Themes: Crimes Against Humanity, Behind Enemy Lines
Main Cast: Dana Andrews, Richard Conte, Farley Granger, Sam Levene, Kevin O'Shea, Don "Red" Barry, Tala Birell
Release Year: 1944
Country: US
Run Time: 99 minutes
Plot
The year is 1942: eight American airmen crash-land during the Doolittle bombing raid on Tokyo and are taken prisoner. Though slated for execution, the pilots are put through a "show trial" by the military, on a charge of committing war crimes. The Japanese judges promise to be merciful if only the Americans will reveal vital US military secrets. But captain Dana Andrews speaks for the rest of his melting-pot crew-some of whom have been subjected to the most horrific of tortures--when he chooses death before dishonor. In its own way, The Purple Heart is as racist a piece of propaganda as was ever produced by Hollywood. The Japanese are shown to be little more than sadistic beasts (at one point, the judges interrupt the trial by moronically shouting "Banzai" after receiving news of a military victory), while hissing, buck-toothed interrogator Richard Loo ("I attended your...Amelican universities"), unable to admit that he's been wrong about Yankee resilience, commits hara-kiri. Remember, however, that The Purple Heart was made at a time when America was still at war with Japan, and political correctness was hardly a consideration. Its jingoism aside, the film is a first-rate piece of moviemaking, socked across by director Lewis Milestone with the same fervor that he'd expended on his anti-war masterpiece All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Although The Purple Heart was widely hailed when it was first released, modern audiences may not be quite as receptive to it. In 1944, with the war still ongoing, there was an emotional connection and an immediacy to this material that is simply lacking decades later. Even in its time, Heart had a propagandistic agenda, and its depiction of the Japanese was not totally on-the-mark even then. (This isn't to say that there were not horrific abuses by Japan, merely that the film's depiction is by design intended to amplify these abuses.) But there are other problems unrelated to this, mainly the obvious and manipulative dramatic structure of the film and the manner in which logic falls by the wayside for dramatic purposes. The chief culprits in this last regard are the courtroom "celebration" scene, the hara-kiri sequence, and the court allowing Dana Andrews and Sam Levene the freedom to mouth off at some length. Even with these failings, however, Heart manages to be exceptionally powerful, thanks in large part to Lewis Milestone's masterful direction. He handles the material with total commitment, and the depth of feeling he brings to the project is palpable and invaluable. Plus, Milestone's inquisitive camera is much in evidence, moving around what could be static courtroom sequences to create as much drama as it captures. The cast is quite good, with Andrews providing the strong center and significant turns from Levene, Richard Conte and others as well. Even Richard Loo's stereotypical enemy works in context; it's not a subtle portrait, but it's got oomph. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Trudy Marshall - Mrs. Ross; Charles Russell - Lt. Kenneth Bayforth; John Craven - Sgt. Martin Stoner; Richard Loo - Gen. Ito Mitsubi; Peter Chong - Mitsuru Toyama; Gregory Gaye - Peter Voroshevski; Torben Meyer - Karl Keppel; Kurt Katch - Ludwig Kruger; Martin Garralaga - Manuel Siva; Erwin Kalser - Karl Schleswig; Alex Papana - Paul Ludovescu; H.T. Tsiang - Yuen Chiu Ling; Benson Fong - Moy Ling; Keye Chang - Adm. Kentara Yamagichi; Allen Jung - Itsubi Sakai; Wing Foo - Police Captain; Joseph Kim - Prosecutor; Luke Chan - Court Stenographer; Beal Wong - Toma Nogato; Marshall Thompson - Hank Morrison; Philip Ahn - Saburo Goto; Spencer Chan; Angel Cruz - Army Aides; Igor Dolgoruki - Boris Evenik; Roque Espiritu; Harold Fong; Lee Tung Foo - 3rd Judge; Paul Fung - Court Clerk; Eddie Lee; James B. Leong; Leon Lontoc; Clarence Lung - Japanese Lieutenant; Nestor Paiva - Francisco De Los Santos; Bruce Wong; Pete Katchenaro
It is a dramatization of the trial of a number of US airmen by the Japanese during the Second World War. It is loosely based on the trial of eight airmen who took part in the April 18, 1942, Doolittle Raid {Three were executed and one died as a POW}.
In April 1942 the crew of a downed AmericanB-25 Mitchellbomber are captured in a Wang Jingwei controlled section of China by a Chinese collaborator. The story relates the torture and hardship the men endured while in captivity, and their final humiliation: being tried, convicted and executed as war criminals. Throughout, the American stalwarts are subjected to mistreatment and systematic abuse by the inhuman General Mitsubi (Richard Loo) who ultimately chooses to shoot himself, in the face of his captives' unshakable resolve and the realization that the Japanese warlords are doomed to destruction.
Kurt Katch as Ludwig Kruger - German News Correspondent
Notes
The film is heavy throughout with patriotic bombast and the ham-fisted stereotypical portrayal of all Japanese (usually by actors of non-Japanese origin) as sadistic tyrants. At the time of its release, the war in the Pacific was still raging and there was little concern for such racist excesses. The December 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was still fresh in the minds of the American public. In later years, many of the principal players, including Dana Andrews, came to express regret over the more distasteful aspects of the film although they also pointed out that the Japanese were guilty of waging aggressive war and large scale atrocities based at least partially on their own racism and perceived superiority over people of other nationalities. At the time of production, the US government and the movie studios felt it necessary to pull out every stop to whip up an intense hatred and thirst for vengeance against an enemy that proved to be fanatical in its resistance.
