Photo Credit: The National Archives and Research AdministrationWings of Defeat is a touching and enlightening feature-length documentary about Japanese aviators who were trained to be Kamikaze pilots but survived World War II. Director/producer Risa Morimoto, who was born and raised in New York, came to make this film after learning that a beloved uncle had been one such pilot. He had been dead for several years by the time she learned this, and she sought to reconcile her image of him with the far different one of Kamikazes as suicidal fanatics.
Preceeding the screening on Tuesday, March 18th, 2008, there will be a reception at 7:30 PM. Ms. Morimoto, writer /producer Linda Hoaglund (a renowned translator of Japanese film dialogue), two former Kamikaze pilots that are featured in the film, and a survivor of the Kamikaze attack that sunk the U.S.S. Drexler will be present for the reception and for a Q&A session after the screening, which will begin at 8:00 PM.
The 2007 film is in English and Japanese with English subtitles and has an 89 minute running time.
I've watched a screener DVD and will have a full review posted before this screening, which promises to be a fascinating and emotional evening.
For further information at Japan Society's website, click here.
I wish I was there to see the pre-screening of the documentary. I would have showed up with my Aviator Sunglasses on ready and willing to learn. I gotta find it and watch it at home.
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