Isoroku Yamamoto aka The Admiral - Movie of the Month August 2024

[Admiral_Karasu]

Movie of the Month for August 2024

Isoroku Yamamoto / The Admiral

Try having the movie watched by the next weekend or so, that's SAT/SUN August 3 to 4.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwriIuUofYw

 

Note! Recommended that you use the link to watch the movie in an adjacent tab or new window for ease of reference.

 

On Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoroku_(film)

And on IMDB:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1932695/

 

Spoiler Warning!

If you have no clue about the movie previously, watch the movie first before going into the discussion.

 

General discussion of the movie to follow below.

[Admiral_Karasu]

Have you guys remembered to watch the movie of the month? Sorry about the technical side of things, by the way. Instead of the director's cut we kind of ended up with the janitor's cut instead.

[HogHammer]

I have not forgotten here. I started watching and noticed some rather strange editing (janitor's cut). I will definitely watch it because of Koji Yakusho.  I love his acting.

He is awesome in samurai films like 13 Assassins, The Last Ronin, and Death of a Samurai (I am a big fan of these types of films).  Just a great actor character actor overall.

[Wolfswetpaws]

I started watching, this morning, after reading @Admiral_Karasu's post.
I may resume watching it later.  

[HamptonRoads]

Had a 3-hour layover, which I spent watching this film.

[DDG44_Vet]

Just finished it, very good movie.

[HogHammer]

Despite absolutely horrendous edits throughout the movie, it still give a very good portrayal of Yamamoto played by Koji Yakusho. The director and Yakusho himself must have done their homework on Yamamoto - his personal characteristics and his views.  Yamamoto, coming from a heritage of samurai, strongly believed in honor and respect.  Despite not in favor of wars with China and later the US, he carried out his duties to Imperial Japan.  Many may not know but Yamamoto studied at Harvard, was a naval naval attaché for Japan in Washington, DC, and spoke fluent English.  Yamamoto was highly regarded in the naval fleet and was popular with the Japanese public.  He also  opposed the building of the battleships Yamato and Musashi as an unwise investment of resources.  His belief was that the day of the battleships was over and that aircraft carriers would be the future of naval battles.  He was the mastermind behind the attack on Pearl Harbor but insisted that Japan give the US advance warning of the attack.  Much to his dismay, this "advance warning" was delievered to Washington AFTER the attack.  This was more about samurai code of honor, where you "kick the pillow" of your opponent before dealing a fatal blow.  Operation Vengeance ended Yamamoto's life.  The Americans cracked the coded message of Yamamoto's flight itinerary.  Nimitz ordered Admiral William F. Halsey, commanding the area of operations that included Guadalcanal, to get Yamamoto. Like Nimitz, Halsey was concerned the mission would endanger their code-breaking secrets. Nimitz said he would assume responsibility for the risk and suggested that every effort “be made to make the operation appear fortuitous. Best of luck and good hunting.” Halsey’s headquarters transmitted the order: “Talleyho. Let’s get the bastard.”

Again, the movie, despite its editing flaws, is very good and a very close portrayal of this part of Yamamoto's life.

[DDG44_Vet]

I was surprised by the depiction of Adm Nagumo as being under the political influence of the Navy Minister, to the point of disobeying Yamamoto’s orders to prioritize the destruction of our carriers at Midway in favor of the Ministers urging to prioritize the taking of Midway as a base. Does anyone know of any historical information to back up this depiction? 

[Admiral_Karasu]

34 minutes ago, DDG44_Vet said:

I was surprised by the depiction of Adm Nagumo as being under the political influence of the Navy Minister, to the point of disobeying Yamamoto’s orders to prioritize the destruction of our carriers at Midway in favor of the Ministers urging to prioritize the taking of Midway as a base. Does anyone know of any historical information to back up this depiction? 

The movie has some inaccuracies, I think for purposes of dramatization (like the kamikaze attack on Yorktown and the non-historical depiction of how the Americans discovered Admiral Yamamoto's flight plan). I don't think there was any instance of disobeying orders but an unfortunate series of events and a mistake on the part of Admiral Nagumo (who wasn't the best choice to command carriers).

Quote

The scout suddenly reported "what appears to be a carrier" at about 0820. Nagumo had to think fast. If he launched a strike , the force would go escorted by only a few fighters, as many of the fighters assigned to the second strike had been launched to defend the Fleet against the Midway-based attack. Nagumo had seen what a fighter defense had done to the Midway-based American attack and didn't want to subject his pilots to the same thing. Also, no carrier-type planes had participated in the attacks so far, so Nagumo doubted the reported carrier was what it appeared to be. Rear Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi, the aggressive commander of the HIRYU/SORYU carrier division, broke protocol and nearly demanded that Nagumo launch at once. Nagumo rationalized that it would be easier to destroy the enemy if all his striking power could be concentrated into one massive attack, so he made the fateful, decisive mistake to delay launching until the Midway strike could be landed and refueled.

Quoted from here, have a look there for further details.

http://www.combinedfleet.com/prinob_f.htm

 

[DDG44_Vet]

3 minutes ago, Admiral_Karasu said:

The movie has some inaccuracies, I think for purposes of dramatization (like the kamikaze attack on Yorktown and the non-historical depiction of how the Americans discovered Admiral Yamamoto's flight plan). I don't think there was any instance of disobeying orders but an unfortunate series of events and a mistake on the part of Admiral Nagumo (who wasn't the best choice to command carriers).

Quoted from here, have a look there for further details.

http://www.combinedfleet.com/prinob_f.htm

 

Thanks @Admiral_Karasu, that’s in line with what I have always read, Nagumo had to think fast under very difficult circumstances and that there were no political pressures weighing on him, purely tactical ones 

[HamptonRoads]

I noted how calm and stoic Yamamoto appeared knowing that he was about to die.  The filmmakers also made reference to him holding his sword in the face of imminent death.

 

Isoroku Yamamoto | World War II Database (ww2db.com)

In the morning of 18 Apr, green khaki-clad Yamamoto departed Rabaul, New Britain at 0600 hours. In his hands was a sword given by his now deceased brother. He sat in the left-front seat in the passenger compartment of a G4M1 bomber, next to Chief Petty Officer Kotani. His chief of staff, Matome Ugaki, also traveled in the air convoy, but in a different G4M1 aircraft. Six A6M Zero fighters escorted the G4M aircraft. Meanwhile, 18 US Army P-38 Lighting fighters launched from Kukum Field of the Henderson Field complex on Guadalcanal, fitted with extra large drop tanks to provide enough fuel for the long flight. Two fighters aborted during takeoff. The 16 remaining American fighters found Yamamoto's convoy and discovered two G4M1 bombers. Not knowing which one carried the target, both bombers were strafed repeatedly. One of the many .50 caliber rounds that the American pilots fired on the bombers struck Yamamoto. Most likely, the bullet entered Yamamoto's back near his left shoulder while he was tucked in his seat. The bullet exited his left chest, entered his left jaw, and exited again above his right eye near the temple. It most likely killed him instantly. The credit for killing Yamamoto was given to Lieutenant Rex Barber, but Captain Thomas Lanphier, Jr. would contest it for some time to come; many historians would later disagree with Lanphier's claim. Shortly after, the G4M1 aircraft carrying Yamamoto crashed into the jungle, followed by the G4M1 aircraft that carried Ugaki, who would survive the attack. Yamamoto's body was found by Japanese search and rescue party led by Army engineer Lieutenant Hamasuna the next day in the jungle west of Buin. Hamasuna described that he found Yamamoto thrown clear of the wreckage, sitting perfectly straight under a tree, white-gloved hand grasping the hilt of his sword; it was generally thought that Yamamoto's remains were tidied up by Hamasuna and his search party into the condition that Hamasuna had described, out of respect of the admiral.

 

 

[HamptonRoads]

@Admiral_Karasu Do we have a movie for September?  September 2 is a holiday in the States, so I'd like to get ahead of this before my vacation.

 

[Admiral_Karasu]

9 hours ago, HamptonRoads said:

@Admiral_Karasu Do we have a movie for September?  September 2 is a holiday in the States, so I'd like to get ahead of this before my vacation.

 

In other words, you'd like to know the September movie in time for next weekend, that being the last weekend of August? I'll try to find something, I have a couple of ideas but there are some technical challenges due to availability, including picture format and blocked regions.