Hirohito movie

[Aaron Gerow]

The papers reported that the Russian director Alexandr Sokurov, who has 
made a number of films with Japanese connections, is preparing a film 
on the Emperor Hirohito in the last days of WWII up until his "human 
declaration." Called _The Sun_, the film is part of the director's 
series of works on dictators of the 20th century. Sokurov is not saying 
which Japanese actors will be participating. Here is an article on the 
film:

http://www.sptimesrussia.com/archive/times/959/features/a_12177.htm

The article, noting that "Japanese film makers have stayed away from 
depicting him on film," says that the movie will be "the first feature 
film devoted to Hirohito." But these statement are not quite true. 
While no films could be made with an actor playing Hirohito before and 
during the war, and while this taboo remained for some time, from the 
1960s on, a number of war films have had actors play Hirohito. In 
_Gekido no Showashi: Gunbatsu_ (1970), Hirohito, played by kabuki actor 
Nakamura Matagoro, is the lead character.

Aaron Gerow
Assistant Professor
Film Studies Program/East Asian Languages and Literatures
Yale University
53 Wall Street, Room 316
PO Box 208363
New Haven, CT 06520-8363
USA
Phone: 1-203-432-7082
Fax: 1-203-432-6764
e-mail: aaron.gerow at yale.edu