"Patriotism, Valor and Honor" is the theme of the 442nd RCT 60th Anniversary Film Program, being featured at the Art House at Restaurant Row through Thursday to coincide with the 442nd 60th anniversary. The schedule follows: The Art House
film fest marks 60th
anniversary of 442nd
By Tim Ryan
tryan@starbulletin.com>> "Journey of Honor": Filmmaker Stuart Yamane follows a dozen Hawaii veterans from the nisei units of the 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team on a historic return to the World War II battlefields of Italy. The trip, led by veteran Honolulu newscaster Bob Jones, was the first return to Europe after 55 years for many of the men. Screens at 9:30 p.m. today and 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
>> "Go for Broke!" (1951): Director Robert Pirosh tells the story of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, headed by Lt. Mike Grayson (Van Johnson), who at first despises the task of commanding Japanese-American soldiers because he feels they are loyal to "Mother Japan" than they are to the American cause. The men portraying the 442nd are veterans from the unit. Having lived through the experiences, they give expert performances, though they were untrained as actors. Screens 1:30 p.m. today, 9:30 p.m. tomorrow and 7 p.m. Thursday.
>> "On the Home Front": Trio of films includes "Conscience and the Constitution," about a handful of Americans who refused to be drafted from an American concentration camp until the government restored their rights as U.S. citizens and released their families; "Words, Weavings and Songs," about three teenage girls sent to internment camps in remote parts of the country in 1942; and "Toyo Miyatake: Infinite Shades of Gray," about Los Angeles' Little Tokyo's foremost studio photographer. He was the first to capture life behind the barbed wire of American internment camps with a makeshift camera made of scrap wood. Screens at 4:30 p.m. today and Tuesday and 7 p.m. tomorrow.
>> "Beyond Barbed Wire": Celebrating the human sacrifice and courage of Japanese-American soldiers in World War II, this film tells the stories of the U.S. Army's 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regiment. While they fought, their families lived behind barbed wire. Veterans break their silence with moving tales of heroism and prejudice. Screens at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday and 7 p.m. Wednesday.
>> "Uncommon Courage": This film examines the motives and actions of Japanese-American soldiers who had faith in their future in America and the desire to prove themselves in the defense of their country. Screens at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and 4:30 p.m. Thursday.
>> "The Color of Honor": Loni Ding's film captures the complex variety of responses of Japanese-American men during World War II, some of whom wanted to prove they were loyal Americans, even though their own families were imprisoned by the government. Screens at 7 p.m. Tuesday and 9:30 p.m. Thursday.
>> "Rabbit in the Moon": Not all Japanese Americans endured their World War II internment with quiet stoicism or welcomed the chance to prove their patriotism by serving the very government that was holding their families captive. Director Emiko Omori's film uncovers a more complex, turbulent and intimate story of political tensions, social and generational divisions, and resistance and collaboration in the camps. Screens at 7 p.m. today and 4:30 p.m. tomorrow.
Tickets are $5.25 before 6 p.m. and all day Tuesday, $7.75 for evening shows.
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