The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On (1987)
"Yuki Yukite shingun" (original title)

This documentary was five years in the making, and revolves around 62-year-old Okuzaki Kenzo, a survivor of the battlefields of New Guinea in World War II who gained notoriety by ... See full summary »

Director:

Kazuo Hara

Stars:

Kenzo Okuzaki, Riichi Aikawa, Masaichi Hamaguchi

9 wins.

Cast

Cast overview:
Kenzo Okuzaki	...	Himself
Riichi Aikawa
Masaichi Hamaguchi
Toshio Hara
Shichiro Kojima
Masao Koshimizu
Taro Maruyama
Toshiya Nomura
Shizumi Okuzaki
Eizaburo Oshima
Rinko Sakimoto
Yukio Seo
Iseko Shimamoto
Minoru Takami
Kichitaro Yamada

Storyline

This documentary was five years in the making, and revolves around 62-year-old Okuzaki Kenzo, a survivor of the battlefields of New Guinea in World War II who gained notoriety by slingshooting steel pinballs at Emperor Showa to protest against what he considered to be the ruler's war crimes. Setting out to conduct interviews with survivors and relatives, he finds the truth of the past to be elusive, achieving a breakthrough only when he confronts ex-Sergeant Yamada, who grudgingly admits the occurrence and instructional source of certain atrocities.

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Plot Keywords:

past | truth | cannibalism | violence | hidden truth | 

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Genres:

Documentary | War

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

15 May 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

El ejército desnudo del emperador sigue marchando

Filming Locations:

Fukaya, Saitama, Japan

Box Office

Budget:

$222,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Imamura Productions, Shisso Production, Zanzou-sha

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in The Story of Film: An Odyssey: Episode #1.10 (2011)

User Reviews

A lonely crusade to expose the truth

Like "Fires on the Plain," this documentary gives you the side of World War Two they left out of the John Wayne films. A Japanese war veteran is haunted by memories of fellow soldiers who were executed (and eaten!) by officers in New Guinea. Ironically, the officers used false charges that the soldiers were themselves cannibals as an excuse for executing them. The old soldier goes on a quixotic and unpopular crusade to bring the truth to light.