This won't answer the question specifically, but Kurosawa's "The Most Beautiful" might be worth taking a look at. It takes place in an optical plant during WW2, and does depict a little bit of the war during the climax, if I recall correctly.
<br>It's been a long time since I've read his own autobiography or Stephen Prince's book (I've never seen the film itself), but it's essentially a propaganda piece that he was, I think, forced to make during the war against his will (it was made in '44).
<br>Hope that helps, even though it doesn't really address the central issue of the question. <br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 4/6/07, <b class="gmail_sendername">Bruce Baird</b> <<a href="mailto:baird@asianlan.umass.edu">
baird@asianlan.umass.edu</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><div style="">Dear Colleagues,<div><br></div><div>
This is a rudimentary question from a colleague (Steve Forrest--not usually a KineJapan type) of mine here at UMass, but I thought that one of you might know off the top of your head or already have a previously typed file stored in your hard drive and thus could help out faster than I can.
</div><div><br></div><div>Best,</div><div><br></div><div>Bruce</div><div><br></div><div>PS. No need to trouble yourself with responding directly to Steve. If you just hit reply and respond to me or the list, I can forward replies on to him
<br><div><br><div>Begin forwarded message:</div><br><blockquote type="cite"><div style="margin: 0px;"><font style="font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" color="#000000" face="Helvetica" size="3">
<b>From: </b></font><font style="font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;" face="Helvetica" size="3">
Stephen Forrest <<a href="mailto:sforrest@asianlan.umass.edu" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">sforrest@asianlan.umass.edu</a>></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><font style="font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" color="#000000" face="Helvetica" size="3">
<b>Date: </b></font><font style="font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;" face="Helvetica" size="3">
April 6, 2007 2:04:37 PM EDT</font></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><font style="font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" color="#000000" face="Helvetica" size="3">
<b>To: </b></font><font style="font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;" face="Helvetica" size="3">
Bruce Baird <<a href="mailto:baird@asianlan.umass.edu" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">baird@asianlan.umass.edu</a>></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><font style="font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" color="#000000" face="Helvetica" size="3">
<b>Subject: </b></font><font style="font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;" face="Helvetica" size="3">
<b>Movie history question</b></font></div><div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br></div> <div><br></div><div>Hi Bruce,</div><div><br></div><div>I'm wondering if know, or could look up (or suggest a good source for looking up), the earliest Japanese movies that depict WWII actions and events. Between the end of the war and 1970 Tora! x3 is the period I'm interested in, as of course there are all those victor's movies. Any thoughts?
</div><div><br></div><div>Cheers,</div><div><br></div><div><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Steve</div><br><div> <span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Times"><span style="font-family: Times;">______________________________________________________________</span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; font-family: Times;">
<br style="font-family: Times;"></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Times"><span style="font-family: Times;">Stephen M. FORREST,</span></font><font face="Times"><span style="font-family: Times;"> </span></font><font face="Times">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Ph. D.</span></font><font face="Times"><span style="font-family: Times;"> </span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Times"><span style="font-family: Times;">Exchange Program Director (Japan) and Assistant Undergraduate Advisor
</span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Times"><span style="font-family: Times;">Japanese Language and Literature</span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Times"><span style="font-family: Times;">
Dept. of Languages, Literatures and Cultures</span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Times"><span style="font-family: Times;">University of Massachusetts Amherst</span></font><font face="Times"><span style="font-family: Times;">
</span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; font-family: Times;"><br style="font-family: Times;"></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Times"><i style="font-family: Times; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-style: italic;">
office</span></i></font><font face="Times"><span style="font-family: Times;">: Herter Hall 441</span></font><font face="Times"><span style="font-family: Times;"> </span></font><font face="Times"><i style="font-family: Times; font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-style: italic;">phone</span></i></font><font face="Times"><span style="font-family: Times;">: (413) 545-4950</span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; font-family: Times;">
<br style="font-family: Times;"></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Times"><span style="font-family: Times;"> </span></font><font face="Times"><span style="font-family: Times;">* Classical and Manuscript Japanese at UMass Amherst *
</span></font></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Times"><span style="font-family: Times;">______________________________________________________________</span></font></div><br></span> </div><br></blockquote></div>
<br><div> <span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Helvetica"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Bruce Baird</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Helvetica"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Assistant Professor</span>
</font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Helvetica"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Asian Languages and Literatures</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Helvetica"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">
University of Massachusetts Amherst</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Helvetica"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">But</span></font><font face="Helvetica"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">ô</span>
</font><font face="Helvetica"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">, Japanese Theater, Intellectual History</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; font-family: Helvetica;"><br style="font-family: Helvetica;">
</p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Helvetica"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">7</span></font><font face="Helvetica"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">17 Herter Hall</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;">
<font face="Helvetica"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">161 Presidents Drive</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Helvetica"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">University of Massachusetts Amherst</span>
</font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Helvetica"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Amherst, MA 01003-9312</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Helvetica"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">
Phone: 413-577-4992</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;">Fax: 413-545-4975<font face="Helvetica"></font></p><p style="margin: 0px;"><font face="Helvetica"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="mailto:baird@asianlan.umass.edu" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">
baird@asianlan.umass.edu</a></span></font></p><div><br></div><div><br></div><br></span> </div><br></div></div></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>-rob<br><a href="http://www.robixsmash.com/">http://www.robixsmash.com/
</a>