Hell in the Pacific (1968) [Film Review]

Hell in the Pacific; or, Man vs. Man

     Enemy personnel and unfriendly natives. A man fighting for survival in a jungle is in no position to maintain prisoners of war. Destroy them if they are captured. Immediately. Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

Today, I would like to discuss an important, yet a bit forgotten, movie from Toshiro Mifune’s filmography. One could say that it is simply a Cast Away all over again, but John Boorman’s Hell in the Pacific is so much more than Robinson Crusoe-scenario. Why? Because its anti-war message hits you in the guts like a baseball bat.
Release Info

Directed by: John Boorman Starring: Lee Marvin, Toshiro Mifune

Language: English, Japanese Runtime: 103 min

 

Synopsis

World War II, Pacific Ocean. After one of the battles, an American pilot (Lee Marvin) crashes near a desert island and reaches its shore with a raft. It turns out that he is not the only inhabitant as the navy captain Kuroda (Toshiro Mifune) also lost his unit. The two soldiers of the opposing sides are trying to fight each other off. One enslaves the other and vice versa. Only a long passage of time and harsh conditions on the island make the two men realise that they need to cooperate in order to get out of this natural hell. Therefore, despite the communication barrier, they join their forces and proceed to building a raft.

 

For a second, I thought you were a Jap.

It took me quite a while in order to watch this movie as I was expecting some depressing preaching about the war and its atrocities. However, the movie was not made by ideological fanatics, but it was a British-Japanese production. What is more, there are only two actors in the entire movie: Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune. What an unexpected duo that works so well together.

 

This was the third Boorman’s feature film and, as he stated in an interview about the movie (which I highly recommend), he really wanted to make a silent picture. Indeed, Hell in the Pacific has very little dialogue as it relies on the actors’ expressions, visuals, and Lalo Schifrin’s haunting music score.

 

The movie’s theme of enemies-to-the-death starts right off the bat as Mifune’s character becomes aware of Lee’s presence on the island. The two soldiers try to annihilate each in the midst of a rainy jungle on a desert island. No dialogue and no voiceover could make this anti-war message so powerful. The island and the Pacific is static, but a man will always fight with the other man because the higher authority told him to do so.

 

Nevertheless, the wilderness of the island (very much a third character in the movie) exposes their personalities and vulnerabilities. Even though they do not understand themselves linguistically, they develop a bond of friendship when trying to escape the island. In other words, with the abandonment of civilisation, they stop perceiving themselves as enemies. Only after suffering the hardships of the ocean, when they reach the “man’s land”, the two friends gradually regress into their positions from beginning of the movie. Civilisation gets in the way again.

What can I say about the performances? This is a two-men show, so both Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune do an extraordinary job with the material they are given. In addition, John Boorman disclosed that the two actors behaved like best buddies on the set, and such a positive chemistry is more than visible on film. Needless to say, Marvin and Mifune were at their peak when the movie was made (in 1967, the year before, Marvin starred in The Dirty Dozen, whereas Mifune in Japan’s Longest Day).

A word about the ending

There are actually two endings of the movie existing. First is the original, theatrical one (forced by the producers in the edit), when the pilot and Kuroda have a falling out and a bomb shell hits their shelter. To me, it is a very abrupt and out of the tone way to end this story. So, they overcame so much hardships and struggles just to die from a freaking bomb?! Nevertheless, an alternate ending was included in some of the home releases (please head here). I think it is a much more suitable but also way sadder ending as the two friends part their ways in bitter resentment.

 

Recommendations

I checked out this movie purely for Mifune, but I was surprised to discover such a hidden gem. If you have not seen it, go ahead and watch it right now. My recommendation goes especially to those who are interested in the WWII conflicts on the Pacific as quite a few motion pictures were made about this topic. However, Hell in the Pacific is not just about the civilisational conflict. Its universal message transcends the confines of the frames in which the story was set. In other words, it all comes down to helping each other out.

Overall Score 10/10

Wood Job! (2014) [Film Review]

Wood Job!; or, Into the Nature

     You’ll never understand. You’ll leave the village, too. Don’t get everyone’s hopes up. I’m saying if you’re going to leave, hurry up and do it!

Continuing my Shinobu Yaguchi month, today, I’m taking a look at one of his recent movies, which is the Wood Job! from 2014. A feel-good adventure in the midst of the Japanese forest, filmed on outstanding locations.

Release Info

Directed by: Shinobu Yaguchi Starring: Shota Sometami, Masami Nagasawa, Hideaki Ito

Language: Japanese Original Title: 神去なあなあ日常 Runtime: 116 min

 

Synopsis

Yuki Hirano (Shota Sometami) is a student who fails at entrance exams for university. What is more, his girlfriend dumps him. Uncertain as to what to do in life, he notices a promotional leaflet of forestry training program with a beautiful girl on the front cover. In pursuit of the girl from the leaflet, he signs up for the course and he becomes a trainee at Nakamura Lumber Co. high up in the mountains. Working under a tough as nails lumberjack Yoki Iida (Hideaki Ito), Yuki discovers that working in the woods is a hard job. Nevertheless, he continues his apprenticeship and tries to win over the leaflet girl, Naoki (Masami Nagasawa).

 

Being a Lumberjack

Wood Job! is another zero-to-hero story after Yaguchi’s unforgettable Waterboys (2001) and Swing Girls (2003), yet this time, the focus is not on a group but on an individual. Interestingly, the screenplay is based on a story “Stay Mellow – Kamusari Mountain High” (original title: 神去なあなあ日常) by Shion Miura, whose fiction seems to be the hot stuff for filmmakers right now (in 2013, her novel The Great Passage was also adapted into a film).

 

Personally, I found the story of a teenager-turned-lumberjack very interesting. The film has all the trademarks of Shinobu Yaguchi: youthful romance, quirky characters, subtle humour, out-with-a-bang finale and yes, Akira Emoto in a supporting role as well. However, one thing that really stands out is the setting. Contrary to a certain failed filmmaker from Hollywood who had to "build the forest" in order to film, Wood Job! was shot on real location in the mountains of Mie Prefecture and, oh boy, many of the shots are simply breathtaking.

 

Speaking about the location, I gather that Yaguchi must have used a lot of stunt work and the help of real lumberjacks in order to get some of the brilliant shots of falling trees. Thus, a lot of pain and sweat must have gone into the film from the technical side, but it perfectly balances the plotline of the picture.

 

And what’s main the story? It’s a boy meets girl arch, except for the fact that it is enriched with the themes of hard work, self-confidence, appraisal of village life, and even the supernatural. The main hero undergoes a significant change when he notices the importance of taking care of the forest and how it benefits the whole society. He even stands up in the defence of the villagers when some teenaged douchebags from the city are laughing at them. Therefore, the movie’s message is clear: have some respect, even for the things you do not know about.

 

With regard to performances, Shota Sometami and Masami Nagasawa did a great job together and one can really feel the chemistry between these two. Hideaki Ito deserves praise as a super tough lumberjack (his performance was hilarious!). In addition, Yoshimasa Kondo and Yoji Tanaka appear in minor roles as course instructors.

 

Well, I really really enjoyed Wood Job!. It provides the development of the main characters and indicates that there is so much more to life than living in a city. Plus, it has a hilarious, over-the-top finale based on the real Onbashira festival in Japan.

 

Recommendations

Safely recommended to anyone who is looking for a movie to spark a good mood. Wood Job! is a feel-good movie with a great story and wonderful locations. If I ever happen to visit Japan, I will certainly try to visit these mountains for sure. Once again, Shinobu Yaguchi delivered an awesome movie. This guy never fails.

Overall score: 9/10

Waterboys (2001) [Film Review]

Waterboys; or, Synchro Revolution

     Real synchronised swimmers perform in deep pools, but we’ll manage. The truth is I got super depressed when I heard this was a boys school. I’ve always dreamed of coaching my own team. Why can't boys do it? Let’s go for it. Synchro swim!

I finally brought myself round and it’s time to begin my Shinobu Yaguchi month. I intend to review four of his movies (excluding the already reviewed Survival Family) throughout the four next weeks. So today, I would like to discuss his first major success which spawned a two-season drama and a two-part special; that is, Waterboys from 2001.

Release Info

Directed by: Shinobu Yaguchi Starring: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Hiroshi Tamaki, Takatoshi Kaneko, Koen Kondo

Language: Japanese Original Title: ウォーターボーイズ Wōtā Bōizu Runtime: 90 min

 

Plot

Kawagoe High School is a boy’s prep school in Saitama Prefecture. Their students are keen on sports, but some who suck at everything attend swimming classes. Soon, a beautiful new female coach (Kaori Manabe) is hired and she presents to the group the idea of preparing a synchronised swimming event for their school festival. However, the coach suddenly goes into labour and takes maternity leave. Suzuki (Satoshi Tsumabuki) always wanted to be somebody, but he never had the guts to do it. He and his four other colleagues: Sato (Hiroshi Tamaki), Saotome (Takatoshi Kaneko), Kanazawa (Koen Kondo), and Ohta (Akifumi Miura) decide to learn synchro swimming for the event and they ask a certain dolphin trainer (Naoto Takenaka) to help them out.

 

Go For It!

Waterboys was a massive success in Japan back in 2001 due its unusual subject and the way it was executed. Yaguchi had already been an established director with four theatrical movies on his account (which I have yet to check out), but it was the Waterboys movie which gave him a wider recognition.

 

One can regard the film as a teenage-comedy with a bit of sports, but to me this is foremost an excellent zero-to-hero story, the format which Yaguchi would repeat later in Swing Girls (2003) and Wood Job! (2014).

 

The best thing in Waterboys is this happy-go-lucky feel which Yaguchi successfully invokes. Whenever the music kicks in (plus great locations on a beach), I feel as if it’s already vacation time! The comedy is also extremely well written and it works perfectly in every scene (be it fishing in a pool or failed synchro attempt). In other words, Waterboys immediately puts you in a good mood.

 

Speaking about the movie, I can’t omit its definite highlights. I absolutely loved the sequences in the aquarium where the gang is cleaning the tanks and they familiarise themselves with its inhabitants. Also, Naoto Takenaka nails it while riding a giant orca! The Dance Dance Revolution scene is hilarious as well. One cannot forget about the standard appearance of Akira Emoto in a supporting role, who this time around shows up in a drag and a make-up that almost turns him into Joker! Additionally, Tetta Sugimoto has a minor but funny role as a furious P.E. teacher.

 

Oh, and I have to mention the awesome finale with all these synchro acts done to catchy songs. I guess that the cast and crew must have worked really hard to get these done. The composers Gakuji Matsuda and Hitomi Shimizu did a fine job with providing the score, which goes well with the stunts.

 

The actors who played Satoshi Tsumabuki as Suzuki and Aya Hirayama as Shizuko, his love interest, were picked perfectly as the chemistry of that innocent teenagers’ love is vividly noticeable on screen. The supporting actors who played the rest of the swimming team did very well, but the 90-minute screen time does not allow them to explore their characters in greater depth. Synchro is what matters the most.

 

Recommendations

If you are looking for something to relax and unwind yourself on a summer afternoon, then Waterboys is the film definitely for you. Now, I really want to check out the 2003 drama, although I wish there was an official sequel to this movie. Summing up, it’s a funny and witty film that leaves you wanting for more.

Overall score: 9/10