War Film: MY Way

[pneuby]

Did you know that when the Allies landed at Normandy, they captured a Korean in a German uniform? That fact was behind the making of this Korean movie. While filmed in that language, the RedBox copy I grabbed thoughtfully had a complete English track, along with English subtitles. I'd say that within the first 15mins, I was so engrossed by the story, I didn't find the voice-overs a distraction at all.

I'm not going out on a limb here at all. This film was as poignant, with as much of an impact on me...well, darned near as much, as Saving Private Ryan. There was no expense spared, in either cinematography, nor special effects. An epic film that you'd easily feel could've been filmed by Spielberg, Kubrick, or Scorcese.

Seriously recommended.

[MrMurphy]

Actually there was a group of them.

Nobody could understand them, they finally figured it out using intel officers.


Korea was a Japanese 'protectorate' from 1910-1945 and a lot of Koreans died in WW2 working as Japanese slave labor on the islands.

Lot of people don't know but in 1939 the Japanese and Russians fought a series of major battles on the Chinese border (look up Khalkin Ghol), which is why Japan never went west from China and Russia was content to leave that border secure (the Russians won, handily, and most of the commanders in those battles later ran the Red Army after the purges).


The Koreans had been with the Japanese army, captured by the Russians. Becoming Russian prisoners (basically a slow death sentence) when Germany invaded, they were either given the option to fight the Germans or possibly captured by the Germans.

Germans eventually offered the same option (they had entire units of former Ukrainians and Russians fighting the communists) and the Koreans ended up manning the Normandy defenses. Not because they particularly wanted to fight anyone but because starvation or execution was the other option.

That little batch of guys, whoever they were, managed to fight for all sides of the war in one war (Axis- Japan and Germany, Allied-Russia) before finally being treated correctly by the US when captured.

I am part Korean, so I've heard of this before.

[pneuby]

That is exactly the storyline followed in the film. You nailed it.

[Ysabel Kid]

Sounds like a cool movie. Thanks for the recommendation!

[Ji in Hawaii]

I saw this movie several months ago (LOVE Korean movies), and thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought it reflected the horrors of war accurately. It also showed how terribly the Japanese treated the Koreans whom they were ruling over at the time. What I appreciate about the movie was the great acting by all but especially the Japanese actors who were not afraid to really play the "bad guys" so well. I like seeing this since the Japanese government has been SO lame about fessing up to occupation and war time atrocities real Japanese actors playing the parts are doing it and opening eyes. Two other movies I highly recommend are "Ip Man", and "The Flowers of War". Both are so amazing.

[MrMurphy]

As a half Korean who hasn't been there in 33 years, doesn't speak the language and hates spicy food, my opinions on some Koreans may seem kind of harsh. Asians as a rule are racist as hell, and as a halfbreed i basically don't exist to some of them. I've had them talk right past me.

Not as bad these days as it was in the past, but I can tell you that one of the quicker ways to get dead is to call any Korean born 1900-1990 or so a Jap.

Some of the younger kids may not be as bad about it, but..... the rest? Oh yes. They don't forget. Don't ask about family histories either.

A lot of rapes happened over that 35 years or so. They don't discuss it. Same with how some family members died.

[gak]

This looks good - thanks for posting it. Does look like a must see. Re Korean--esp war--films, there's also Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (2004), about two brothers separated and conscripted as soldiers to the different sides of the Korean War.

[damienph]

I have an old neighbor, now in a nursing home, that is a couple of years older than my Dad (a WW2 vet) would be. A few years ago, we were talking and I told him that my Dad had been in Japan right at the end of the war and was there during the occupation and was a guard during part of the war crimes trials in Tokyo. He told me that he had been in Korea. I thought that he meant Korean War but he told me that no, he was in Korea as part of the occupation. I never had heard that we had troops occupying Korea after WW2.

[Ji in Hawaii]

From 1905 to 1945 Korea was annexed and occupied by Japan as a colony. At the end of the war there were over 300,000 Japanese troops still in Japan. Transition from occupation to freedom for (South) Korea took some time including getting all those Japanese troops back to Japan.

[Ji in Hawaii]

As a half Korean who hasn't been there in 33 years, doesn't speak the language and hates spicy food, my opinions on some Koreans may seem kind of harsh. Asians as a rule are racist as hell, and as a halfbreed i basically don't exist to some of them. I've had them talk right past me.

WOW. Very different experience for me in my youth growing up in post war Japan as a halfbreed. I don't recall any prejudice from the populace in general, and my Japanese mom coming from a family of 13 kids we had tons of cousins and aunts and uncles, and me and my 4 siblings were always treated like any of the other kids. My Anglo dad was the favorite son-in-law to mom's parents. I didn't know I was different from any of the other kids while living in Japan. I didn't experience any prejudice until after my family moved stateside to Hawai'i when I was 6.5 years old (dad transferred), and not until I entered middle school, and never from Japanese. Even today if I start conversing in Japanese with Japanese tourist they are always amazed and happy to talk.
I LOVE Korean food so I frequent a couple Korean stores, and the staff who are from the old country are as a rule very cold and borderline rude to me or any other non-Koreans. When I want assistance I usually approach the Filipino employees who are much more cordial. I find Chinese from the old country also very abrupt and cold as a rule. I think it's a cultural thing Japan now being more international and cosmopolitan.
I have never returned to Japan in over 46 years but deal with Japanese nationals pretty regularly my hometown it being a popular destination for these tourists.

[MrMurphy]

My experiences are from the US only, my time in Korea I was too young to remember.

But i've had pretty harsh dealings with Asians in general, about 50% growing up in CA.

Most didn't give a stuff to be honest and treated me like anyone. But that 40-50% with the comments, treating me like a lamppost, etc.....

You don't forget.


Even right up til the mid 90s. I had a kid, in my senior year of high school as a sophomore. Little short guy (I'm 5'9, he was about 5'5) out of the blue (recognized him but did not know him) walk right up to me and state "You're not really Korean". Since I never really considered myself to be nor cared, I didn't care less.

My best friend, Ethiopian (born and raised till 3 years previously) had him pinned by the throat against the wall about an inch off the ground and was quite literally about to kill him for what (to him) was a mortal insult before I told him to let it go.

That's just one of many, many examples.

Some remember the war's over. Some don't. Another guy I grew up with is half Japanese, half American (Russian descent). Looks obviousy Asian featured but 6'3" and brown haired. Also speaks Japanese fluently and is a multi-degree black belt with national level wins in competition (he was a stunt double in a couple movies). He was on a train in Tokyo and for about 20 minutes of the ride everyone around him (assuming he didn't speak Japanese) was basically talking stuff about him while smiling and laughing. Insulting his heritage, parents, size, probable reproductive equipment length, everything.

At his stop, he moved to get off and said something (no idea what, but beyond the 'where's the bathroom" level of survival Japanese) in very fluent Japanese....... they all just went O_O.

[pneuby]

.... everyone around him (assuming he didn't speak Japanese) was basically talking stuff about him ...
At his stop, he moved to get off and said something (no idea what, but beyond the 'where's the bathroom" level of survival Japanese) in very fluent Japanese....... they all just went O_

Man, to have been a fly on the wall of that traincar...

My old partner was a stumpy guy who looked for all the world Italian, but actually half-Greek and Half-Puerto Rican. Could speak Spanish w/o issue, but none of the Latinos in the community would know that. He would let them ramble on, giving themselves just enough rope...then he'd grab it in Spanish and get their utmost attention, LOL.

[Ji in Hawaii]

Some remember the war's over. Some don't. Another guy I grew up with is half Japanese, half American (Russian descent). Looks obviousy Asian featured but 6'3" and brown haired. Also speaks Japanese fluently and is a multi-degree black belt with national level wins in competition (he was a stunt double in a couple movies). He was on a train in Tokyo and for about 20 minutes of the ride everyone around him (assuming he didn't speak Japanese) was basically talking stuff about him while smiling and laughing. Insulting his heritage, parents, size, probable reproductive equipment length, everything.

At his stop, he moved to get off and said something (no idea what, but beyond the 'where's the bathroom" level of survival Japanese) in very fluent Japanese....... they all just went O_O.

My son won a scholarship to Konan University in Kobe, Japan and studied there for a year back in 2004. He lived in Osaka so had to commute to school via train. He's 5'11" so he towered over the average Japanese person on the train. He said they were intimidated by his size and different looks but still they were quite cordial and polite. Kansai (Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, etc.) people are known to be much more relaxed, fun loving, and down to Earth than the uptight, stuffed shirt, rude Kanto (Tokyo, Yokohama, Chiba, etc.) people so that may have contributed to his positive experience in present day Japan.

Funny story. My sis who is fluent in Japanese as well as Korean, French English, Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, and German worked in a tourist oriented store in Paris. She was helping a Japanese customer at the counter when this Korean tourist basically just cut right in and started asking sis in Korean for assistance which my sis understood. When the Korean customer finished and turned and started walking away the Japanese customer said to my sis in Japanese "those Koreans are always so rude and unmannered aren't they?". Surprise! This Korean women being older (raised during occupation) understood Japanese perfectly and turned around in anger and yelled at the Japanese lady in Japanese "what did you just say?!?! Boy that started a tussle that almost turned into a riot in the store Japanese versus Koreans (seniors). Sis had to break it up. Pretty funny the way she told it after the fact.

[2571]

I'm not Asian, but been there, been done that. That racial intolerance stuff can really make you bitter. The older I get, the more I overlook past treatment & embrace the teaching of my religious faith and its admonitons to turn athe other cheek.

In so much as I can, I apologize to anyone who has experienced racial discrimination. I'm glad we live in the USA where such disparfate treatment is disfavored.

BTW, cousin told me some old vet treated him rudely recently. Thought cousin was Japanese instead of Amerindian. Cousin just laughed and thanked oldster for his military service.

[C. Cash]

Interesting thread fellas.....thank you for the insight into these things.

[MrMurphy]

I was once racially insulted by a black man from Mississipi while we were both cadets (Army ROTC).

You'd figure he'd know better.

What made it worse was the fact he couldn't even get the country right, and the guy from the right country was right there with us.

I said some things back, which didn't make it any better, but I was younger, and a lot angrier then.

[Griff]

I was once racially insulted by a black man from Mississipi while we were both cadets (Army ROTC).
You'd figure he'd know better.
What made it worse was the fact he couldn't even get the country right, and the guy from the right country was right there with us.
I said some things back, which didn't make it any better, but I was younger, and a lot angrier then.

Some of what I did when I was younger, I'm ashamed to admit now. But, being a long-haired hippie taught me some important lessons about stereotypes. And the vast difference between prejudice and bigotry. One's almost unavoidable, the other's deplorable.

[Charles]

Racism and racial animas is common in all cultures and all peoples. Everybody seems to have an ax to grind with somebody from a different culture.

I grew up and continue to live on the Texas/Mexico border. The racial animas toward the measly 3% of us who are anglos is rampant. I am not certain that most of the "Mexcans" are aware of it when they are doing it. It is just desolved in their culture like salt in the sea.

Yep, I speak fluent Spanish and have had some interesting times with that. When you are an obvious gringo, folks talk like you are not even there. Had an episode two days ago, standing in line at the courthouse to pay my property taxes.

Most often when I leave the house and am in the community I speak Spanish just to avoid the hastle, but it does gall me to be required to speak Spanish in my own country just to get things done and be treated with respect in the process.

I try very hard not to dish out to others what I get from some people. Somebody has to be the grownup in he room.