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10 November , 2003
Going for
Broke Again -
This Time from
a JA Perspective
I'm embarrassed to admit that until a couple of months ago, I had never seen "Go for Broke!"
 A poster for the 1951 film |
The 1951 movie starring Van Johnson as a reluctant lieutenant assigned to a platoon of the 100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team, the all-Japanese American Army unit that fought in Europe during World War II, is a molestone in JA history. The group's slogan was "Go for Broke" and they fought that way even though many had been imprisoned and their families were still incarcerated in internment camps in the U.S. In fact the 100th/442nd still remains the most highly decorated unit of its size in the history of the American military.
But it wasn't until we bought a copy of a DVD at the Japanese American National Museum titled "Beyond Barbed Wire," a moving documentary about the men of the 100th/442nd, that I had the opportunity to finally see "Go for Broke." The movie was included in its entirety as one of the "extra features" on the DVD.
Although it was a Hollywood production, the film pretty accurately captured (thanks to writer/director Robert Pirosh) the predicament of these Nisei soldiers, and the dynamics that developed between the Hawaiian soldiers of the 100th Battalion and the mainland Nisei (the Hawaiians tended to be more devil-may-care because in that state, JAs weren't rounded up wholesale and imprisoned).
It also depicted how the Nisei soldiers faced prejudice, even from their commanding officer. During the course of the movie, Van Johnson's character learns that he shouldn't call his men "Japs" (a pretty progressive lesson, I'd say, for the early '50s) and by the end of the film he realizes that these men are good soldiers deserving of his respect.
 The DVD (also in VHS version) is available from JANM. |
The final battle in the movie is the famous rescue of the "Texas Lost Battalion" in the Vosges Forest of France, when the Nisei suffered 800 casualties to save 211 Texans (including the Van Johnson character, who had gotten himself transferred to be with his Texan buddies rather than lead a bunch of short Japanese).
That scene is the one long-forgotten acknowledgement of the bravery of JA soldiers fighting for the United States that has been made in American pop culture.
It's been up to JAs and other Asian Americans to keep alive the memory of such heroism.
But now one JA playwright/actor/director, Lane Nishikawa, is about to try and remind America with a feature film just about the rescue of the Lost Battalion, called "Only the Brave" and due out next year.
Although he's made his reputation primarily as a stage actor and playwright, Nishikawa is no stranger to Hollywood filmmaking, and "Only the Brave" is planned with nothing but the highest production values, and aimed for national releases beginning with film festivals. It's an independent film with a relatively small budget, but some big-time backers and support from Hollywood's power elite.
Nishikawa has earned his support through hard work.
The Hawaiian-born Nishikawa's most notably been the artistic director of the Asian American Theater Company in San Francisco, one of the premier outlets (and few) for APA playwrights and actors in the country.
 One of the eeriest scenes from "Forgotten Valor" |
But in the past few years, he's filmed the first two parts of a trilogy of films that will be crowned by "Only the Brave," beginning with "When We Were Warriors," an adaptation of a play he wrote, about the 50-year friendship between a Nisei soldier and the Jewish concentration camp survivor he freed at the end of WWII. The second film in the series was "Forgotten Valor," which was funded by the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program. The short film (a little over 40 minutes) is a beautifully written and directed gem about a Nisei veteran (played by Nishikawa) who disappears when it's announced that a group of 442nd vets' wartime medals will be upgraded to the Medal of Honor.
Post traumatic stress grips him even 50 years after the end of the war. The film, which was filmed mostly in and around Little Tokyo in Los Angeles on a small budget that belies the high quality of the production, follows the Korean commander (played by Soon-Tek Oh) who led the unit during the war, as he tracks down the veteran chasing the ghosts of his long-dead comrades.
"Only the Brave" will be a flashback of sorts from "Forgotten Valor," with the full budget and opportunity in the framework of a full-length feature for Nishikawa to introduce more characters and paint a fuller picture of the 100th/442nd and the rescue of the Lost Battalion - from a JA perspective, not just from Hollywood's perspective, no matter how enlightened and progressive "Go for Broke" may have been in its day.
The project has already been approved by Universal Studios' Independent Film program, which allows Nishikawa and his crew access to big-budget production services, on-site filming on the Universal back lots, and state-of-the-art post-production facilities. The project also already has access to state-of-the-art cameras for the shoot, at steeply discounted rates. They're set to begin filming in December or January in a couple of locations around LA.
 Lane Nishikawa |
But the filmmakers don't have everything they need to complete their project.
They still need to raise $250,000 towards the post-production costs to edit and finish the film for distribution by next summer.
To that end, the film's executive producer Nishikawa and his co-producers for "Only the Brave," Eric Hayashi and Jay Koiwai, have come up with a novel idea for funding an independent film: Working with the National Japanese American Historical Society, the filmmakers are asking the public to support the making of the film by donating any money they choose to, starting at $500, and be acknowledged in a "Valor Roll" that will be included with the credits to the film. For $1,500, donors can have a photograph of the veteran in their family included with the credit. Soon-Tek Oh, the Korean actor in "Forgotten Valor," was the first to donate when he gave back his paycheck to Nishikawa and told him to use it for the next film.
 Nishikawa in "Forgotten Valor." |
I applaud this idea because it makes the film truly one that's owned by the community while it has the realistic chance (based on Nishikawa's earlier work) to bring this story to mainstream Americans. I'm not the only one who likes the idea. The project has been endorsed by Sen. Daniel Inouye, Sen. Daniel Akaka, Congressman Bob Matsui, Congressman Mike Honda, the Japanese American National Museum, various 100th/442nd veterans' groups and many chapters of the Japanese American Citizens League.
It's time for us to support a project that could bring our history to life and help make it part of the American fabric. It's been a long time since "Go for Broke" - it's time to go for broke again.
Eric Hayashi and
co-producer Jay Koiwai are coming to Denver for a free screening of "Forgotten
Valor" on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 11am, followed by a presentation about
"Only the Brave." The event will be held at College Hill Westminster Public
Library, Room L107, 3705 W 112th Avenue (just east of 112th and Sheridan).
For more information about the project or to donate, you can contact the
National Japanese American Historical Society, 1684 Post St., San Francisco,
CA 94115-3604, 415-921-5007, http://njahs.org.