Excellent film - very strange, with a minimal script and unusual colour.
One point misunderstood by other reviews - Hirohito had that movement of the mouth. The Japanese friend I saw it with was bowled over by the portrayal of Hirohito.
Great score, really adds to film - in other words not your typical Hollywood string slush-fest.
The most interesting point for me related to a documentary on Hirohito I'd seen lately which contested this view of him being a helpless figure in the face of the military (though the government scene seemed to show him in control) and almost childlike. The evidence supplied suggested that he was very much in control, and his renunciation was solely done to get out of being held accountable. The most telling scene in this regard was the very last - the unspoken accusation is that he should have been the one to commit hari-kiri, not the announcer (? I think!).
Highly recommended - but in the cinema! I'm not sure the colour would work as well on a TV.
One point misunderstood by other reviews - Hirohito had that movement of the mouth. The Japanese friend I saw it with was bowled over by the portrayal of Hirohito.
Great score, really adds to film - in other words not your typical Hollywood string slush-fest.
The most interesting point for me related to a documentary on Hirohito I'd seen lately which contested this view of him being a helpless figure in the face of the military (though the government scene seemed to show him in control) and almost childlike. The evidence supplied suggested that he was very much in control, and his renunciation was solely done to get out of being held accountable. The most telling scene in this regard was the very last - the unspoken accusation is that he should have been the one to commit hari-kiri, not the announcer (? I think!).
Highly recommended - but in the cinema! I'm not sure the colour would work as well on a TV.