Emperor -- March 2013

A DECENT HISTORY LESSON

Did you know that, in the aftermath of World War II, there was a significant controversy as to whether Japanese Emperor Hirohito should be tried as a war criminal and hanged if convicted? I didn't. I've visited the Battleship Missouri at Pearl Harbor and have stood at the place on the ship where the Japanese surrender took place. Until recently I didn't know a whole lot more than that about the end of the war in the Pacific Theater. However, I know more now that I've seen Emperor, a new movie that chronicles the real events of the war's conclusion. It turns out to be a pretty decent history lesson.

Emperor stars Matthew Fox as Brigadier General Bonner Fellers and Tommy Lee Jones as General Douglas MacArthur. Fellers, an expert on Japanese culture and psychological warfare, as well as a protégé of MacArthur, was charged by the general with the task of leading an investigation to determine whether Hirohito was or was not a war criminal. MacArthur, in his role as the supreme commander of the occupying forces in Japan, was the de facto ruler of Japan after the surrender.

A significant part of the plot of the picture involves a love story between Fellers and Aya, the Japanese exchange student he'd met while in college back in America. Fellers had lost touch with Aya when he was first sent to Japan in the late 30s but managed to seek her out and find her. When he is re-posted to Japan in 1945, he attempts to find Aya but to no avail. He does locate her uncle, who gives him a heartfelt lesson about Japanese culture, particularly regarding the Japanese sense of honor. Aya's uncle strongly reminds Fellers that Hirohito is considered a god by his subjects and that executing him would probably have a devastating effect on future Japanese-American relations. This lesson is not lost on Fellers, as it prepares him well for his eventual face-to-face meeting with Hirohito himself.

Emperor has been criticized by some reviewers and lauded by others. Its detractors seem to consider the love story superfluous and a distraction from the film's central purpose. I'm on the laudatory side and don't agree with this criticism. The relationship between Fellers and Aya is presumably fictional; it's not known whether the historical Fellers had an actual relationship with a Japanese exchange student or not. Nonetheless, this part of the story does provide a key puzzle piece in explaining the evolution in Fellers' concept of respect for the Japanese people and his eventual belief in a modicum of mercy. Many Americans at the time were calling for vengeance, but we know from Scripture that the Lord says, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay."

The picture was filmed mostly in New Zealand; particularly admirable is its re-creation of the desolation of postwar Japan. Fox gives a strong performance as Fellers, and Tommy Lee Jones is impressive in his portrayal of MacArthur – though one might wish he were in more scenes. Best of all, the film maintains an excellent tension throughout. We know that Hirohito renounced his divine status and was not tried and executed, but for most of the picture we're afraid that won't be the outcome.

Bottom line: Worth a look.

Film Rating: PG-13 (language, simulated violence)

My Rating: 3 stars