Underplayed Gems

Hawai Mare oki kaisen (1942)

Hawai Mare oki kaisen poster
Original title
ハワイ・マレー沖海戦
Directed by
Motoyoshi Oda, Kajirō Yamamoto
Genre
war film
Country
Japan
Runtime
1h 56m
Rating
7.0 of 10 from 2 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

This is a 1942 Japanese war film that portrays the attack on Pearl Harbor and subsequent naval battles. It was made with support from the Navy Ministry to boost public morale during World War II.

propagandisticpatrioticvisually ambitioustriumphantfast-pacedspectacularnationalistichistorical

What happens

The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya is a 1942 Japanese epic war film directed by Kajiro Yamamoto, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced by Toho and distributed by Film Distribution Corporation, the film is propaganda produced with support from the Navy Ministry that was intended to influence the Japanese public into believing they could prevail in the Pacific War. The military reportedly converted the idea of a documentary film on the attack on Pearl Harbor that featured special effects since it was difficult to record footage of the attack. Prior to the attack and Japan's subsequent entry into World War II, an Imperial Japanese Navy official met Tsuburaya and requested the production of a film about the attack as soon as possible when the war broke out. Production took place from May to November 1942, on a record breaking budget of ¥770,000. The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya was released on December 3, 1942, to critical acclaim. The film won Kinema Junpo's Best Picture Award and Tsuburaya received an award for his special effects. Reportedly viewed by 100 million people in Japan and its occupied territories, it became the highest-grossing film in the history of Japanese cinema upon its distribution. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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