Emperor
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPeter Webber
Written byVera Blasi
David Klass
Based onHis Majesty's Salvation
by Shiro Okamoto
Produced byRuss Krasnoff
Gary Foster
Yoko Narahashi
Eugene Nomura
StarringTommy Lee Jones
Matthew Fox
Eriko Hatsune
Toshiyuki Nishida
Masatoshi Nakamura
Kaori Momoi
Colin Moy
CinematographyStuart Dryburgh
Edited byChris Plummer
Music byAlex Heffes
Production
companies
Krasnoff Foster Productions
United Performers' Studio
Distributed byRoadside Attractions and Lionsgate (United States)
Shochiku (Japan)
Release dates
  • September 14, 2012 (2012-09-14) (TIFF)
  • March 8, 2013 (2013-03-08) (United States)
  • July 27, 2013 (2013-07-27) (Japan)
Running time
105 minutes[1]
CountriesUnited States
Japan
LanguagesEnglish
Japanese
Box office$14.9 million[2]

Emperor is a 2012 American-Japanese[3] historical drama film directed by Peter Webber, marking his first film in five years. Tommy Lee Jones and Matthew Fox star in lead roles as General Douglas MacArthur and Brigadier General Bonner Fellers respectively.

Plot

Brigadier General Bonner Fellers is sent to Japan as a part of the occupation force. He is tasked with arresting Japanese war criminals, including former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo. Before he departs, he privately orders his Japanese interpreter and driver, Takahashi, to locate his Japanese girlfriend, Aya Shimada.

After arresting Tojo, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, General Douglas MacArthur, informs Fellers that Emperor Hirohito is being shielded from war crimes trials, despite the American people wanting him to answer for Japan's actions. Prosecuting him could lead to a revolt, so MacArthur gives Fellers ten days to investigate the Emperor to decide the occupation force's next steps. Takahashi informs Fellers that Aya's Tokyo apartment was bombed, and is ordered to investigate her hometown, Shizuoka.

Fellers and his staff compile a list of high-profile Japanese officials who advised Emperor Hirohito at the start of the war. Finding no American collaborators among them, they start by interrogating Tojo, who gives them the name of Fumimaro Konoe, the former prime minister. Fellers asks Konoe if the Emperor was responsible for starting the war and Konoe gives no conclusive evidence, but directs Fellers to Kōichi Kido, Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal.

Fellers waits to meet with Kido, who eventually reneges out of fear of retribution. Fellers recalls his 1940 visit to Tokyo when he reunited with Aya, then an English teacher; she returned to Japan after her father's death. After a banquet at MacArthur's residence, Takahashi informs Fellers that Shizuoka was bombed. Fellers immediately travels there, before ordering Takahashi to find a list of the dead.

Fellers recalls his visit to Aya's uncle, General Kajima, for help with a paper on the mindset of the Japanese soldier. Kajima insists that Japan would win a war against the US, because of the Japanese soldier's sense of duty to the Emperor. When Fellers returns to Tokyo, he decides he must interview Teizaburō Sekiya, a member of the Privy Council, who, like all others, gives no evidence to exonerate the Emperor.

Later, Kido unexpectedly arrives in the middle of the night to give his testimony. Before the Japanese surrender, the Supreme Council's deadlock between those in favor of surrender and those who opposed it led the Emperor to address the Council. Because there were radical militarists in the Imperial Army, the Emperor made an audio recording of his order to surrender.

Before the recording could be broadcast, the militarists attempted a coup and attacked the Imperial Palace. The Emperor and Kido survived and broadcast the recording. Unfortunately for Fellers, all other witnesses committed suicide and all records were destroyed, leaving him only with Kido's testimony. Kido informs Fellers that, though the Emperor's role is, in actuality, a ceremonial one, the Emperor was critical in ending the war.

Fellers decides to visit General Kajima, who explains to Fellers that the Japanese people's selflessness and strong devotion to cultural values drives them to both great sacrifice and unspeakable crimes. Kajima does not know if the Emperor is guilty, but emphasizes his role in ending the war. He gives Fellers a box of folded letters from Aya addressed to him; Aya died in an Allied bombing raid.

Fellers concludes that the Emperor's guilt or innocence cannot be known, but his role in ending the war was undeniable and significant. He gives his report to MacArthur, who is displeased by the lack of conclusive evidence. Fellers argues the Emperor should be exonerated as the Allies agreed to allow Japan to keep him as the head of state.

MacArthur orders Fellers to arrange a meeting between him and the Emperor. Before the Emperor arrives, Fellers confesses to MacArthur his role in diverting Allied bombers away from Shizuoka for personal reasons; MacArthur dismisses it because it cost no American lives. When Emperor Hirohito arrives, he offers himself to be punished alone in Japan's stead. MacArthur states he has no intention of punishing Japan or Hirohito, and wishes to discuss collaborating towards Japan's reconstruction.

Cast

Production

Principal photography began shooting in January 2012 in New Zealand.

Scenes used were shot on location at RNZAF Base Whenuapai and some Air Force personnel used as extras for the movie.[4]

Release

The film premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival[5] and saw a limited release in the United States on March 8, 2013. Producer Gary Foster, Matthew Fox and Tommy Lee Jones attended a Japanese premiere along with several Japanese actors and actresses on July 18, 2013,[6] preceding its opening in the cinemas nationwide in Japan on July 27.[7]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 32% of 91 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "Despite a typically strong performance from Tommy Lee Jones, Emperor does little with its fascinating historical palate, and is instead bogged down in a clichéd romantic subplot."[8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 48 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "EMPEROR (12A)". The Works UK Distribution. British Board of Film Classification. September 10, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Emperor (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. June 13, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  3. ↑ IMDb: Emperor - Country Linked 2013-06-05
  4. ↑ Bettinger, Brendan (November 2, 2011). "Peter Webber to Direct WWII Love Story EMPEROR; Filming Begins January 2012". Collider.com. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  5. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (August 14, 2012). "Toronto 2012: Paul Andrew Williams' 'Song for Marion' to Close 37th Edition". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  6. ↑ ""Emperor" Japan premiere". Keizo Mori. UPI. July 18, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Fox tackles history in 'Emperor'". Giovanni Fazio. The Japan Times. July 25, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Emperor". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Emperor Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
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