Hell in the Pacific (1968)

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?

Director:

John Boorman

Writers:

Alexander Jacobs (screenplay), Eric Bercovici (screenplay)

Stars:

Lee Marvin, Toshirô Mifune

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Lee Marvin	...	American Pilot
Toshirô Mifune	...	Captain Tsuruhiko Kuroda (as Toshiro Mifune)

Storyline

During World War II, a shot-down American pilot and a marooned Japanese navy captain find themselves stranded on the same small uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean. Following war logic, each time the crafty Japanese devises something useful, he guards it to deny its use to the Yank, who then steals it, its proceeds or the idea and/or ruins it. Yet each gets his chance to kill and/or capture the other, but neither pushes this to the end. After a while of this pointless pestering, they end up joining forces to build and man a raft...

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Plot Keywords:

island | stranded on an island | friendship between men | naval officer | world war two | 

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Taglines:

Two wartime enemies with one chance for survival ... each other.

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Genres:

Adventure | War

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

18 December 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Infierno en el Pacífico

Filming Locations:

Airai, Babelthuap, Palau

Box Office

Budget:

$4,150,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Selmur Productions, Henry G. Saperstein Enterprises Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After the producers changed the original ending without consulting him, director John Boorman vowed to always retain creative control of his projects from then on.

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Quotes

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

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Alternate Versions

American version featured an alternative ending where the two get drunk and walk off in separate directions arguing at each other; in the British version (which was exactly the same as the Japanese version), they start yelling and a bomb from the sky falls and blows everything apart.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Desert Island Movies (2015)

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Soundtracks

Down in the Cane Brake
(uncredited)
Traditional
Sung by Lee Marvin

User Reviews

Hell in the Pacific: Interesting experience

"Hell in the Pacific" is a magnificent movie, with only two actors - but two of my biggest favorites. I watched it without subtitles and I couldn't understand Mifune and I often didn't here what Marvin said either. The best way to appreciate it is to not know English or Japanese, because you will understand it anyway. A film almost without dialog, a very interesting experience. Surely one of director John Boorman's most memorable movies, with flawless direction. The end is a "surprise" which fits in well. A must see!

Rating: 10 of 10.