Hell in the Pacific (1968)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

John Boorman

Writers:

Reuben Bercovitch (story)
Alexander Jacobs (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

18 December 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

They hunted each other as enemies...they tormented each other as savages...they faced each other as men!

Plot:

During World War II, an American pilot and a marooned Japanese navy captain are deserted on a small uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean. There, they must cease their hostility and cooperate if they want to survive, but will they?

Plot Keywords:

Island | Japanese | Pilot | Raft | Stranded

Cast

Lee Marvin	...	American Pilot
Toshirô Mifune	...	Captain Tsuruhiko Kuroda

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System) (35 mm mag-optical prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:G | West Germany:16 | Singapore:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Airai, Babelthuap, Palau

Company:

American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Trivia:

Both Lee Marvin and Toshirô Mifune actually served in the Pacific during World War II, of course on opposing sides.

Quotes:

American Pilot: Oh, for a second I thought you were a Jap.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005) (TV)

history culture survival

Not only is this film a fascinating account of survival against odds, its a reflection of cultural differences within a crucial historical timeframe. Its narrative may be flawed, a little too stylized, but it features two of the greatest faces of 60s cinema history: Marvin and Mifune. Looking back on the second world war, it seems ironic that the Japanese believed their culture was superior in warfare, and the Americans believed theirs was superior for peace. In the end it will turn out to be the other way around. This film touches on that subject, highlighting Marvins aggressive, loud, and brutal behavior, and Mifunes quieter, more methodical survival methods. But in their battle to survive, the two men become almost indistinguishable. The most touching scene in the film: Both men collapsed in their sinking raft, dejected, exhausted, dehydrated, totally at their mercy of nature, a symbolic scene for human life. The DVD i saw contained both endings, the original, never seen in TV prints, much more believable and satisfying.