The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On

The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On
DVD cover to The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On
Directed by	Kazuo Hara[1]
Produced by	Sachiko Kobayashi
Starring	Kenzo Okuzaki
Cinematography	Kazuo Hara
Editing by	Jun Nabeshima
Distributed by	Imamura Productions Shisso Production Zanzou-sha
Release date(s)	August 1, 1987
Running time	122 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On (ゆきゆきて、神軍, Yuki Yukite Shingun^?) is an award-winning 1987 documentary by director Kazuo Hara. The documentary centers on 62-year-old veteran of Japan's Second World War campaign in New Guinea, Kenzo Okuzaki, and follows him around as he searches out those responsible for the unexplained deaths of two soldiers in his old unit. Renowned documentary filmmaker Errol Morris listed The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On as one of his Top 5 Favorite Films for Rotten Tomatoes.^[2]

Plot

Though Okuzaki ultimately holds Emperor Hirohito accountable for all the suffering of the war, he painstakingly tracks down former soldiers and officers, coaxing them into telling him about the deaths, often abusing them verbally and at times physically in the process (at one point, Okuzaki states that "violence is my forte"). The people he talks to give different accounts of what transpired almost 40 years earlier, some say that those killed were executed for desertion after the war was already over, while others say they were shot for cannibalizing New Guinea indigenous people.

At the end of the war, the Japanese garrison in New Guinea was crammed into a small area and almost completely cut of from food supplies leading to starvation, and according to some of the interviewed also to cannibalism. According to them, indigenous people were euphemistically nicknamed "black pigs" while American soldiers were nicknamed "white pigs" - although one of the interviewed says there was a ban on eating "white pigs". The sister of one of the executed at one point states her belief that the two (low-ranking privates) were killed so that the officers would have something to eat.

During the course of Okuzaki's investigation a captain named Koshimizu is said to have issued the order to execute the pair, a couple of the interviewed also states that he personally finished them off with his pistol after the firing squad failed to kill them outright, something the captain denies.

Okuzaki also discovers that there has been another suspicious death in his unit and seeks out a former sergeant who is the sole survivor of his regiment. After much coaxing and a physical altercation the sergeant tells him that it is true that he personally killed a fellow soldier who had been stealing food and that the corpse was then eaten. He also states that the indigenous were not cannibalized as they were too quick to catch. Instead, Japanese soldiers (first in line were the immoral and selfish ones) were marked for death and cannibalism. The sergeant states that he only survived because he could make himself useful as a jungle guide, for instance finding fresh water for the other soldiers.

A written panel then states that the documentary crew and Okuzaki traveled to New Guinea but that the footage was confiscated by the Indonesian government.

After that there is an epilogue with pictures of newspaper headlines were it is revealed that Okuzaki attempted to killed Koshimizu whom he holds responsible for the deaths of the two soldiers. Not finding him at home Okuzaki settled for shooting Koshimizu's son who was seriously wounded. It is then stated that Okuzaki was sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for attempted murder.

One of the methods of Okuzaki, as seen in the movie, was to paint his car and home with political messages. Here is a picture of his carport.

Production

The movie was five years in the making.

Awards

• Berlin International Film Festival (1987)^[3]
  • Caligari Film Award (Kazuo Hara)
• Blue Ribbon Awards (1988)
  • Best Director (Kazuo Hara)
• Kinema Junpo Awards (1988)
  • Readers' Choice Award for Best Film (Kazuo Hara)
• Mainichi Film Concours (1988)
  • Best Director (Kazuo Hara)
  • Best Sound Recording (Toyohiko Kuribayashi)
• Rotterdam International Film Festival (1988)
  • KNF Award (Kazuo Hara)
• Yokohama Film Festival (1988)
  • Best Director (Kazuo Hara)
  • Best Film

Notes

External links

• Nelson, Lindsay (October 21, 2007). "The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On: Review". www.midnighteye.com. http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/the-emperors-naked-army-marches-on.shtml. Retrieved 2008-01-15. 
• Yuki Yukite shingun (1987) at the Internet Movie Database
• The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On at Allmovie
• "ゆきゆきて、神軍" (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/1987/dk001860.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-16. 
• http://www.dartmouth.edu/~jruoff/Articles/HaraCover.html
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tFc0fiLzJg (youtube)