‘Untold Triumph’ tells the
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Review by Genevieve A. Suzuki
gsuzuki@starbulletin.comThere is a tale familiar to many of us, except it is often told by Japanese Americans: Defying racial prejudice and ignorance, hordes of young men jump at the chance to fight to prove they are Americans. This time, however, the storytellers are Filipino Americans.
"An Untold Triumph"Hawai'i International Film Festival screening at noon tomorrow, University of Hawaii-Hilo; 3 and 7 p.m. tomorrow at Maui Community College; 6 p.m. tomorrow at Kaunakakai School; 5:30 p.m. Sunday at Kauai Community College Theatre; and 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Monday at Lanai Theatre.
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"An Untold Triumph" is the story of the U.S. Army's 1st and 2nd Filipino Infantry Regiments, often relegated to just a paragraph in the history books.
Like the Japanese Americans, Filipino immigrants and their U.S.-born children saw both their adopted and home countries attacked by the Japanese in 1941, but because of racist legislation were unable to vote, much less join the U.S. military.
Everything changed when they were allowed into the Army and Gen. Douglas MacArthur realized the value of their service, employing them as spies, radiomen and coast watchers. The Filipino-American soldiers, MacArthur's eyes and ears, played an integral role in the U.S. victory in the Pacific.
The film is narrated by Filipino-American actor Lou Diamond Phillips. It includes black-and-white footage from World War II and interviews with veterans, their commanders and eyewitnesses.
The images are vivid: a man who survived the 1,000-mile Bataan death march, Filipino women and children found starving after their towns were liberated from the Japanese, and a Filipino-American soldier who will never forget finding a family photo on a Japanese soldier he had just killed.
There are also lighter moments: love stories of soldiers and their war brides, games the men played in camp and a commander's account of having to weigh down the Filipino paratroopers so that their smaller frames wouldn't "float away."
The film culminates with the Filipinos returning to the United States; one veteran recalled knowing he was home as his ship passed under San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.
It took seven years to make "An Untold Triumph," and it shows in the research. Executive producer and director Noel M. Izon, associate producer and former Star-Bulletin reporter Stephanie J. Castillo, associate writer Linda Revilla and their crew will surely garner accolades for finally telling this story of triumph over adversity during World War II.
When: Through Sunday on Oahu Hawai'i International Film Festival
Schedules: Pick up copies at Dole Signature Theatres and at Starbucks and Blockbuster locations;
Theaters: Signature Dole Cannery, the Doris Duke at the Academy, Consolidated's Waikiki Twins 2 theater and Blaisdell Center
Tickets: Per film, $7 general; $6 (children, military, students and 62 and older); $1 discount for matinees
Call: 528-4433
Neighbor islands
When: Friday through Nov. 10
Locations: Kauai Community College Performing Arts Center (808-823-8444); Maui Arts & Cultural Center's Castle Theatre, Maui Community College Ka Lama No. 103 and Ritz-Carlton Kapalua (808-573-4242); Kaunakakai School on Molokai (808-553-3455); and University of Hawaii at Hilo Campus Center, Palace Theatre and Keauhou Cinema on the Big Island (808-969-9412 in East Hawaii and 808-322-2323 in West Hawaii)
HIFF Web site
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