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Genre – War Movie
Time: 1 Hour, 43 minutes
Platform: You Tube Free
Director: John Boorman.
Cast: Lee Marvin. Toshiro Mifune.
There are war movies and then there is Hell in the Pacific. A unique film with ONLY two characters onscreen. The American cannot speak Japanese while the Japanese cannot speak English. The American is an airman whose plane has crashed and he has now drifted into the island. The Japanese is living a solitary existence on the island which is disturbed by the sudden appearance of the American.
They sight each other and the battle between them starts. The American and the Japanese try various tricks to best the other – be it getting a fresh water source or the food source. Due to the heat and the environment soon, their clothes are in tatters and they only have rags to cover them. Both arrive at the conclusion. They can help each other – to get off the island. Can they?
Can you even imagine how the film could be ? Only two characters onscreen ? No gigantic explosions? No bullets flying ? No “hero giri” but brutality of man against fellow man turning into something else ?
The film may sound experimental but it doesn’t get more mainstream Hollywood than this one. Marvin had always a nasty edge to his onscreen portrayals, coming out of many years portraying nasty villains which also carried over to his mainstream lead roles. Toshiro Mifune was already an international star thanks to his continued work with his friend and mentor Akira Kurosawa. So getting two such dynamic stars who were at the peak of their prowess is fraught with peril as the ego on both sides could have taken over as to who would get more screen time.
Thankfully that doesn’t happen. We don’t see Marvin or Mifune but an American and a Japanese struggling for supremacy.
The story is fictional but there were many instances of Japanese soldiers being abandoned when their islands were bypassed by the advancing Americans . So this COULD have happened.
There is still a lot of controversy about the ending. The original ending as as shown in this version on You Tube.
The studio executive cut that with the alternative ending which is available on the DVD version (and which I have). John Boorman , the director discussed both the original ending and the “alternate ending” which was done without his permission. Both endings are shown in the interview at the time mark 30:09
So what’s the essence of the film? Is there a message ? Within 20 years of the end of WW2, the former enemy Japan was dominating the world electronics and car markets . This also came at the height of American involvement in the Vietnam War. So, I leave the interpretation to you as it is a snapshot of those years with the Japanese and Germans not being painted as beasts but as humans. After all there was a Cold war also going on eh ? 😉
Historical Background – 4 out of 5
Script – 5 out of 5
Story – 5 out of 5
Direction – 5 out of 5
Photography – 4 out of 5
Total – 4.6 out of 5
PS : What Hollywood does, cant India do ? Yes – there is an equivalent movie . Kya Dilli Kya Lahore (2014). Except that the Indian soldier cook and the Pakistani soldier compare Abdul chaacha’s Aloo Paratha from Delhi to Lallu Chaacha’s from Lahore!