Although presumably intended to inspire a nation already headed for defeat in World War II (at least those Japanese able to recognize reality knew this), "Army" is actually an excellent piece of movie-making; despite the simple, almost obviously cheap sets, the dialogue is crisp, and the characters appealing and fascinating.
The woman playing Waka, the wife of Mr. Takagi, is an exceptional actress, and her ability to move convincingly between joy and sadness, fear and obsequiousness, are quite impressive.
The context of the film cannot be overlooked. We now know that the training of Japanese soldiers during and before the war was brutal and sadistic, and the result was the creation of an army of men that shamed those who failed to live up to the ideals of total sacrifice, and made the word "surrender" unspeakable - and led directly to the scorn and cruelty of the Japanese over those allied soldiers who surrendered to them.
This rigid code permeates the film, and characters are continuously willing to end friendships based on the perceived failures of others to live up to the ideals. I lost track of how often characters call each other "idiots" for daring to speak any ideas that would be less manly than what Attila the Hun might approve.
The irony lost on the filmmakers was that despite their need to portray all things Japanese as superior to all things Western, the images they capture cannot help but demonstrate how western ideas and fashions had already become part of Japanese society: the commercial architecture is very American, and in the crowd scenes many men are wearing suits; straw hats, which may have been more in style in America in the roaring 20's, also appear to have been popular.
Two scenes stand out for their genuine beauty, both towards the end of the film: first, the scene in which Mr. Sakuragi is accepted by his two friends as genuine "war buddies" is quite touching; and more subtly, the domestic scene of Mr. Takagi's family eating dinner together one last time before his son Shintaro goes off to war is particularly charming in a lovely and quiet way.
A film well worth your time.
The woman playing Waka, the wife of Mr. Takagi, is an exceptional actress, and her ability to move convincingly between joy and sadness, fear and obsequiousness, are quite impressive.
The context of the film cannot be overlooked. We now know that the training of Japanese soldiers during and before the war was brutal and sadistic, and the result was the creation of an army of men that shamed those who failed to live up to the ideals of total sacrifice, and made the word "surrender" unspeakable - and led directly to the scorn and cruelty of the Japanese over those allied soldiers who surrendered to them.
This rigid code permeates the film, and characters are continuously willing to end friendships based on the perceived failures of others to live up to the ideals. I lost track of how often characters call each other "idiots" for daring to speak any ideas that would be less manly than what Attila the Hun might approve.
The irony lost on the filmmakers was that despite their need to portray all things Japanese as superior to all things Western, the images they capture cannot help but demonstrate how western ideas and fashions had already become part of Japanese society: the commercial architecture is very American, and in the crowd scenes many men are wearing suits; straw hats, which may have been more in style in America in the roaring 20's, also appear to have been popular.
Two scenes stand out for their genuine beauty, both towards the end of the film: first, the scene in which Mr. Sakuragi is accepted by his two friends as genuine "war buddies" is quite touching; and more subtly, the domestic scene of Mr. Takagi's family eating dinner together one last time before his son Shintaro goes off to war is particularly charming in a lovely and quiet way.
A film well worth your time.
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