Introduction

Eagle of the Pacific (太平洋の鷲, Taiheiyo no washi), also known as Operation Kamikaze, is a 1953 Japanese epic war film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya.

The film dramatises the start of Japan’s military action in World War II, with an emphasis on the role of Isoroku Yamamoto.

Outline

Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, a brilliant tactician, is a loyal subject of the emperor, despite his grave misgivings about leading Japan’s navy into war with the United States. He opposes the attack on Pearl Harbour, but overruled, leads his forces to the best of his ability.

Cast

• Denjirō Ōkōchi as Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
• Hiroshi Nihonyanagi as Commander Furukawa
• Eijirô Yanagi as Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai
• Minoru Takada as Prince Fumimaro Konoe
• Masao Shimizu as Commander Kashima
• Ichiro Sugai as Admiral Koshirō Oikawa
• Toshiro Mifune as First Lieutenant Tomonaga
• Takashi Shimura as Staff Officer of the Army
• Bontaro Miake as Commander of the Task Force
• Haruo Nakajima as Pilot in Flaming Zero
• Sachio Sakai
• Katsumi Tezuka
• Shin Otomo

Production

Toho intended Eagle of the Pacific to be an ambitious, Hollywood-style film. The studio used storyboarding to plan the visual effects sequences, a technique they would repeat on Godzilla.

Stock footage was utilised extensively in Eagle of the Pacific; some sources claim that producer Sojiro Motoki secured approval for the film by offering to reuse action sequences from The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya. Thus, special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya’s return to Toho was not a lavish affair. It is mostly rehashed footage augmented by a few new effects, and he only had a small crew. Many newspaper critics were not fooled by Toho’s trick photography, citing stock footage as evidence.

Release

Box Office

Eagle of the Pacific grossed 163 million yen, the third highest total for a Japanese film in 1953.

DVD

The film was released on DVD in Japan in 2005.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s):
  • Ishirô Honda
• Producer(s):
  • Iwao Mori … executive producer
  • Sôjirô Motoki … producer
• Writer(s):
  • Shinobu Hashimoto … (writer)
• Music:
  • Yûji Koseki
• Cinematography:
  • Kazuo Yamada
• Editor(s):
  • Kôichi Iwashita
• Production:
  • Toho
• Distributor(s):
  • Toho (Japan, 1953)(theatrical)
  • Filmar Compagnia Cinematografica (Italy, 1960)(theatrical)
• Release Date: 21 October 1953 (Japan).
• Running Time: 119 minutes.
• Rating: Unknown.
• Country: Japan.
• Language: Japanese.

Video Link(s)