American Pastime

I saw "American Pastime" on Saturday, and my only disappointment with the evening, was the meager size of the audience. There were only a handful of people in the theater. This film deserves a wide audience, hence my score and this high and enthusiastic endorsement.

I consider myself somewhat knowledgeable about the Japanese-American internment during WWII. My father and uncle were imprisoned at Mathausen in the European side of WWII. Despite my previous exposure and direct family experience, this film was still a revelation. My previous knowledge of the Japanese-American WWII experience was based mostly on plays, documentaries, and reading. Watching documentaries, particularly with interviews of camp survivors, is always very moving and heartrending. Although a dramatic fictionalized film, seeing the daily indignities and humiliations endured by the Japanese-Americans gave me even a deeper understanding of their experience.

Let anyone reading this conclude that the film is a "downer," rest assured that despite the subject matter, it is ultimately a life-affirming, spiritually uplifting film, and ironically, entertaining. The director and screenwriter have created a compelling story, which illuminates an egregious breach of justice in US history. Yet the story is very engaging, as are the talented cast of characters. The screenplay is evenhanded and compassionate, including the point of view of the guards and townspeople near the camp. Go see it. You will learn something, while being uplifted and entertained.

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 is a poignant drama that depicts the dichotomized perspectives of U.S. citizens during World War II. Although heritage and physical attributes divide two groups of people, common interests (jazz music, baseball, and truth) bond them together. American Pastime also delves into the inner relations of two families caught on opposite sides of the fence and the upheaval of their respective traditional values.

When one resembles the face of an enemy, it leads to fear. Fear then leads to prejudice; then prejudice to discrimination. Could it be possible for love and truth to triumph over a chasm created by war?

Commendable acting by all the cast--there is also a touching performance by Sarah Drew. The cinematography is outstanding. I highly recommend this movie.

In the sense of being an entertaining film, this movie does a fantastic job of captivating its audience with topics and themes relevant to them while portraying at least some aspect of the Japanese American incarceration. The film itself is quite intriguing and leaves viewers satisfied with a happy ending where the underdogs come out on top. However, from a historical and educational standpoint, this film is lacking in several areas. The biased portrayal of particular details of this historical memory only furthers the uninformed psyche of the general public about the true nature of these camps. The film feeds into the propaganda circulated since the beginning of these camps that life for the Japanese American people would work out in their favor, with little time given to the remembrance of the actual devastation these people underwent.

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.