# What's a good movie about the Asian theater in WW2? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 19, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-movie-about-the-asian-theater-in-ww2/182981 "2003-06-19T18:48:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-movie-about-the-asian-theater-in-ww2/182981/21 "2003-06-20T13:06:14Z")
Count me out for “Midway.” I thought that was a dreadful movie. It’s reasonably true to the events of one of the most interesting battles in naval history, but as a movie it sucks eggs. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-movie-about-the-asian-theater-in-ww2/182981/22 "2003-06-20T14:08:07Z")
Grave of the Fireflies? ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-movie-about-the-asian-theater-in-ww2/182981/23 "2003-06-20T14:14:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Little Nemo \* > \*\*Let me get this straight. You want a Pacific Theater version of _Saving Private Ryan_ or _Blackhawk Down_, but you don’t want a bubblegum action flick or a propaganda piece. Huh? \*\* Huh yourself. If you think either movie was a bubblegum action flick or a propoganda piece, you’re the one that’s a bubble or two off plum. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-movie-about-the-asian-theater-in-ww2/182981/24 "2003-06-20T15:18:47Z")
**Saving Private Ryan** and **Black Hawk Down** are neither bubble gum action flicks or propogands pieces. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-movie-about-the-asian-theater-in-ww2/182981/25 "2003-06-20T16:41:06Z")
At the risk of turning this into a Great Debate, how would you describe _Saving Private Ryan_ or _Blackhawk Down_ in terms other than being action movies or propaganda pieces? Don’t get me wrong; both were good movies, but neither was “deep”. ---
**Author:** ![Sinungaling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Sinungaling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinungaling)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-movie-about-the-asian-theater-in-ww2/182981/26 "2003-06-20T17:03:41Z")
**King Rat** was set in a Japanese prisoner of war camp, and the book it was based on was written by James Clavell, who was actually imprisoned in a Japanese camp during the Pacific War. He said that a lot of the story was real (the soldier’s arm, the deal-making corporal), but the plot was of course fictional. I think. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-movie-about-the-asian-theater-in-ww2/182981/27 "2003-06-20T17:12:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Little Nemo \* > \*\*At the risk of turning this into a Great Debate, how would you describe _Saving Private Ryan_ or _Blackhawk Down_ in terms other than being action movies or propaganda pieces? Don’t get me wrong; both were good movies, but neither was “deep”. \*\* First off, a movie doesn’t have to be “deep” to be something other than bubblegum. But you’re still wrong. Technically, both movies classify as war movies, which is a different category than simply action. Neither was bubblegum and to ascribe the appelation to them is totally ludicrous. They were both very well made dramatic movies. ---
**Author:** ![waits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df788c/32.png) [@waits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waits)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-movie-about-the-asian-theater-in-ww2/182981/28 "2003-06-20T17:36:42Z")
_Operation Burma They Were Expendable_ Caught both on TCM recently. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-movie-about-the-asian-theater-in-ww2/182981/29 "2003-06-20T18:16:14Z")
_Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo_ is an excellent account of Jimmy Doolittle’s raid. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zebra \* > \*\*Sea Battles > > Midway > The Enemy Below > Mr. Roberts\*\* _Mister Roberts_? It’s one of my favorite movies, but the only (onscreen) battles in it are ones of wits against the captain. ---
**Author:** ![CyberPundit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@CyberPundit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CyberPundit)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-movie-about-the-asian-theater-in-ww2/182981/30 "2003-06-20T18:55:34Z")
I second **Grave of the Fireflies** though it deals with the Japanese home-front rather than combat. One of the best films I have ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-movie-about-the-asian-theater-in-ww2/182981/31 "2003-06-20T20:30:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zoe \* > **Zenster** , I have been trying to remember the name of the film _A Town Like Alice_ for years! Thanks! **Zoe** , you are most welcome. Please consider reading the book as well. Neville Shute’s writing style is quite good. No puffery or purple prose and pretty d@mn good character development. I’ll add that the movie embodies the book better than most attempts at that sort of thing. I also think Shute did an extremely good job lending a human face to the Japanese occupiers. The soldier who must march the women to He|| and back turns out to be rather compassionate and is sincerely mourned when he takes the dirt nap. ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_E\_Dec\_Esq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/48db29/32.png) [@Francis\_E\_Dec\_Esq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_E_Dec_Esq)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-movie-about-the-asian-theater-in-ww2/182981/32 "2003-06-20T21:00:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Number \* > \*\*_Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo_ is an excellent account of Jimmy Doolittle’s raid. In addition, my Chinese wife was impressed by the positive and accurate depiction of the Chinese in this film. Of course, Chinese were more favorably depicted prior to the Communist Revolution. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-movie-about-the-asian-theater-in-ww2/182981/33 "2003-06-21T02:45:20Z")
RikWriter, I guess we’re going to have to agree to disagree on this subject. To me, _American Beauty_ was a drama; _Saving Private Ryan_ and _Windtalkers_ were action films. And to me, “bubblegum” implies a simple and non-threatening plot. You applied it to _Windtalker_; I felt it was even more applicable to _Saving Private Ryan_. In the end, it’s a matter of personal opinion and preference. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-movie-about-the-asian-theater-in-ww2/182981.md?page=1)