Summary: Official anti-Japanese propaganda film made after victory in Europe to arouse determination for the final phase of the struggle against the Japanese war-machine.
Description: This film consists almost entirely of footage shot in Japan, from the Sino-Japanese Incident, from Japanese feature films and of re-enactments by Japanese actors. Many sophisticated filmic devices are used: montage editing, excellent animation sequences, superimpositions, optical effects, etc. The film begins by saying "We shall never completely understand the Japanese mind... but we must try to do so". There is then an assessment of Japanese religion as pagan mumbo-jumbo with the worship of the Emperor, who is thought to be a direct descendant of the Sun, at the root of the Shinto faith and a rigid doctrine of obedience to all superiors. There is a brief geographical survey and a long historical assessment that shows how brutal medieval samurai society was transformed after 200 years of complete isolation, through the modernisation of 1853-1931, into a society where the samurai caste retained their superiority by becoming war lords and working in league with industrialists to indoctrinate and exploit the Japanese nation for militaristic ends. Japanese ambition for world domination is followed from the invasion of Manchuria 1931 to combat footage from the Pacific.
Alternative Title:
Colour:B&W
Digitised:
Object_Number:USA 4
Sound:Sound
Access Conditions:IWM
Featured Period:1939-1945
Production Date:1945
Production Country:
Production Details: US War Department, Information and Education Division Army Service Forces (Production sponsor)
Army Pictorial Service, Signal Corps (Production company)
Ivens, Joris (Production individual)
Capra, Frank (Production individual)
Capra, Frank (Production individual)
Rivkin, Allen (Production individual)
Veiller, Anthony (Production individual)
Personalities, Units and Organisations:
Keywords: propaganda, United States - inflammatory: anti-Japanese (object name)
society, Japanese - ethnic (object name)
society, Japanese - history (object name)
Japan (geography)
propaganda (concept)
Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W
Sound format: Sound
Soundtrack language: English
Title language: English
Subtitle language: English
Technical Details: Format: 16mm
Number of items/reels/tapes: 2
Running time: 60 mins
