"The Emperor's Naked
Army Marches On"
1987
Directed by Kazuo Hara
This absorbing documentary follows Kenzo
Okuzaki - a veteran of Japan's WWII campaign in New Guinea - as he
searches out those responsible for the mysterious deaths of several
soldiers in his unit. Though he holds Emperor Hirahito accountable for
all the suffering caused by WWII, he painstakingly tracks down former
military officers and accuses them of specific war crimes, oftentimes
abusing them verbally and physically. Director Kazua Hara's subtle
cinema verite not only captures the zeal of Okuzaki's lifelong
mission, but also exposes the atrocities committed by the Japanese
military against its own soldiers. The film created such controversy in
Japan upon release that no major distributor would touch it. "The most
amazing piece of filmmaking" (Michael Moore). Winner of the Caligari
Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival. Japanese with English
subtitles. 122 minutes.