Customer Reviews

Macarthur's Children [VHS]

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MacArthur's Children is the story of Japan in the first weeks and months after the end of World War II. We see what the effects of the war have been on school children in one small area of Japan. We see what the effects have been on adults as well. We see how the returning soldiers are received. We see them in the uniforms they left the army in, sometimes in rags and minus an arm or leg. We also see survivors, civilian and military try to rebuild their lives. War time hoarding and profiteering from the end of the war are shown.

War crimes comes into the mix when a former navy officer is tried for shooting survivors in the water after he sank their ship. He has a young daughter who is a principle charecter in the film. At times, the film revolves her. She has a civilizing effect on some of the rowdier boys in her class.

The American presence is benign. A small group of US soldiers arrive to destroy weapons left over from the war. The officer tries to keep the peace between the soldiers and the locals by having his soldiers learn the basics of Japanese courtesy; ie, no shoes in the house, etc. and then suggests a baseball game to bring the town and soldiers closer together.

I think this is a good attempt to deal with complex issues coming of out World War II. It is not a box office smash but I think it will be good for home video libraries. I think this is a good movie for teenagers and adults.