JAPAN AT WAR DVD Box Set Looks at World War 2 From a Different Angle

AnimEigo has released a massive DVD box set titled Japan at the War. The set compiles four previously released AnimEigo titles with the intent of providing a Japanese perspective on the Second World War. Kihachi Okamoto's Japan's Longest Day (1967) and Battle of Okinawa (1971) are featured as are Kosaku Yamashita's Father of the Kamikaze (1974) and Shohei Imamura's highly acclaimed Black Rain (1988). Detailed synopses (courtesy of AnimEigo) and full technical specs are featured below.

Japan's Longest Day

On August 15th, 1945, the Japanese people faced utter destruction.  Millions of soldiers and civilians were dead, the rest were starving, and their cities had been reduced to piles of rubble--two of them vaporized by atomic bombs. The government was deadlocked.  To break the impasse, the cabinet took the unprecedented step of asking the Emperor to decide the fate of the nation.  Toshiro Mifune leads an all-star cast in a powerful film about the last 24 hours of the Japanese Empire.  This film is broadcast every year in Japan on the anniversary of the surrender.

1967 / 158 minutes / B & W / 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen / Japanese with English subtitles
Extras: Image Gallery, Program Notes, Theatrical Trailers

Battle of Okinawa

Japan: 1945.  This final stand against the Allied onslaught soon becomes the bloodiest battle of the Pacific Theater, taking the horrors of war to a level never before seen, as the desperate Japanese Army tries to demonstrate to the Americans what they should expect when they assault the Japanese mainland.  Legendary director Kihachi OKAMOTO (Japan's Longest Day) creates a vivid depiction of the Pacific's most horrific campaign, and illustrates the strength of the ordinary Japanese people who endured the unendurable.

1971 / 149 minutes / Color/ 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen / Japanese with English subtitles
Extras: Image Gallery, Program Notes, Theatrical Trailers

Father of the Kamikaze

Foreseeing inevitable defeat, a respected admiral champions a radical strategy to force America to consider a negotiated resolution and avoid the shame of surrender.  He hatches an audacious plan--a "Divine Wind" of suicide attacks to convince the Allies that invading Japan will be too costly in lives to contemplate.  This epic film is based on the true story of Takijiro ONISHI, the conflicted man who unleashed the devastating Kamikaze attacks, and the tragic consequences of his decision.

1974 / 199 minutes / Color/ 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen / Japanese with English subtitles
Extras: Image Gallery, Program Notes, Theatrical Trailers

Black Rain

Mr. and Mrs. Shizuma and their niece Yasuko make their way through the ruins of Hiroshima, devastated by the atomic bomb.  Five years later, Yasuko is living with her aunt and uncle, and her senile grandmother, in a village containing many survivors of the bombing.  Yasuko does not appear to be affected, but the Shizumas are worried about her marriage prospects, fearing that she might succumb to radiation sickness at any time.  From two-time Palme d'Or winning director, Shohei IMAMURA (Vengeance is Mine, Ballad of Narayama), comes a cinematic masterpiece that received over 25 international awards, including two at the Cannes Film Festival.

1988 / 123 minutes / B & W/ 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen / Japanese with English subtitles
Extras: Alternate Color Ending, Interview with Assistant Director Takashi Miike, Interview with Yoshiko Tanaka, Trailers, Cast & Crew Biographies, Multimedia Vault.