Last updated on November 17, 2013
Emperor – I knew from the moment I heard about Emperor that, in some distant point in the future, I would need to see it. Political subject matter always intrigues me in film, especially if the dialogue holds up its end of the bargain. Emperor did not disappoint.
The premise: the United States finally made Japan surrender after dropping two nuclear bombs at the tail end of World War II. The peaceful occupation, led by the leader of the Pacific Theatre General Douglas MacArthur (played with great gusto, obvious ham, and melodrama by Tommy Lee Jones), must transition and rebuild Japan into a peaceful state. Furthermore, among a variety of complexities in this regard, he must determine the relative guilt/innocence of Emperor Hirohito in culpability for the start of the war itself. In either case, the Emperor will lose his status as deity from submitting to a foreign power, irrevocably changing Japan forever.
Since MacArthur is a busy man, he needs an outside council to make the decision while he deals with more important matters. Enter protege Bonner Fellers (played by Jack from Lost, or Matthew Fox if you bother to know his real name). According to the film, if not actual history, Fellers dated and romanced with a Japanese woman at some undetermined point in the past, and now wishes to know the fate of the woman he loved. As well, he’s probably the most qualified, in both language skills and a vague understanding of Japanese culture, to perform the investigation. Of course, as you might suspect, things are not quite as black and white as you might suspect. Unlike in Western cultures, there’s a distinctive community element even in the upper echelons of power, and determining the true war criminals will take time, effort, and cultural understanding to eke out.
In that sense, Tommy Lee Jones barely gets out of the gate in terms of his portrayal of the infamous MacArthur, as the true focus settles on Fellers’ relationship and slow reveal of the actual facts that occur therein. Honestly, I had less problem with this than you might suspect; MacArthur’s a legendary figure in the historical tales of World War II, a person of tall stature, swagger, and unbelievable pride in himself and his country. I’m pretty sure he’s the only general of the entire United States military to violate a President’s directives and find himself without a job as a result. Clearly, such a mythic figure cannot run a film, much as we would try to fit him into the role; there’s too much baggage in the American mythology to truly capture anything but something contrary to our national ideas.
Fellers, then, makes a good substitute for the protagonist role. If he tries the Emperor, a living God, this will place vulnerable Japan in a position to accept Soviet aid – MacArthur would never stand for that. Of course, the American public clamors for the death of Japan’s figurehead, as they wish to place the blame on the scapegoat. Thus, the true role of the “investigation” really comes down to discovering evidence that exonerates the Emperor and the imperial household (whether or not it’s true, let’s be honest).
Thankfully, Matthew Fox does a wonderful job with the role, simultaneously playing a tortured soul whose true love may/may not have died in the massive bombing campaigns in Japan, and also commands the screen as a brigadier-general who investigates with utter command and thoroughness. It’s a dual-personality performance in many ways, and the whole film actually tries to show the contrast between what’s on the surface of things (i.e., the Emperor started the war!) and what really lies underneath (i.e., Japanese militarists held a great deal of power even with the Emperor’s status). In other words, finding “evidence” in the traditional Western sense of culpability proves a difficult task for an American general interacting with Japanese leaders. Who’s to blame? Maybe everyone, maybe no one. What constitutes good evidence? These questions continually come to mind throughout.
There’s a few elements that make suspension of disbelief a little difficult. I’m sure a general would never get into a drunken fistfight, but this is a movie, so there you have it. Furthermore, the film rests on a love story meant to show the problems of two cultures intersecting with different notions of the highest values. One values community and absolute loyalty to the Emperor’s commands, the other independence and loyalty to abstract principles rather than gods. The contrast tends to work more often than not, even when it dips into horrible “Romeo and Juliet remake” territory at times. Matthew Fox never did these sorts of scenes well in Lost either, but he pulls through and delivers on the emotional payoff. It’s a good thing that it does, otherwise it wouldn’t work at all.
Some things, on the other hand, aren’t quite as effective. I totally understand the film making decisions on display here. For one, Bonner Fellers did not ever engage in a romantic relationship with a Japanese woman, let alone nearing the beginning of a war! I mean, that seems an insane decision for him to transfer to Japan in 1940 (at least what’s presented in the film), but maybe I’m just being too cynical. Second, the film focuses on a tiny, tiny period of the post-war rebuilding efforts. This explains why the romantic subplot emerged in the writer’s room as a bit of filler, but it works to the film’s benefit to deal with a small area of coverage. On the one hand, you’re missing a lot of the details (and even find blatant misrepresentation). On the other hand, at least the cultural clash demonstrates itself rather vigorously.
One unavoidable flaw exists in the whole. As with any historical movie, you already know what will happen in the end. The only tension the movie can create, really, comes from manufactured plots and drama onscreen, as they’ll be no surprises to see. Even on that level, I think Emperor’s worth your time. The recommendation from me depends on your ability to sacrifice historical accuracy for some emotional weight, along with much philosophical discussion about cultural divides. If this interests you in any way, please see this!
