PLOT
At the height of World War II, an American plane is shot down and crashes on a remote island. The survivors discover the place is not as uninhabited as it first appears since it is the home of a stranded battalion from the Imperial Japanese Army.
REACTION
NOTE: There will be some spoilers here, it can't be helped, but I'll keep it down to the minimum. I recommend watching the film (if you haven’t already) before you read my reaction below.
This film is unusual in more than one way. First, it was the only one Frank Sinatra ever directed. Second, it marked the very first US-Japan co-production. Third, despite being first billed (not to mention the director), Sinatra does not play the main lead. Clearly, that distinction goes to Japanese actor Tatsuya Mihashi who also narrates the story. Heck, Dr. Moloney isn’t even the main guy on the American side as the leader there is Clint Walker’s character (though Sinatra got top billing regardless).
I should also mention that despite being labeled as a ‘war’ film this is really an ‘anti-war’ film. Funny how this subgenre is always lumped into the category it is an antithesis of.
So let me start with the things that bothered me.
First, Kuroki (Mihashi’s character) also serves as the narrator. However, all the narration parts are in English... Why? Sure, it makes it easier for the viewer, but it’s not a logical choice. Going in, when the first thing you hear is a heavy Japanese accent speaking in English, you expect the rest to be all in English, but this is not the case. Worse, when we first see Kuroki, he is writing a diary, and it is implied that what we are hearing is what he is writing. So does that mean he is writing in English? This makes even less sense when we find out, in the end, that the diary is intended for his wife (a Japanese woman, to be clear).
Second, Lt. Blair really got on my nerves. He’s insufferable. The problem isn’t so much the character himself but the way Tommy Sands plays him. I can deal with annoying characters when they are well written and portrayed, but the actor here just does a hack job overdoing things in a grotesque way, with a heavy dose of histrionics, until he turns Blair into a caricature of himself. I suspect he was intended as comic relief, as much as the Buddhist priest was on the Japanese side. But see, Tokumaru is played with more subtlety and elicits smiles whereas Blair only earns contempt. Though to be fair, the director (Mr. Sinatra himself) might be more to blame if Sands merely followed his instructions.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s consider the plot.
It’s a rather classic (though always fun) setup where two enemies are stranded together and must learn to help each other to survive. One of my favorites using this premise is the underrated and oft-forgotten science-fiction classic “Enemy mine” (directed by Wolfgang Petersen in 1985, starring Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett, Jr.)
Aside from the previously mentioned two, most of the characters here are quite engaging—most of all Kuroki and Sinatra’s Moloney (the American soldiers’ physician). Bourke (played by Clint Walker) is more standard, though there are moments when he shines. Other highlights include the rebellious Sgt. Tamura, Okuda the fisherman (another comic relief), and the smirkingly insubordinate Bleeker.
Some of the more interesting aspects of the script are the ever-evolving dynamics between the two groups in general and their two leaders (Kuroki and Bourke) in particular. Since we’re in the middle of the war, it of course starts with a bang—explosions, gunfire, and bloodshed—but necessity brings them together. And as they learn to know each other better, friendships begin to form. The question of course is whether these friendships can survive outside of this isolated island. I will not spoil the ending, but I’ll just say that there are some surprising twists.
This very first American-Japanese co-production was a big-budget venture that was backed by major companies in both countries—namely Warner Bros. and Toho. Interestingly, the film was shot in Hawaii. Considering how Pearl Harbor was a turning point in the war, forcing the US to get involved, I’m sure it was a symbolic choice for the crew. Though I imagine it also made logistics easier as it’s closer to Japan than any other American territory.
Speaking of the crew, a big part of it was Japanese, including special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya. For those unfamiliar with his name, Tsuburaya was the co-creator of the highly popular Godzilla and Ultraman franchises and is considered “one of the most important and influential figures in the history of cinema.” Known as the “Father of Tokusatsu” he was a pioneer in his field and worked with some of his country’s most respected directors—including Ishiro Honda, Hiroshi Inagaki, and Akira Kurosawa. On a side note, he was briefly (1921-23) a soldier in the Imperial Japanese Army depicted in the film.
Other notable crew members include executive producer Howard W. Koch (known for producing “The Manchurian candidate,” “The odd couple,” “Airplane!” and “Ghost”) and associate producer William H. Daniels (best known for his work as a cinematographer on classics such as “Greed,” “Ninotchka,” “The naked city,” “Cat on a hot tin roof,” and “How the West was won”).
The score is credited to one Johnny Williams who also wrote the theme music for the classic The time tunnel TV show. He later shortened his name to John Williams... Yes, that John Williams. The guy who scored “Star wars,” “Superman,” and almost every film Steven Spielberg ever made—including “Jaws,” “Close encounters of the third kind,” the “Indiana Jones” series, “E.T.” and “Schindler’s list.”
The film does a good job of humanizing the characters. What I mean here is that one of the hypocrisies of war is how it purposefully dehumanizes the enemy so it becomes easier for soldiers to pull the trigger. This movie does the opposite. There are only humans on this island, with similar pains and hopes. When cut off from hierarchy, it is easy enough for them to see through the lies, to strip down the masks, and become normal human beings like you and me. This is further hammered in by having very similar characters on both sides—the comic reliefs mentioned previously, but also the leaders who share similar stories and personality traits, and the stubborn soldiers who keep disobeying orders (Tamura and Bleeker). The film poster below takes this even further—notice how it highlights this mirroring, and quite literally too!
Not a masterpiece, but a fun and well-made moment of entertainment with a well-meaning script and some decent acting.
So, how about you? Have you watched this film? What did you think of it?
What’s your favorite war or anti-war film?
Let us know in the comments.
CREDITS
Directed by Frank Sinatra.
Screenplay by John Twist & Katsuya Susaki, based on a story by Kikumaru Okuda.
Produced by Kikumaru Okuda & Frank Sinatra.
Music by Johnny Williams.
Cinematography by Harold Lipstein.
Edited by Sam O’Steen.
Starring Frank Sinatra as Dr. Francis Moloney, Clint Walker as Capt. Dennis Bourke, Tommy Sands as Lt. Blair, Brad Dexter as Sgt. Bleeker, Tony Bill as air crewman Keller, Tatsuya Mihashi as Lt. Kuroki, Takeshi Kato as Sgt. Tamura, Sammy Jackson as Cpl. Craddock, Homare Suguro as Cpl. Hirano, Richard Bakalyan as Cpl. Ruffino, Kenji Sahara as Cpl. Fujimoto, Rafer Johnson as Pvt. Johnson, Masahiko Tanimura as Pvt. Ando, Jimmy Griffin as Pvt. Dexter, Hisao Dazai as Pvt. Tokumaru, Christopher Dark as Pvt. Searcy, Susumu Kurobe as Pvt. Goro, Don Dorrell as Pvt. Hoxie, Toru Ibuki as Pvt. Arikawa, Phil Crosby as Pvt. Magee, Takashi Inagaki as Pvt. Ishii, Ryucho Shunputei as Pvt. Okuda, Kenichi Hata as Pvt. Sato.
Produced by Sinatra Enterprises / Tokyo Eiga Co. Ltd. / Toho Film / Artanis Productions, Inc.
Distributed by Toho (Japan) / Warner Bros. (USA).
Released on January 15, 1965 (Japan) / February 11, 1965 (USA).
Running time: 105 minutes.
Genre: War/Anti-war.
—
Share your thoughts in the comments! I would love to hear them.
If you enjoyed this review, please feel free to forward it to your friends or to share it on social media.
And don’t forget to like by clicking the little heart below this post ;)
Thanks for reading Screen Views! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
—
Text (c) 2024 by Alex S. Garcia.
Header image: screenshot of the film’s title card.
Film poster courtesy of IMP Awards.