The second film we watched in class was "Go for Broke." I am not much of a war fan because it's always saddening to me. However this film was pretty decent. This film is about Nisei, or Japanese-American volunteers, in the U.S. 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II and who try to prove that they are good American citizens and not traitors. Under the training and leadership of a young man named Lieutenant Michael Grayson (who is pretty racist in the beginning of his assignment but decreases over time), they are stationed to serve in Italy and France. They undergo fighting, war, suffering, wounds, (even a bit of romance lol), and life threatening missions. In the end, respect and honor are gained and a ceremony is held at the White House by President Harry S. Truman and General Mark W. Clark for their bravery and heroism.
This was a pretty interesting film. It's interesting to see how in most of these Hollywood films, the main characters or heroes of the film are tall, handsome, dashing, strong, Caucasian men as compared to those around them--especially the Japanese-American actors in this film. It's almost as if they choose the shortest, tiniest actors of Japanese descent as if to compare them even more and make a statement that they are not important or are helpless and not as significant as another ethnicity, status, or rank. I don't know. It's just really interesting. I thought it was interesting to hear the pidgin English being spoken by the Japanese-American local actors in the film. It's also interesting to me to see how bright, cheerful, and willing the Japanese-American soldiers are as compared to the very serious, somber, cold Caucasian officers. It almost makes the Japanese-Americans seem dumb or illiterate and not as smart or important as Caucasians.
Overall, I think it was a good film trying to depict a real event that took place in American history. While there is still so much racism and a sense of misrepresentation of Hawaii, it is pretty good.
2 comments:
I'm so with you on that war movies make me sad too. Its not about ignoring the significance of what transpired, but the fact that lives were lost or changed forever defending an idea is overwhelming. I agree that the depiction of the Japanese-American soldiers weren't without bias. It was clear they were to be perceived as smaller in stature, intelligence and class. And yet they fought to prove the were not the traitors they were perceived to be after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Although you aren't fond of war films unlike me, you bring up some good points about "go for broke". It's true how most films have a hero who is "tall, handsome, dashing, strong" and Caucasian man and they look even better when compared to those around them. I never did look much into what the hero's characteristics were until now but its true. They choose the most least important of man and put them next to a big heroic protagonist which most of the time works out for the film.
You also brought up a good point between the attitudes the nisei and the white people had. They were very much contrast. The whites took the job very serious and the japanese took it with a positive attitude at all times. It showed that both ways work in succeeding but just in different ways.
I think you brought up some good points about the film that I haven't thought of. I didn't really see the difference in attitude or difference in status between the two parties until now.
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