Japan's Longest Day

Japan's Longest Day
Japanese 日本のいちばん長い日
Directed by Kihachi Okamoto
Produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka
Sanezumi Fujimoto
Written by Shinobu Hashimoto (screenplay)
Soichi Oya (book)
Music by Masaru Sato
Production
company
Release dates
  • August 12, 1967
Country Japan
Language Japanese


Japan's Longest Day (日本のいちばん長い日 Nihon no ichiban nagai hi), also known as The Emperor and the General, is a 1967 movie directed by Kihachi Okamoto. The subject of the majority of the movie is the period between noon on August 14, 1945, when Emperor Hirohito made the decision to surrender to the Allies in World War II and noon on August 15, 1945, when the emperor's taped message announcing the surrender was broadcast to the Japanese people. Joseph L. Anderson describes the film as "a meticulous reconstruction of the day Japan surrendered and thus ended the Pacific War.[1] Several of Japan's most famous actors of the day participated in the film. These included Chishū Ryū as Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki, Toshirō Mifune as War Minister Korechika Anami, Takashi Shimura as Information Bureau Director Hiroshi Shimomura and Sō Yamamura as Navy Minister Mitsumasa Yonai.[2] Tatsuya Nakadai serves as the narrator.[2]

According to Okamoto, Masaki Kobayashi was originally supposed to direct Japan's Longest Day but didn't want to, so co-producer Sanezumi Fujimoto suggested that Okamoto direct it.[3] Okamoto believes that this film and his subsequent film The Human Bullet are expressions of his anti-war feelings.[3] While Japan's Longest Day portrays the actual people who were able to remain above the fighting, but did fight with each other, while The Human Bullet is a satire of those who did have to fight in the war.[3]

Japan's Longest Day was released in Japan on August 12, 1967, close to the anniversary of the surrender. This started a trend of film releases known as the 8.15 series, of World War II films released at the anniversary, which included Otamoto's 1971 film The Battle of Okinawa.[4] It became the second highest grossing film in Japan in 1967.[5] Shinobu Hashimoto won the Kinema Junpo Award for best screenplay for this movie.[6]

As of 2014, a remake of Japan's Longest Day entitled The Emperor in August is being planned by Shochiku, directed by Masato Harada.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Anderson, J.L. (1982). The Japanese Film: Art and Industry. Princeton University Press. p. 471. ISBN 9780691007922.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Japan's Longest Day". IMDB. Retrieved 2015-01-16.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Desjardins, C. (2005). Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film. I.B.Tauris. pp. 90, 95–96. ISBN 9781845110901.
  4. ↑ Shimazu, N. (2003). "Popular Representations of the Past: The Case of Postwar Japan". Journal of Contemporary History 38 (1): 113. Retrieved 2015-01-17. – via JSTOR (subscription required)
  5. ↑ Galbraith, S. (2008). The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography. Scarecrow Press. p. 241. ISBN 9781461673743.
  6. ↑ "Japan's Longest Day Awards". IMDB. Retrieved 2015-01-16.
  7. ↑ "Epic War Movie ‘Japan’s Longest Day’ To Be Reworked". Variety. December 9, 2014. Retrieved 2015-01-16.