Any decent films about Japanese internment camps in America during WWII? (1 Viewer)

ThomasC · Jul 18, 2003

I got Snow Falling on Cedars in the mail today, courtesy of Universal's January Free DVD Offer, and the film touches on the subject a bit, but isn't the main topic. So, anyone?

Steve_Ch · Jul 18, 2003

Come see the Paradise (1990), there was another really fine movie, black and white, took place in an internment camp, I saw it on PBS years ago, don't remember the name, I beleive it's Return to Manzanar.

Seth--L · Jul 18, 2003

ThomasC,

I'm guessing that's a topic Hollywood doesn't want to touch because a film on it would end up being anti-American (or making Americans feel bad about their past). My neighbor was in one, and the memories of it were enough after all these years to send her running out of "Chicken Run" after 10 minutes to the bathroom where she proceeded to throw-up.

Jeff Kleist · Jul 19, 2003

Midway has some scenes dealing with it

Daniel J.S. · Jul 19, 2003

There's a Canadian novel called "Obasan" by Joy Kogawa which dealt with the internment and dispersal of Japanese-Canadians and how it affected the lives of the people involved. It focuses on the relationship between a young girl and her aunt. I haven't read the book in years, but it won some prizes. It would make a great movie even if it takes place in Canada. American audiences could still relate to it.

Steve_Ch · Jul 19, 2003

>>internment and dispersal of Japanese-Canadians

Daniel J.S. · Jul 19, 2003

I think it was worse in Canada. Did the US sell the Japanese citizens property and then relocate them to squalid residences after the war? Were they offered relocation or being sent back to Japan without time to consult their families? I haven't heard stories of the US government doing these things although they may very well have.

Dan Rudolph · Jul 19, 2003

IIRC, the US interred people of Japanese descent from the Western part of the country only. They made them close up shop, but didn't sell off their property or anything. At the end of the war, they put them all back. I'm fairly sure it didn't take long to realize this had been a huge mistake.

Francois Caron · Jul 20, 2003

Here are two links from the Canadian side of things.

First, the IMDB's entry on the Canadian TV movie "War Between Us". http://us.imdb.com/Title?0114892

Second, I stumbled onto this Web site which does a decent job of describing the situation from a historical perspective. http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/proj...ternment1.html

One eyewitness to the event can be found in an episode of the Canadian biographical series "Life & Times" focusing on the life of Dr. David Suzuki, a world-leading geneticist and the host of CBC's "The Nature Of Things". The show doesn't focus entirely on this one experience, but he does has vivid memories of his years spent in a Japanese-Canadian internment camp. http://www.tv.cbc.ca/lifeandtimes/bio1997/suzuki.htm

Lew Crippen · Jul 21, 2003

, I saw it on PBS years ago, don't remember the name, I beleive it's Return to Manzanar.

The title is Farewell to Manzanar and for anyone like Dan who thinks that the people being interred did not have to sell their property at a loss, it is well worth a viewing.

I have know several people who were in the interment camps and at least according to the way they have related their experiences, the TV series does not over dramatize the actual events.

Click to expand...

Chuck Mayer · Jul 21, 2003

Come See the Paradise (starring Dennis Quaid) was the first I heard of it (although I didn't see the film - the lead actress was beautiful, I believe she was also in KK II). A year later, it was a blurb in my AP US History class.

Our finest hour, among others :frowning: I liked how Snow Falling on Cedars dealt with it. I think it's a damn good movie, and it is absolutely GORGEOUS to look at. Very poetic.

Take care,
Chuck

Lew Crippen · Jul 21, 2003

wrong thread

Danny Tse · Jul 21, 2003

Yes, Tamlyn Tomita was in Karate Kid II (great! now I have Peter Cetera's "Glory of Love" playing in my head!)

Dan Rudolph · Jul 21, 2003

I'm fairly sure the US didn't force anyone to sell their property in a literal sense, but what else are you going to do with property you won't be able to use for an indeterminate amoutn of time? And with their situation, there was no way they could get a good price. SO it wasn't really any better than forcign them to sell.

KDHM · Jul 22, 2003

The family that lived between My Grandmother and the Parents of My uncle (4th Street East LA) were sent to a camp and had some very upsetting stories of what it was like in the camp. My Uncle's father helped them seal the family's belongings into one room of the house then the house was rented with my Uncle's father collecting rent for them until the war ended. I remember telling this story as a child in school when we were studying WW2 and having my teacher very unhappy that I would bring up such a subject, she went to great expense to explain that the US would never do wrong and it was important to keep America safe.

Seth--L · Jul 22, 2003

In some cases, yes.

I went to the new National Constitution Center in Philadelphia today, and not surprising, they had very little to say about the camps.

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