Price for Peace (2002)

Price for Peace: Directed by James Moll. With Zenji Abe, Stephen Ambrose, Hal Braun, Jeanne Doll Dolan. This powerful and thought provoking film chronicles the compelling events in the Pacific Theater of WWII, from the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 to the American occupation of Japan in 1945. It depicts the strength and courage of America’s youth, while examining how these men and women dealt with being thrust into this brutal war. The film includes interviews with war veterans, both American and Japanese, from all branches of the military. It features testimony from medics, nurses, dog handlers, as well as Japanese-Americans who were imprisoned at internment camps in the United States. The film also includes a first hand account of the tragic impact of the atomic bomb on Japanese citizens. Among the veterans who appear is Zenji Abe, a Japanese veteran who flew the mission to bomb Pearl Harbor, and retired General Paul Tibbets who flew the mission to bomb Hiroshima. Steven Spielberg and historian/author Stephen E. Ambrose are executive producers of this feature-length documentary directed and produced by Academy Award winning filmmaker James Moll (“The Last Days”). The film is a presentation of the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“Though I have been an anti war believer since I was 11-12 years old, I have always made it a point to watch as many war documentaries (especially ones that include combat veterans) as I can. If you are going to be an objector to Wars of any kind you need to be knowledgeable of all its negativity.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIt starts with, of what in war/peace timeI have always thought, the most cowardly, disgraceful mass murder of those caught in the bombings of/at Pearl Harbour in 1941; it was interesting (and pleasing) to find that one of the veteran Japanese soldiers more or less said the exact same thing. Considering that the Japanese Bushido Samurai culture has always made a huge thing of being highly honourable, there must have been many Japanese who were dishonoured by the cowardly and thoroughly, dishonourable attack on that infamous day. Not all Japanese agreed with the war; just as not all Germans were Naziu0026#39;s and wanted war!u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIt then carries on to tell the heartbreak of the events that happened from island to island, and with graphic images of the dead of both sides. By the end of the program I was in tears (and I have watched quite a few war in the pacific documentaries to during my life that were less graphic). You will feel for both American and Japanese soldiers who had to go through that hell!u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIt may interest some of you to know of something that is never ever told, but, Japanese men never had a choice of not going to war. If they refused at that time of the 20th century they would have suffered death (and possibly their families too). The hierarchy of the Japanese Samurai way of thinking still existed in the minds of the old men of the ruling class; even though the era of the Samuraiu0026#39;s had long ago ended in 1877 with the Satsuma Samurai rebellion.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe documentary ends with (what I also think was one of the most heinous acts of mass murder of innocents) with the dropping of 2 atomic bombs. The arrogant US Military top brass and the untrustworthy politicians deemed that it was a necessary act to save a possible 1,000,000 American lives. I personally have never ever believed that statement due to all the knowledge that I have acquired, over the years, on the atomic bomb development and the bullying by the top brass of those working on it and the corrupt politics of the time!.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI came away with very sad thoughts from this documentary…..u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e1). My disgust that the Captain of the Enola Gay (a man I have never liked) had no regrets of what he did, and was a complete war mongering heartless fool.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e2). One of the American veterans still held bad feelings towards Japan/Japanese and his bitterness was plain to see in his interview (yet all the Japanese veterans were regretful, apologetic and truly sorry…there were tears from both US u0026amp; Japan veterans).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e3). Its extremely saddening to realize that all those brave men, on both sides, died for the greed of powerful ruling classes – America included – and, that the same type of men/women ruling in America today have completely forgotten/ignored what should have been the lessons of war. They have been the cause of over 60 intrusions into the politics of other countries, and because so many of them have cost the lives of too many American military members and those of allied countries whose leaders were too afraid not to or just stupid enough to fight with America and its scheming power mongers.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eA documentary that should be part of all school history lessons!”