Themes: Members of the Press, Political Corruption
Main Cast: James Cagney, Sylvia Sidney, Wallace Ford, Porter Hall, Robert Armstrong, John Emery, Rosemary de Camp
Release Year: 1945
Country: US
Run Time: 98 minutes
MPAA Rating: NR
Plot
In his first film in two years, James Cagney stars as Nick Condon, the American editor of a pre-WW2 Tokyo newspaper. When two of his best friends are horribly murdered, Condon suspects that the "peaceful" Japanese military government is up to no good. He dedicates himself to getting his hands on the "Tanka Plan," a Japanese blueprint for conquering the world, and bringing this document to the attention of the Free World. As a result, he is targeted for persecution by the corrupt Tokyo police and betrayed by a traitorous fellow journalist. On a pleasanter note, Condon makes the acquaintance of half-Chinese Iris Hilliard (Sylvia Sidney), who agrees to help him foil the Japanese High Command. As was customary in wartime films, virtually all the Japanese characters in Blood on the Sun are played by Chinese, Korean, and Caucasian actors; for example, Robert Armstrong is cast as Colonel Tojo, while Premiere Tenaka is enacted by John Emery. Having lapsed into the public domain, Blood on the Sun is available from several distributors and also exists in a computer-colorized version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Wiard Ihnen - Art Director, Alice Barlow - Consultant/advisor, Robert Martien - Costume Designer, Michael Woulfe - Costume Designer, Frank Lloyd - Director, Walter A. Hannemann - Editor, Truman K. Wood - Editor, Miklos Rozsa - Composer (Music Score), Ern Westmore - Makeup, Josef Norin - Makeup, Theodor Sparkuhl - Cinematographer, William Cagney - Producer, Al Fields - Set Designer, Roland A. Fields - Set Designer, Richard DeWeese - Sound/Sound Designer, Alice Barlow - Technical Advisor, Garrett Elsden Fort - Screen Story, Lester Cole - Screenwriter, Frank Melford - Screenwriter, Nathaniel Curtis - Screenwriter
In pre-World War IITokyo an American newspaper editor working for an English-language daily paper aimed at the American business community is given a document relating to Japan's foreign affairs which could have political ramifications if found. He meets up with Iris Hilliard, a woman who wants to secure the document even if it means dealing with the Japanese secret police and their threats.
Cagney learned judo for the action sequences of the film. His instructor was John Halloran, a former Los Angeles police officer. In the movie, Sensei Halloran plays Capt. Oshima, the thug with whom Cagney's character has a colossal fight at the end of the movie.
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