Winds of God (Kamikaze)
One of my favorite Japan-related blogs, Ryuganji, had a link to a Yomiuri Shinbun review of the new film ‘Winds of God’ today. For those those of you who don’t know, ‘Winds of God’ is stage play about Kamikaze pilots that has been adapted into an English language Japanese film. Here’s the summary Yoimiuri gives:
The Winds of God: Kamikaze is an ambitious project. It’s a movie about two struggling comedians who time-travel to World War II Japan and live the lives of Kamikaze pilots. In the movie, which is based on a stage play, the pilots are ordinary young men who love their families and sacrifice their lives to protect their loved ones, rather than for any national ideology. All the characters speak in English, an indication of how the producers are eyeing the global market.
All of this feels too ambitious at the start of the movie, but it soon picks up. Overall, the movie is a powerful one, and director Masayuki Imai’s passionate desire to portray the lives of the pilots outweighs the movie’s weak points.
The story centers on Mike (Nicholas Pettas) and Kinta (Wayne Doster), an unsuccessful comedy duo. Mike is American of German descent and Kinta is Japanese-American. They have a traffic accident in New York in 2005, and when they wake up, they find themselves in Kagoshima Prefecture in 1945 as Kishida (Imai) and Fukumoto (Takumi Matsumoto).
It kind of stupid, doesn’t it? I would think so too, but I actually saw a TV movie of ‘Winds of God’ last year and found it to be quite good (maybe because I like Gussan, who played one of the leading roles). It offered a very interesting view into how the kamikaze pilots are viewed by some people in Japan today.
While the official site has a “comming soon” message on its picture section, it does have a preview page with a trailer. I suggest you check it out. The film will be showing in select Japanese theaters soon, with an international release eventually.
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Sounds interesting. A hackneyed modern philosophical retrospect into the hearts and minds of kamikaze pilots with a twist of time travel to make everything connect?
The unfortunate hero pressed into duty by an institution, but a true passion for family and friends become their true reason for serving a suicide attack on the enemy… This is the basis for so many movies and stories its not even funny. The fact that they had to fabricate an unworldly backdrop to even sell this plotline is in itself self obligatory to its unoriginality.
Truth is yet less glamorous as youths pressed into this kind of service were most likely brainwashed into the Bushido craze and the virtues of death and the pressures of NOT dishonoring their family and themselves. This fear was probably the number one reason, many Japanese gave their lives without question and the thought that every Japanese were making sacrifices for the emperor and nation only reinforced their resolve to die for a purpose than to live as a disgraced and ostracized member of Japanese society. It was a sick self propagating cycle that everyone was involved in this war and that questioning authority was tantamount to treason. Much like the status quo in the US today.
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I’ve seen the first 15 minutes, it looks to be a good film. I’ll reserve judgement and childish political baiting until after I’ve actually seen it and can say something relevant to the topic.
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I saw the (non-English with English) taped version of the “Kamikaze” theatrical performance, a week before seeing this movie (it was submitted to the Hawaiian Film Festival as “Gods of War Kamikaze” . When I was watching the play I was aware that I would be seeing the movie the following week. This version of “Winds of God Kamikaze” that I saw, I assume, and hope, is not the final cut, and I say that for a number of reasons, not because I don’t like it, but because I do. All things considered this is a good movie that has promise and the potential for greatness. The largest problem with this movie at teh moment is how the beginning and ending don’t fit eachother, and the beginning feels forced by comparison to the rest of the movie script. There are scenes that are beautifully shot and acted, but then there are some with poor pacing and over- acting. I appreciate how live archival footage was blended into the movie when possible, but was then disappointed to see some of the cheaper “video game” effects that got used in other scenes. The overall casting was well done, however the casting director in New York could have done better or the director could have asked more of his actors. Costumes and sets were lovely, the location scouts did a great job, and until the final scenes of the movie the makeup department was doing really well. The soundtrack was obvious in nearly every usage; in only one instance could the current mix be deemed acceptable. (the eq is off in nearly ever scene that has a music track) Luckily the redeeming quality for the sound is that the sound effects were good, and at appropriate impact levels. So, like I was saying this is a good movie that has lots of potential. I still recommend people viewing it, seeing as there is no release date for the finished product out there yet, and if you ever have the opportunity to see the play… GO! it is wonderful.
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I just attended a screening of “The Winds Of God.” I most assuredly will go to heaven, because I did my two hours in hell sitting though this movie. What should have tipped me off was the theater is showcased—a $1.50 movie house in Irvine California that had been four-walled for one showing.
Perhaps this story was funnier as a play—or it should have remained a play. Putting my American citizenship and feelings of the war completely aside, I could not view the subject matter of the Kamikazi in any way amusing. I lived in Japan for five years. My wife is Japanese. And the Kamikazi Pilots of WWII weren’t comedy material. They were not crazy. They were not funny. These were men who were deeply committed Japanese patriots. And the premise that two failed American comedians (also played poorly in the film) get time warped back to 1945 into a Kamikazi squadron is ludicrous. A better twist on this story would have been to take two Japanese comedians in the period who volunteer, or get selected for this one way service. The emotional heart tugging material which could have been mined would have filled box-cars for Masayuki.
Certainly Masayuki should never have been granted the rights to this story. Imai Masayuki’s direction, screenplay adaptation of the stage version, his performance and his student-film-school style direction were abysmal. Masayuki certainly is not fluent in the English language, and he certainly does not understand its nuance or pacing. Why he would attempt to write a screenplay in English and direct the same with non, or limited English speaking Japanese actors is beyond me. What really happened with this movie was he was writing for a Japanese audience, using Japanese styles of monologue and acting—but doing it in English. His attempt to get a believable English performance out of his Japanese cast that would be acceptable to a Western audience failed. It was excruciating.
Knowing that Masayuki would be speaking following the film, the mostly Japanese waited politely as the end credits passed—fortunately the film broke, giving me and my Japanese wife an easy exit. I commented to my wife, “okay it crashed and burned, let’s get out of here.” No pun on the subject matter of the film was intended. On the way out I passed Masayuki standing at the back of the theater. I took the opportunity to tell him never to make another movie in English again.
I will be waiting and watching.
Prediction: Direct to video. Please God no.
Only available at Tozai Japanese video rental in Gardena California.
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