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"It's not important if your son lived or died"
Army was a 1944 propaganda film by Kinoshita Keisuke. As a foreigner it was a bitter pill to swallow watching 3 generations of boys being taught that their main duty and goal in life was to die for their country and emperor. Ask no questions, entertain no doubts, have not so much as a frisson of fear for dying would be honor and glory to the country and family.
At the beginning of the Meiji Era, the Takagi family is hastily packing up their belongings to flee the oncoming army. A wounded samurai bequeaths Lord Mitsukuni’s History of Japan to the family before he runs back to the battle that is already lost so that he can die for his lord. Thirty years later the grown son Tomonojo tells his son Tomohiko that “Whether you live or die, winning a war is a joy for the nation.” Furious at hearing that Russia is pressuring Japan to return the Liaodong Peninsula to China after the Sino-Japanese war, Tomonojo races to Tokyo to confront an old friend about it. *Okay, a brief interjection, this line of reasoning reminded me of The Princess Bride. Paraphrasing, “they are trying to take what we have rightfully stolen!”* While in Tokyo he suffers a heart attack. Tomohiko goes to Tokyo and is berated by his father for coming to the hospital and not honoring the emperor first. Tomonojo’s only desire is for his son to become a great soldier. Tomohiko’s health prevents him from fighting during the next war which distresses him to no end. He makes it his goal for his son to be a soldier in the next war, whenever and wherever it might be. Much to his father’s disappointment, Shintaro turns out to be a gentle, sensitive boy.
This movie was tough to get through. There was nothing subtle about it. The characters repeatedly mentioned the Emperor’s Five Principles. Sons were raised by their mothers but returned to the emperor so that they could die for him. Parents were not to be concerned about their children once deployed. “It’s not important if your son lived or died.”
Japan’s inevitable victories could have no nuance for Tomohiko. When someone suggested that Japan would have been a Mongol colony if the Divine Wind aka a tsunami hadn’t saved them, that was sacrilege! “If you were a true Japanese man, you’d be too ashamed to say Japan would have lost.” His over-the-top patriotism came across as self-indulgent, especially when those around him often had a more open-minded view of history. His ramblings sounded unbalanced which made me think Tomohiko being portrayed as a sore loser, terrible businessman, too sickly to fight, and a hothead was what caused Kinoshita to be banned from making movies until after the war. That was until the final minutes of the film. Unlike other propaganda films I’ve seen, the ending was what caused a real life general to call Kinoshita a traitor. The gripping scenes were beautifully shot and heartbreaking to watch. Tanaka Kinuyo gave one of her better performances without saying a word. Finally, genuine parental emotions were allowed to break through the stringent propaganda.
Army was heavy-handed in its message that young men’s lives were only meaningful in their deaths for the country and emperor. Two scenes with authentic parental concerns made the film and message more bearable, even if Kinoshita paid for the honesty. Will most likely only appeal to fans of the director or history buffs.
11 June 2025
At the beginning of the Meiji Era, the Takagi family is hastily packing up their belongings to flee the oncoming army. A wounded samurai bequeaths Lord Mitsukuni’s History of Japan to the family before he runs back to the battle that is already lost so that he can die for his lord. Thirty years later the grown son Tomonojo tells his son Tomohiko that “Whether you live or die, winning a war is a joy for the nation.” Furious at hearing that Russia is pressuring Japan to return the Liaodong Peninsula to China after the Sino-Japanese war, Tomonojo races to Tokyo to confront an old friend about it. *Okay, a brief interjection, this line of reasoning reminded me of The Princess Bride. Paraphrasing, “they are trying to take what we have rightfully stolen!”* While in Tokyo he suffers a heart attack. Tomohiko goes to Tokyo and is berated by his father for coming to the hospital and not honoring the emperor first. Tomonojo’s only desire is for his son to become a great soldier. Tomohiko’s health prevents him from fighting during the next war which distresses him to no end. He makes it his goal for his son to be a soldier in the next war, whenever and wherever it might be. Much to his father’s disappointment, Shintaro turns out to be a gentle, sensitive boy.
This movie was tough to get through. There was nothing subtle about it. The characters repeatedly mentioned the Emperor’s Five Principles. Sons were raised by their mothers but returned to the emperor so that they could die for him. Parents were not to be concerned about their children once deployed. “It’s not important if your son lived or died.”
Japan’s inevitable victories could have no nuance for Tomohiko. When someone suggested that Japan would have been a Mongol colony if the Divine Wind aka a tsunami hadn’t saved them, that was sacrilege! “If you were a true Japanese man, you’d be too ashamed to say Japan would have lost.” His over-the-top patriotism came across as self-indulgent, especially when those around him often had a more open-minded view of history. His ramblings sounded unbalanced which made me think Tomohiko being portrayed as a sore loser, terrible businessman, too sickly to fight, and a hothead was what caused Kinoshita to be banned from making movies until after the war. That was until the final minutes of the film. Unlike other propaganda films I’ve seen, the ending was what caused a real life general to call Kinoshita a traitor. The gripping scenes were beautifully shot and heartbreaking to watch. Tanaka Kinuyo gave one of her better performances without saying a word. Finally, genuine parental emotions were allowed to break through the stringent propaganda.
Army was heavy-handed in its message that young men’s lives were only meaningful in their deaths for the country and emperor. Two scenes with authentic parental concerns made the film and message more bearable, even if Kinoshita paid for the honesty. Will most likely only appeal to fans of the director or history buffs.
11 June 2025
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