Posted by Don Murphy on December 24, 2011, 12:02:10
I received a used Tamiya 1/350th Yamato kit for Christmas and the seller included a DVD of the film "Yamato." This has got to be one of the best war films done. The story is terrific and follows a Titanic-esque feel with the film beginning with the camera following a young woman (early thirties) viewing a battleship Yamato exhibit in a museum. She has a desire to go to the coordinates of Yamato's sinking and as you can imagine, the scruffy fishing boat captain that takes her is one of the ship's survivors. The "hero's" story starts with him reporting onboard shortly before the battle of Saipan. There is some gruesome combat during the Leyte Gulf battle and then repair and rehabilitation prior to the final suicide mission.
The director could easily have been James Cameron or Clint Eastwood. Or even Spielberg. The CGI is stunningly accurate with every single USN bird having the correct squadron markings, weathering, etc. Like Cameron, the film has a FARGING ENORMOUS set of the battleship where you can feel the sheer size of this ship. The gun positions, gear, etc, are all highly accurate. Our "hero" is part of the crew of a triple 25mm AA mount and everything was researched to the Nth degree. The film is 100% time period. In other words, there's no one running around with a 1990's hair cut or modern shoes, etc. The actions of the cast are exactly as they would have been during that time.
The film is not a history lesson nor is it an apology. In fact, it's not an excuse either. "How" or "why" Yamato is at war is irrelevant. The Americans are neither demonized nor justified. It is a fight between two adversaries. How the adversaries came to be fighting each other is touched upon but again - no apologies are made nor are any excuses made. The film does not want your sympathy nor does the film want to escape blame. It is clear that the decisions being made are Japanese decisions. Tons of survivors were interviewed and the dialog reflects the reality of that final mission. Again, there are no apologies nor are there any "woe is me, we are victims" being said. The officers understand the crew's frustrations and several key questions most of us have regarding "why" sane men would willingly go off to war are answered.
The answer is digested by the crew and hopefully by you the viewer, as well. Like Titanic, there is survivor's guilt by the hero. Like Saving Private Ryan, the final battle is as graphic as it can be. There's reality. The Charge-Of-The-Light-Brigade mentality is evident as hand-aimed anti-aircraft guns attempt to fence with hundred mile per hour aircraft. No punches are pulled and there is no intimation that our hero will knock plane after plane out of the sky and save his ship. In fact, the futility of the day is discussed by all, prior and during the attack. It really is target practice for the USN and again, the American pilots are not portrayed as heartless round-eyed devils but "fellow warriors meeting us on the battlefield."
The savagery and speed of naval combat is evident in the filming. Death comes quickly to those destined to meet it. Near misses kill as bloodily and savagely as direct hits. Five hundred and one thousand pound bombs make a mess. I am reminded of the final scene of SPR where Tom Hanks fires his pistol in vain at the Tiger tank. The crew of Uchida's triple 25mm fire their last rounds and each man stays at his post. The film debunks several myths of the final battle that I'll keep secret. On a scale of 1 - 10 I rate the film a 67. Like Eastwood's Letters From Iwo Jima, it is an eye opener. I'm warning you now...the film is also a tear jerker. All in all tho, it is time well spent.
And, based on your response (which I'm sure is very much like mine will be, for all the same reasons) I also have to see Clint's "Letters", which I haven't yet. I did see (I even bought a copy of) his "Flags of Our Fathers", and really liked it - though of course Saving Private Ryan remains The Ultimate (for many reasons). For some reason, in modern days we had yet to see ANY good WWII naval-related STORY LINE - perhaps this Yamato movie is the one, at long last.
(The best prior to this was Das Boot - at least the PEOPLE seemed as realistic as the special effects - though there was about zero character development - except, "Oh sh**, now we're starting to lose the war, and it's getting me depressed!" ) Das Boot was really more like a (quasi-) historical re-enactment, as opposed to an actual WWII story line.
Perhaps now, one day (for once and the first time ever) we'll get a modern/high-quality, accurate and inspiring movie about Pearl Harbor, to wash away the bad taste of that last one. Or, how difficult could it be for someone to come up with an interesting story line threading throught the early SW Pacific actions - complete with Houston, Chicago, Exeter, S-37, Hiryu, Repulse and POW, Buffaloes, Betties and Nells - wouldn't that be AWESOME?!!
Meantime, Thanks for the "holiday review", Donny - Merry Christmas to You, buddy - and do let me know (anybody), if you see any availability of this movie, at a reasonable price, on DVD!
Arrr matey. I'll see what I can do. YOU HAVEN'T SEEN LETTERS?! OMG - Clint hits the nail on the head. The movie rides the border of artistic license and truth. Kuriyabashi's exacting detail and brutal think-outside-the-box defense planning is right on the money. Where he kinda (in my opinion) gets a bit filthy is his "look-we're-just-like-you" attitude. In other words, poor Japanese minding their business when them mean ol' Americans attacked.
Japan bashers and lovers alike have levelled all kinds of beastiality and brutality done by the Japanese defenders of Iwo and Oki but for some reason, Clint chooses to side skirt the issue ("it didn't happen") or change it ("look, we were kind"). The incident of the later Clint portrays as a wounded marine is taken prisoner and the kindly Japanese infantry captain exhorts his men to care for the wounded marine, even going so far as sharing with the marine that he travelled to the USA and enjoyed his trip.
The marine conveniently dies of his wounds and indeed, historically no "complete" (ie; 'free from mutilation') marines were ever recovered from the Japanese caves. So Iggy's death in Flags Of Our Fathers is the accepted "death" that befell marines wounded/captured in my book. An air force manual jokingly (but truthful) exhorts air crew not to bail out over cities they've just bombed. So for that reason, I would not expect the flame-throwered survivors to be too compassionate with a wounded marine.
In Yamato, Iwo is a done deal and Oki's outcome is as well. The division captain shuts up serious historical mutiny with a speech that is so typically Japanese but the speech actually took place. I won't spoil it, but the speech makes so muck f**king sense I'm surprised I hadn't caught it before in my brain. The way that it shuts the dissenters up is equallyl gripping.
Clint's "Letters" has a second disk with tons o' features on both the filming of the movie and the actual battle. Yeah, it's nice to see a movie about the "other" side's perspective, but the movie comes pretty close to being apologetic with a Japanese slant. In other words, poor Japanese being bullied for no reason. Anyway, I'll dig through my spare movie collection and see if I have them laying around...
A little late for X-mas - and typically "re-gifted" - but an excellent present, nonetheless!
Seriously, Donny, I didn't mean to have you GIVE me anything - but of course, if you can lend me your copy of "Letters", I'll gladly borrow (and enjoy!) it. (If you want to throw in the Yamato one, I will swear by All That's Right and Good to return it, in perfect condition, as well.)
But I'd still like to know where I can buy (one or) both - sounds like they're a pair I'm going to want to have, and watch (many times) again!
I see them on Amazon every now and then again. I scored the Yamato movie with the ship I got. The seller also threw in the Classic Warships and AOTS Yamato books.