Anglophone audiences got Tora! Tora! Tora! In 1970, but two years earlier Japanese audiences got Rengô kantai shirei chôkan: Yamamoto Isoroku (Admiral Yamamoto). Admiral Yamamoto takes Pearl Harbor as its jumping off point to tell the wartime story of Japan's most respected naval commander. As with most Japanese war flicks of the 1960s, this one features outstanding model work and exciting action scenes, while being anchored by a typically fine performance from Toshiro Mifune in the title role. Historically, I don't know how accurate Admiral Yamamoto is - while the details of the military exploits of the Imperial Japanese Navy are largely accurate, one wonders if it overdoes its hero's anti-war bonafides. I guess I'd better read a Yamamoto biography and find out if he really was as sensible and thoughtful as he's depicted here.
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