There was a scene where she is on a train going to a small town and when the train stops briefly, she sees U.S. service men working oblong side the track. I did not know about this until 10 years ago from the History Channel. You never hear about the POWs being brought to Japan and used as slaves in the mines and other places. All you ever hear about is how terribly the Japanese suffered from the atom bomb.
shareNot 100% certain those were American prisoners - they could just as easily have been British or Australian.
Never heard of Allied slave labor during World War II? Ever see a movie called THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI?
I wrote that I never heard of the slave labor until 10 years ago. I was not alive to be able to have known this fact first hand.
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Well - neither was I. (And if you've never seen RIVER KWAI, by all means do - it's terrific. Directed by David Lean, who also did LAWRENCE OF ARABIA and DOCTOR ZHIVAGO.)
All countries abuse and misuse their captives (except the USA, the Brits, and the French).
It should come as no surprise.
Incidentally, WE do the right thing WITHOUT rules; the others continue to abuse even with rules.
Unfortunately, this does not seem to be true, given recent revelations of torture of prisoners by the United States. I so much wish that it were not true.
sharelornagwater says > Unfortunately, this does not seem to be true, given recent revelations of torture of prisoners by the United States. I so much wish that it were not true.It's actually ironic how so many countries and people, some even within the US, are quick to blame the USA for a multitude of the world's problems when the truth is we have done more to help others than anyone else. We are also less likely to mistreat prisoners of war. We are tolerant of other people's differences of opinion, ideology, religion, etc. We only step in when they mistreat others including their own people.
And the Japanese are still suffering to this day. From your comment it looks to me that you are a bitter person concerning the events of the war. May God bless you for all the bitterness you have suffered and may God help you to heal and enjoy life without the bitterness.
shareKing Rat is another pacific theatre POW movie. Also, Merry Christmas, Mister Lawrence.
Poets are made by fools like me, but only God can make STD.
American POW's were in fact slave labor with British and Australians.
Horrible working conditions in labor camps run by Japanese and overseen by Koreans were common.
Medical experiments were performed as well.
In a recent book at the islands in the pacific starvation was so bad on both sides the Japanese cut meat off POWS legs and ate while the POW was kept alive in a pit so as to harvest organs. This way the meat wouldn't spoil under the hot sun.
Those responsible were tried after the war and executed by world tribunals.
It seems unbelievable but that is the horror of desperate times.
I'm ignoring posts about which country acts more like a prom date in wartime to mention two other films other than the excellent Bridge Over the River Kwai that are windows into the depths of the east and west cultural clashes in the business of wartime and other relationships: Good Morning, Mr Lawrence and Empire of the Sun.
Sorry, the name of the film is: Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence.
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