The Battle of Okinawa 1971 AnimEigo Buy It Now

Even though World War II ended some fifty years ago, filmmakers have had an obsession with telling tales of war for decades. If you talk to video game designers, they might be the ones who are the most fascinated with it, and some have pointed out that in the world of digital entertainment, the Second World War has now gone on longer on home platforms than it did in real life. Usually though, we see games as well as movies that are made here in the United States, and that gives us our perspective on the war, but thanks to AnimEigo, we can get the Japanese viewpoint.

The Battle of Okinawa; the title itself really sums up what the focal point on the movie really is. The official dates for this battle are March 18, 1945 through June 23, 1945, and what we generally know and are told we’ve learned from our school history books as well as The History Channel as well as a few other sources. We also are told the Allies side of this moment in history, but this film will show the other side.

The movie itself is actually quite an epic piece of cinema coming in at around two and a half hours, but the filmmakers and director Kihachi Okamoto, who also directed Zatoichi vs. Yojimbo among many other films, manages to keep things interesting. The Battle of Okinawa is told and displayed in a number of different ways. Throughout the film, you have occasional narration that gives you dates, places, and the important people that were involved not just in the battle itself, but those in the military and power that made decisions in this faithful moment in history. To go into detail on all of them here in this review would be a rather taxing and tedious process as there were a number of generals and military personnel who had involvement in the events prior and during the battle. The film even creates some fictitious personalities to humanize the events.

It isn’t just dates however that are thrown out. The Battle of Okinawa also showcases actual historical footage as well as photographs from the battlefield. While much of the video is easy to sit through as it simply shows planes or battleships, those that have an aversion of the results of war may find that the photographs are a bit unsettling as they show those who lost their lives in battle, and as we all know, this is never some prim and proper scenario but instead is a very real, grim, and often graphic imagery.

The first half of the movie is really about the build up on both sides. It shows how those on Okinawa retreated into the caves on the island to use as a stronghold and base of operations. We also see that during the war, the Japanese had a very strong sense of pride and tradition, and rather than surrender, suicide was an acceptable means to escaping the enemy, something that took the lives of nearly 400 souls on Iwo Jima. Like the American war effort, the Japanese too would have women and young men offering their assistance in any way possible. We even see women ready to take up arms with the cry of “Death to America,” a sentiment that is now uttered in contempt by other nations of the world today. If history teaches us anything, it may be that like Japan, we may one day be able to have peace with those who see us now as nothing more than infidels.

After a good deal of showing what is at stake and how the Japanese forces at Okinawa are hopelessly outnumbered, the film moves into what could really be considered to be the war aspect. This comes after an intermission, something that filmmakers actually would include decades ago, and an element that at times is necessary in some modern cinema. The ensuing battle on Okinawa is much like the rest of the film where you will have narration as well as photos and stock video footage intermixed with the movie itself. As with many Toho films, there is also a great deal of model usage, something that they have perfected thanks to their kaiju films, but The Battle of Okinawa does take a turn where it is dark. We see the deaths on the battlefield, those who have survived and have to undergo crude amputations, but even with the body count and the wounded on the rise, the people of Okinawa would remain steadfast until the very end.

Japan may have been our enemy during World War II, but this film shows that like anyone, they were and still are a people who were willing to give up their very lives to defend the land and homes that were there own. Based on the subject matter, you may have the assumption that The Battle of Okinawa is an anti-American film circa the early 1970’s, but it is anything but that. It show the horrors of war and part of the defeat the lead to the end of the Second World War. Even today, there are people in Japan that are trying to revise history, in particular the suicide that the citizens of Okinawa and Japan itself would partake in rather than become prisoners of war, and this film really illustrates the war itself from both the Japanese point of view as well as the mindset of the time.

The only problem with the older Japanese films is that obtaining bonus materials seems to be something that is close to impossible. The Battle of Okinawa contains a scant few extras including the theatrical trailer, images from the film, and program notes that give explanations to many different aspects and Japanese words and phrases used within the movie, but there isn’t much else.

While American filmmakers have always tried to approach their war films on a more fantasy level with reality mixed in and even details changed just to suit the will of Hollywood, Japanese cinema seems to try and stick to the facts. It does mix in fantasy and fiction as well, but the real life struggles, sacrifices, and individuals aren’t forgotten and for anyone who wants to learn more about World War II from another perspective, The Battle of Okinawa will fill in the finer points of one of the things that lead to Japan’s defeat in the closing days of the war.