The Movie "Unbroken" -
Anyone seen it? I am watching it for the second time right now. It is brutal what those guys went through. It is hard to watch. I put off watching it a second time because it is difficult to watch.
For those who have not seen it, it is about an Olympic athlete who's plane is downed in the Pacific during WWII. 1st 1/3rd of the movie is the crew on a lifeboat for a looong time. A Japanese ship picks them up. The remaining 2/3rds of the movie is the brutal treatment they receive at the hands of the Japanese as the War drags on. It is difficult to watch.
It is an Excellent movie, and if you have not seen it - you should.
Thoughts? Comments?
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Read the book, but did not see the movie.
I will never understand forgiveness on the level Louis displays.
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Seen it a few times. Good movie. My brother who was in the Pacific Theater. Guess they were short on officers if I remember the Jap was just a sergeant? Anyway, my brother passed in the 90's and he hated the Japanese until the day he died. Don't know what he heard, saw. seen, did, but it left a mark. 0 -
One of the best movies I have ever seen. Definitely in the top 10.
I agree Don, the biographical data they show on him at the end of the movie - is extremely Humbling. The movie is very moving.
Excellent acting. I read where the Japanese Actor (Miyavi ?) who portrays the main protagonist and concentrates on Louis unmercifully in the movie, and in real life back then, was hesitant to take the roll. He made the statement that "People would hate me like they did Bruce Dern when he killed John Wayne in the movie Cowboys." He was afraid of being typecast as Dern was, the rest of his life.
Man, if the last few minutes of that movie does not make you cry (like the end of Saving Private Ryan) I do not know what will.
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Thanks for the notice. I'll make sure that we watch it. I'll also pass this news on to one of my Uncles and two of my Aunts who lost one of their older brothers in a Japanese POW camp in the Philippines. On second thought...I probably will not pass this info on to my remaining Uncle and Aunts...probably would be way to painful for them...as loving and forgiving as they are.
One of my distant paternal cousins was in the Army Air Corps and a gunner on a B-17 that disappeared during WWII. About 10-12 years back his dog tags surfaced and I helped get them to his family in Vicksburg, Mississippi. It so happens that a native...in New Guinea(?), found the dog tags in the jungle.
My namesake, who was also in the Army Air Corps, was on the Bataan Peninsula and later in the Japanese POW Camp in Manila...Bilibad (I might not have spelled it correctly). He died there of Beri Beri and was buried in the compound's cemetery area. About 1949 his remains were sent home, and I attended my first funeral...21 gun salute and all.0 -
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Asians are known for being merciless with captive prisoners and it's been well documented many times.My Dad fought in the Pacific Theatre in WWII, went on to Korea and Vietnam. A 32 yr ABN CSM. Had to medically retire due to 5 crushed vertebra in his neck, due to a Jump, that a General overrode protocol about the wind speed at the drop zone. Told to jump anyway. A lot of guys got hurt, in order fot that A. $. $. Hat could get to see his exhibition jump.
When I went in, my Dad said - "The only advice I can give you, is do not get taken alive, if it comes down to that." Sobering.
He saw a lot of Combat/Stuff. Never talked about it with us, but my Brother and I would listen in, when he had Veteran Brother's over, sharing stories.
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According to a documentary the three were at sea for 47 days...one of them died about 33 days into the float. They floated 2000 miles to the Marshall Islands where they were captured. He only weighed 66 pounds when he was captured. the camp guard, The Bird, was a failed officer and hence took his brutality out on the prisoners. When they discovered that he was an Olympic athlete that's when they really started brutalizing him. 0 -
I thought it was an excellent read and a good movie. It seems to be that way with most books to movies for me. Perhaps my visualization of what I read means more than having it shown to me. Or because they have to leave out or condense parts to fit in the movies time frame that leaves me thinking I've missed something. Either way it is a truly inspiring story that shows what faith and character can overcome. Bob 0 -
Good movie, but it is NOTHING compared to the book. There is so much more depth and detail in the book that could not be captured due to the time constraints of a movie.
If you liked the movie, the book is a must-read. An astounding story.
Frog
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I thought the treatment & conditions (in the movie) of most of the prisoners in the POW camp was better than I would have expected. Their treatment later was more like I expected. I hadn't know that Pappy Boyington had been a POW. 0 -
I also never knew Pappy Boyington had been a Prisoner of War. Was that towards the end of the war? If so, I am surprised they did not execute him, once they found out who he was.
Lucky guy, if he made it out alive.
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Yeah those dang old Asians are the only ones that would ever do that. Well except maybe for the Americans during the Civil War at prisons such as Andersonville and Cahaba Prisons. Luckily my great great grandpa, Pvt. John W. Miller 1st Tennessee Cavalry, Co. E only had to spend a year in Cahaba Prison 'cause the guys that were at Andersonville had it a bit rougher like this poor old soul. Hard to believe Americans would do that to other Americans. And both sides did it.us55840 said:Asians are known for being merciless with captive prisoners and it's been well documented many times.
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There's a sequel to it as well that basically tells his story after Unbroken ends. It covers from there on, focusing on spirituality and forgiveness.
Unbroken: The Path to Redemption.0 -
Not yet seen it 0 -
The percentage of prisoners that survived under the Japanese was much smaller than under any other country. They were brutal to those they captured. I live in a town that housed German prisoners of war in WWII . This town ( New Ulm ) took its name from Ulm Germany and was settled by German immigrants. The POW's were treated well here. I have a few woven pads for setting hot pans on that were made by the German POW's. I bought them from an elderly lady about 25 years ago who was involved in projects of that nature for them. They also helped local farmers with field work. My mother used to cook for POW's doing field work on the farm. They were well feed and well treated.
A far cry from how our soldiers were treated by the Japanese.0 -
Now read up on how we treated German POWs AFTER the war. 0 -
Interesting. I never knew there were almost 1/2 million German POW's here.
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Another double post issue.
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Pappy Boyington was captured late in the war. He was designated as a captive and not listed as a POW. He was brutally tortured. The Americans did not know he was alive until the war was over. 0 -
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Pappy Boyington was captured late in the war. He was designated as a captive and not listed as a POW. He was brutally tortured. The Americans did not know he was alive until the war was over.I had never heard that. I am surprised he survived, if they were aware of who he was.
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Not that late. He was captured in Jan 1944 & rescued in Aug 1945. The movie made it seem that the one guy got the worst of it but Boyington said he was beaten with a baseball bat or slugged in the face almost every day.
Enter Pappy Boyington POW in your search engine & you should be able to see a newsreel clip of his return to the U.S. & his description of his treatment.0 -
us55840 said:Few are aware how many POW's were interned within the United States.List of World War II prisoner-of-war camps in the United States
Prisoner-of-war camps in the United States during World War II.
In the United States, at the end of World War II, there were 175 Branch Camps serving 511 Area Camps containing over 425,000 prisoners of war (mostly German). The camps were located all over the US but were mostly in the South because of the higher expense of heating the barracks in other areas. Eventually, every state (with the exceptions of Nevada, North Dakota, and Vermont) had POW camps.
https://military.wikia.org/wiki/List_of_World_War_II_prisoner-of-war_camps_in_the_United_StatesThanks for posting this.
Camp Ellis. Located between Table Grove and Ipava, Illinois. Just a few miles up the road from me. Not much there anymore, the buildings are all gone except for some foundations. Interesting note, my neighbor's family owned some if not most of the farm ground that Camp Ellis occupied. The ground was taken from the owners by the government to build the POW camp. I am not sure what compensation they received for the land, but the relatives are still unhappy about this.0
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