism of Yamamoto. At Guadalcanal it was his refusal to commit his strongest forces that allowed the Americans to gain a foothold (Yamamoto's mistake) but that is not mentioned at all.

The Japanese campaign in the Solomons is not covered by the film, and I don't see how that is "at odds with reality": The film covers two key battles and Yamamoto's fatal final flight; the film is almost two and a half hours long already. The film is a biography of Yamamoto, not a war documentary.

Midway? Did you watch this film? You think Midway was a realistic portrayal?

The battle scenes covering Midway were about 20 minutes of the film. Considering the battle is material enough for a whole movie by itself, how do you think this portrayal was not realistic? The Japanese TF attacks Midway - Recon plane spots US carriers - Nagumo makes his fateful decision - US carrier planes sinks three Japanese carriers - Hiryu's air group attacks the USS Yorktown - Hiryu is sunk by US planes - Yamamoto retreats.

[Chalenge]

You obviously were too drawn to the bloated image of this failed Admiral. The whole problem with this movie is that the Japanese are afraid to criticize a dead man that has been considered a great man in the past. That is a very common thing in Asia, while here in America we are free to criticize our leaders.

That is another reason why we fought facism. For freedom.

[GScholz]

You seem to have personal issues with this topic. The film certainly did not hold back any criticism against other Japanese, now dead, historical figures, and you still fail to clarify how the portrayal of the battle of Midway was not "realistic".

[Captain Virgil Hilts]

Yamamoto was actually a very good admiral, and reasonably successful, given the restrictions under which he operated. He was diametrically opposed to the war to begin with, and knew before it was started that Japan could not hope to win. Most of the "failures" under Yamamoto were one time failures of subordinates, some of which were understandable mistakes. He accurately predicted, and promised his "superiors", that he "could run wild for 6 months, and after that, promise nothing". From Pearl Harbor to Midway was about 6 months.

Under the circumstances, Yamamoto had two choices, refuse to participate in the war and resign, which would probably have resulted in him being assassinated by Tojo and his followers, or do as he did, do the best possible job given the task assigned him and the restrictions he operated under. He was a wise and honorable man, forced into something he did not desire or believe in. The Japanese navy was far worse off without him than it was with him.

[Ack-Ack]

You obviously were too drawn to the bloated image of this failed Admiral. The whole problem with this movie is that the Japanese are afraid to criticize a dead man that has been considered a great man in the past. That is a very common thing in Asia, while here in America we are free to criticize our leaders.

That is another reason why we fought facism. For freedom.

You ever watch the MacArthur bio-pic with Gregory Peck?  You could say the exact same thing about that movie that you're saying about this movie as the MacArthur movie never did mention any his screw ups in WW2 and Korea and painted a rosy picture of MacArthur as an infallible general.  

ack-ack

[GScholz]

In this film just about everything the Japanese do is portrayed as a failure, including the attack on Pearl Harbor. The film is very critical of the Japanese public opinion, government, media and military leadership. Throughout the film in small segments we follow several small groups of people (some civilians, a journalist and his colleagues, and a few IJN pilots) as they go from warmongering nationalism to despair as their world is destroyed around them. The only thing I agree with Chalenge on is that the CGI is "inconsistent", however it gets the job done.


Just found an English trailer for the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBQotim_ZHA

These trailers have a tendency to focus on the action. However, this film is not an action flick. The first hour or so is actually pre-war.

[GScholz]

For those interested in the "Kamikaze" digression of this thread, the Japanese made another pretty good flick a few years ago with the English title "For Those We Love". I could only find a horribly dubbed German trailer for it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4w4nDTN0Q0