American Pastime

American history has some dark moments. The internment camps involving 10,000 or so Japanese-Americans is one of these dark moments. As a teacher, most of what I have encountered on the subject is bleak documentary, and I had to really press myself to check out this DVD from the library. I am so glad I did. This movie honors those who suffered the indignities of wrongful paranoid prejudice. Harsh words, but in retrospect that's what it came down to. The director put together a movie that follows two families and their experiences during their internment time at Topaz, located in Utah. One family is Japanese-American, and the other is the point of view of the white "all American" family, the father, one of the soldiers based at the camp. The movie is all about dignity, doing what is right, and letting go of the wrongs. The centerpiece of using baseball, the American Pastime, adds the lighter moments to the movie. Overall, the movie is well-done, well-acted, and delivers illuminating historical information. I truly had no idea that so many Japanese-Americans willingly joined the service during WWII. The special features mini-doc is a must see. A family movie, although there is some language, it is recommended viewing.

When I saw the movie "American Pastime", there was a Q and A afterward. This film is a compilation of many of the experiences that friends and relatives of the screen writer had during the Japanese internment camps of WWII. The producer and director stated that the entire film was filmed in Utah, near where one of the internment camps had been, so the actors could feel and understand even the weather, sand, and restrictive situations that happened.

Inspite of the seriousness of the situation, the viewer will laugh, think, and cry as they watch this film. The baseball scenes were fun, but one knows it was a bit over the top. That didn't hurt the film though. During the Q and A, we were told that baseball really was a big part of life at internment camps.

The actors were sincere. I only hope that because this film is a small budget film, that it does not get lost in the shuffle. I think it was one of the best films I have seen this year, and I go to the movies a lot..It is a sure thing.

This film premiered Sunday at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. While there have been a number of excellent documentaries on this subject, this is the first commercial film I have seen which has the potential for such broad appeal with American audiences. The director has assembled a wonderful cast of actors--both veterans and new, young actors. Gary Cole gives a subtle, but authentic performance as the military supervisor of the camp. Excellent supporting roles by Seth Sakai,Sarah Drew,Judy Ongg and Susanna Thompson add to the vitality of this ensemble. Newcomers Aaron Yoo and Leonardo Nam as the Namuro brothers are impressive. Not enough good things can be said about the Japanese veteran actor, Masatoshi Nakamura, who plays the father of the Namuro family. It is a dynamic performance and his character is the strength of this story. Shot on location in Utah, the film delivers a hard look at the Topaz internment camp and the realities of the daily lives of the interns and their captors. The mixture of period archival footage frames the story for the audience whose knowledge of the subject is minimal. Using baseball and jazz as a narrative device, this is a film the children and grandchildren of the World War II generation need to see.

I loved this movie. The movie was much different then you would think it would be. the movie is about WW2 Japenese-Amereican Interns and how they coped with their internment. I was lucky enough to be there when the producer and the writer of the book "Through Diamond" who helped with the research and the making of this movie. they answered many questions about the movie. they made it more clear even though it was already a very clear movie. everything about this movie was great. The acting, the cinematography, and the construction of the interment camp(they found the actual blueprints of the internment camp). I would recommend everyone to see it or go buy the DVD when it goes on the market.

This film is made to inspire by showing the dignity of man, but as I contemplate it after viewing, I become more and more depressed that cruelty toward ethnic groups here in the United States has abated little during my lifetime.

It is the story of Americans of Japanese decent who were put in relocation (prison) camps during World War II. One of the young men forced into the camp was an excellent baseball player who was getting ready to go off to college on a full athletic scholarship. His other love was jazz at which he was also very good. Baseball and jazz - American to the core. The young man - American to the core - treated as less than a citizen because of his heritage.

The conditions in the camp are not depicted in a way that shows how harsh they actually were, however the eye-opening events (for younger viewers) and reminders of how things were (for viewers of my age) are the scenes of unabashed prejudice by the townspeople and the military against the members of the camp. Those of us who have lived through the 40's and 50's know that those times were anything but politically correct.

It has always been a mystery to me that we call our country "The Great Melting Pot," and yet we abhor the individual ingredients that go into the pot. As I write this review, my three-year-old grand-nephew is visiting. I wonder if his United States will be the one steeped in hatred and fear of minority groups as is mine. I fear so. Human nature is not prone to change.

As I said, American Pastime is made to celebrate the dignity of man, and it certainly does a good job of it. It is a good movie that gives you a good feeling if you can manage to put aside the underlying and continuing darker side of we humans.