Sophie and the Rising Sun

Every Saturday, I check to see what is on television. 

There are various things to check. What will be the history lecture on C-SPAN? What will be the Hallmark Channel film at 8 P.M? What will be the comedy binge on Catchy TV? Also, what will be the two films (classic and recent indie) on PBS Channel 13?

The first film was not really a classic film except if you are looking for one from circa 1990. The Addams Family is a pleasant enough film and all. Still, the idea is to link up B&W-type films (or maybe from the 1950s or 1960s) with modern independents When they include a more recent film, feels like a cheat. 

Anyway, the second film (I caught it after that annoying Packers game) was based on a novel, Sophie and the Rising Sun. It is well made with an excellent cast, including old pros like Diane Ladd in supporting roles. It also adds a nice touch by having Diane Ladd's racist character (not atypical in South Carolina, circa 1941) take care of a seriously injured son, played by someone who was injured in the Middle East. 

The NYT review complimented the acting and cinematography while criticizing its "tepid" storyline. Yes. I do not know if I would use that adjective but there was a sense of predictability in all of this. I do think the slow, deliberate pace as a whole worked well. 

A seriously injured Asian man pops up. A widow accepts the responsibility of letting him staying her cabin. Her younger neighbor (middle-aged), an independent collector of crabs, slowly falls in love.  He's actually Japanese. This is 1941. So, you know, things will get problematic here.  Meanwhile, the widow has a new housekeeper (mostly silent but oh would you like to hear her interior monologues), who has her own story.

There are a lot of interesting things here, including some strong women characters. There is enough there for multiple films, probably, and you are left wanting to learn some more about them. The widow, for instance, was a nurse in World War I. The racist woman also is intriguing, including talk of a problematic father. The housekeeper also has stories to tell. 

The Chinaman (as people assume)/Japanese love interest also has stories to tell, including back home in California. A first-generation Japanese-American, he is firm in insisting on his status as an American. OTOH, his character is stereotypical, not given much of a chance to have much agency. Perhaps, this is somewhat acceptable, since this is a story about the women. Still, the whole plot has a predictable feel without enough surprise.

Oh well. Films, like life, are regularly flawed. I enjoyed the film as a whole since it had enough going for it to be an enjoyable late-night watch. Checking, Amazon reviews of the source novel included some annoyance that the book ended without sewing up loose ends. 

I was waiting for the tragic ending of the film. The couple does manage to get away together (the housekeeper helps, including in a dangerous way; she might be leaving soon). Then, the last shot has them together (apparently happy) in an internment camp! 

It is so quick that some might miss it, but that is clearly a camp. I actually am not aware of Japanese being required to go into camps on the East Coast. Some who lived in Latin America were put in camps. Checking, at least some people were confined on the East Coast, but they were not expelled by federal order. It's possible some fell between the cracks. Also, perhaps, after being beaten up, they felt it was the safest place. 

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The Psycho Boys by Beverly Driver Eddy is a short (the main book is around 160 pages) interesting account of men chosen for propaganda work because of their language skills. The book has a lot of pictures and personal accounts. There was a brief account of the story told in a book that the author behind Gidget (love those connections) helped write. 

They served as interrogators, "hog callers" (loudspeakers used to appeal to Germans to surrender), radio work, and newspapers/other propaganda. For instance, surrender bulletins were written up and put in artillery shells to be shot over to the enemy.  How big were these shells? The paper couldn't be THAT tiny! A lot of interesting details.

The interrogators were also involved in the liberation of concentration camps. The book includes some accounts here and it's hard even reading them. Erik Loomis, historian, over at the blog he writes for dropped one of his Old Man shaking a fist at cloud comments about not liking true crime. It wallows in people's misery. But, what does history do? 

The word "Holocaust" has an interesting backstory. While reading about events that took place during the times of the Hebrew Scriptures, you might see the word "holocaust." It is a word for a type of burnt offering. The connection here is apparent if somewhat ironic. The Germans are sacrificing the Jews but the event is far from a godly affair.