Japan engages in naval warfare in 1981's Imperial Navy (連合艦隊). Despite weak special effects and an unimaginative screenplay, this World War II film manages some effective scenes, particularly in its bloody climax.
The movie begins by showing the top brass of Japan's Navy being informed of the decision to ally with Germany and Italy in going to war. Admiral Yamamoto (Keiju Kohayashi) is furious and feels such an endeavour is doomed.
The movie carefully avoids depicting any enthusiasm for the object of the war, instead depicting all passions focused on the people and vessels involved, particularly the battleship Yamato.
That's the same ship that gets turned into a space vessel in the great anime Space Battleship Yamato, a much more effective work.
The year 1981 will be familiar to cinephiles as the year Das Boot was released, a World War II film with a German submarine crew as protagonists. Das Boot gained worldwide renown but Imperial Navy remains obscure. It's not just that Das Boot had better special effects. Wolfgang Petersen's film succeeds at portraying the realistic, messy humanity of that group of men. Imperial Navy portrays types. Everyone, from the stoic admiral to the eager young soldier to the kamikaze pilot who cries out for his mother, everyone behaves as most people would expect.
I was pleased to recognise some locations, including the beautiful gates near Todai-ji in Nara.
Imperial Navy is available on YouTube.
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