I was gripped by this film throughout, although the first 10 minutes contained the standard overdone emphasis about internment camps and racism but after that it delivered a very thoughtful and heart wrenching history of the Pacific WWII campaign. This was a very down to earth and boots on the ground documentary from both sides of the war and done with a grace and quality to be appreciated. My thanks to the filmmakers for this effort. Highly recommended.
4 Reviews
An Overview of the Pacific Theater ... not WW2
chrissso23 June 2015
Warning: Spoilers
When Spielberg puts his name on something
it is going to be well done. That is the case here
this is a well-produced
well written documentary. Being nicely produced is essential when you consider the audience this doc is trying to reach (post baby boomers who would have trouble naming the principal combatants of WW2). My point is
for those who have a solid understanding of the events surrounding WW2 there is nothing new here
we have seen it all before.
The doc albeit well done is a 90 minute overview of WW2 which ain't much when you consider that WW2 last close to a decade and cost up to 100 million lives and came within a few bucks of bankrupting our country. More so the doc focuses on the pacific theater and ignores the events in Europe and China (that is a serious failure if you are looking for a WW2 overview). Finally the doc makes a very strong effort to explore from all perspectives the use of the atomic bomb on Japan (something I do not disagree with).
For me the 90 minutes spent watching this was fruitless yet there are millions who would learn much by watching it. If I were a history teacher I would make sure my students saw it!
The doc albeit well done is a 90 minute overview of WW2 which ain't much when you consider that WW2 last close to a decade and cost up to 100 million lives and came within a few bucks of bankrupting our country. More so the doc focuses on the pacific theater and ignores the events in Europe and China (that is a serious failure if you are looking for a WW2 overview). Finally the doc makes a very strong effort to explore from all perspectives the use of the atomic bomb on Japan (something I do not disagree with).
For me the 90 minutes spent watching this was fruitless yet there are millions who would learn much by watching it. If I were a history teacher I would make sure my students saw it!
Price for Peace review by: Brian Reid
isetmyfreindsonfire-989-6551211 March 2011
Price for Peace is an incredibly accurate documentary on the fight between America and Japan during World War II. The movie features commentary from the actual surviving soldiers from both the American and Japanese forces. The film includes each sides personal feelings about World War II thorough the different stages beginning with the Attack on Pearl Harbor all the way up to Americas occupation of Japan and even looking back which becomes its own debate on whether the Americans should have dropped the Atomic bomb to end the war at all. While most of the movie is war based the determination of the American citizens to win the war is also shown through vivid pictures and videos taken at the time. By not only showing what was happening on the battlefield Price for Peace really captures what America as a country went through during World War II in order for there to be peace in the future. The different strategies used during the war are also well documented through multiple interviews and rare footage of different war strategies like Island hopping, Kamikazes, Japanese night attacks, and even the dropping of the atomic bomb are thoroughly explained from both a Japanese and American perspective. Through these interviews the real terrifying nature of war itself is brought out. The videos shown that were taken during the war of the American soldiers in battle and the different interviews that were taken for the movie are the two elements of Price for Peace that make it such a good documentary. The videos shown directly relate to what each interviewer is talking about so that the audience can better understand how fighting in the war felt for both the American and Japanese soldiers. The way each interviewers view of the war is different with some people strongly agreeing and others strongly disagreeing about the decisions made during the war transforms the film from a seemingly one sided patriotic American war documentary into a well rounded film that allows its viewers to ask themselves if the American intentions where plausible given the events taking place compared to that of the Japanese and whether the atomic bomb should have been dropped on Japan or not. From an educational standpoint I enjoyed Price for Peace because I was able to see the actual videos of the events I have learned about in school like the Japanese Kamikaze plains flying into American warships. As for most of the information I was already familiar with but because of the many interviews especially from the Japanese survivors I was given a better feel of what fighting in the war would have been like. Overall Price for Peace is an amazing documentary that highlights the troubles millions of soldiers went through during the war for their country and reminds us why we are so proud to be American.
Fascinating, Informative, Horrifying And Utterly Heartbreaking!
silicontourist28 July 2021
Though I have been an anti war believer since I was 11-12 years old, I have always made it a point to watch as many war documentaries (especially ones that include combat veterans) as I can. If you are going to be an objector to Wars of any kind you need to be knowledgeable of all its negativity.
It starts with, of what in war/peace time I have always thought, the most cowardly, disgraceful mass murder of those caught in the bombings of/at Pearl Harbour in 1941; it was interesting (and pleasing) to find that one of the veteran Japanese soldiers more or less said the exact same thing. Considering that the Japanese Bushido Samurai culture has always made a huge thing of being highly honourable, there must have been many Japanese who were dishonoured by the cowardly and thoroughly, dishonourable attack on that infamous day. Not all Japanese agreed with the war; just as not all Germans were Nazi's and wanted war!
It then carries on to tell the heartbreak of the events that happened from island to island, and with graphic images of the dead of both sides. By the end of the program I was in tears (yet I have watched a lot of war in the pacific documentaries during my life that were less graphic). You will feel for both American and Japanese soldiers who had to go through that hell!
It may interest some of you to know of something that is never ever told, but, Japanese men never had a choice of not going to war. If they refused at that time of the 20th century they would have suffered death (and possibly their families too). The hierarchy of the Japanese Samurai way of thinking still existed in the minds of the old men of the ruling class; even though the era of the Samurai's had long ago ended in 1877 with the Satsuma Samurai rebellion.
The documentary ends with (what I also think was one of the most heinous acts of mass murder of innocents) with the dropping of 2 atomic bombs. The arrogant US Military top brass and the untrustworthy politicians deemed that it was a necessary act to save a possible 1,000,000 American lives. I personally have never ever believed that statement due to all the knowledge that I have acquired, over the years, on the atomic bomb development and the bullying by the top brass of those working on it and the corrupt politics of the time!.
I came away with very sad thoughts from this documentary.....
1). My disgust that the Captain of the Enola Gay (a man I have never liked) had no regrets of what he did, and was a complete war mongering heartless fool.
2). One of the American veterans still held bad feelings towards Japan/Japanese and his bitterness was plain to see in his interview (yet all the Japanese veterans were regretful, apologetic and truly sorry...there were tears from both US & Japan veterans).
3). Its extremely saddening to realize that all those brave men, on both sides, died for the greed of powerful ruling classes - America included - and, that the same type of men/women ruling in America today have completely forgotten/ignored what should have been the lessons of war. They have been the cause of over 60 intrusions into the politics of other countries, and because so many of them have cost the lives of too many American military members and those of allied countries whose leaders were too afraid not to or just stupid enough to fight with America and its scheming power mongers.
A documentary that should be part of all school history lessons!
It starts with, of what in war/peace time I have always thought, the most cowardly, disgraceful mass murder of those caught in the bombings of/at Pearl Harbour in 1941; it was interesting (and pleasing) to find that one of the veteran Japanese soldiers more or less said the exact same thing. Considering that the Japanese Bushido Samurai culture has always made a huge thing of being highly honourable, there must have been many Japanese who were dishonoured by the cowardly and thoroughly, dishonourable attack on that infamous day. Not all Japanese agreed with the war; just as not all Germans were Nazi's and wanted war!
It then carries on to tell the heartbreak of the events that happened from island to island, and with graphic images of the dead of both sides. By the end of the program I was in tears (yet I have watched a lot of war in the pacific documentaries during my life that were less graphic). You will feel for both American and Japanese soldiers who had to go through that hell!
It may interest some of you to know of something that is never ever told, but, Japanese men never had a choice of not going to war. If they refused at that time of the 20th century they would have suffered death (and possibly their families too). The hierarchy of the Japanese Samurai way of thinking still existed in the minds of the old men of the ruling class; even though the era of the Samurai's had long ago ended in 1877 with the Satsuma Samurai rebellion.
The documentary ends with (what I also think was one of the most heinous acts of mass murder of innocents) with the dropping of 2 atomic bombs. The arrogant US Military top brass and the untrustworthy politicians deemed that it was a necessary act to save a possible 1,000,000 American lives. I personally have never ever believed that statement due to all the knowledge that I have acquired, over the years, on the atomic bomb development and the bullying by the top brass of those working on it and the corrupt politics of the time!.
I came away with very sad thoughts from this documentary.....
1). My disgust that the Captain of the Enola Gay (a man I have never liked) had no regrets of what he did, and was a complete war mongering heartless fool.
2). One of the American veterans still held bad feelings towards Japan/Japanese and his bitterness was plain to see in his interview (yet all the Japanese veterans were regretful, apologetic and truly sorry...there were tears from both US & Japan veterans).
3). Its extremely saddening to realize that all those brave men, on both sides, died for the greed of powerful ruling classes - America included - and, that the same type of men/women ruling in America today have completely forgotten/ignored what should have been the lessons of war. They have been the cause of over 60 intrusions into the politics of other countries, and because so many of them have cost the lives of too many American military members and those of allied countries whose leaders were too afraid not to or just stupid enough to fight with America and its scheming power mongers.
A documentary that should be part of all school history lessons!
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