Appointment in Tokyo

Last updated
Appointment in Tokyo
Appointment in Tokyo FilmPoster.jpeg
Directed by Jack Hively
Screenplay byCapt. Jack Handley
Capt. Jesse Lasky Jr.
Produced by Office of War Information
Music by Sol Kaplan
Release date
  • 1945 (1945)
Running time
56 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Appointment in Tokyo is a 1945 documentary produced by the Army Pictorial Service, Signal Corps, with the cooperation of the Army Air Forces and the United States Navy, and released by Warner Bros. for the War Activities Committee shortly after the surrender of Japan. It mainly follows General Douglas MacArthur and his men from their exile from the Philippines in early 1942, through the signing of the instrument of surrender on USS Missouri on September 1, 1945. [1]

The film is notable for its discussion of the problems MacArthur face in Australia after the conquest of the Philippines, the American military's "hit 'em where they ain't" strategy through the Solomons and Papua New Guinea, and especially the footage from the reconquest of the Philippines, including of Battle of Leyte, the Battle of Manila, and the rescue of American and Filipino POWs from Japanese prison camps.

The New York Times reviewer Bosley Crowther felt that the action footage is of the "highest caliber," and the battle in Manila's streets is recounted in shots that are as vivid as any others in war photography. But Crowther continued that "to be quite frank about it, the cinematic structure of this film is inadequate to the vital subject and far inferior to that of previous war reports. Nor should the film, be regarded as a full review of the Pacific war." He objected that this material is "strangely grandiose with a 'melodramatic flavor.'" "Questionable, too," he went on, "from the point of straight reporting," is the "elaborate emphasis placed upon the personality of Gen. Douglas MacArthur," represented in no less than twenty-six shots. [2]

Appointment in Tokyo was preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2013. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas MacArthur</span> American military leader (1880–1964)

Douglas MacArthur was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s, and he played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. MacArthur was nominated for the Medal of Honor three times, and received it for his service in the Philippines campaign. This made him along with his father Arthur MacArthur Jr. the first father and son to be awarded the medal. He was one of only five men to rise to the rank of General of the Army in the U.S. Army, and the only one conferred the rank of field marshal in the Philippine Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Army Forces in the Far East</span> Military unit

United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) was a military formation of the United States Army active from 1941 to 1946. The new command's headquarters was created on 26 July 1941, at No. 1, Calle Victoria, Manila, Luzon, the Philippines, with General Douglas MacArthur as commander. The Chief of Staff was Brigadier General Richard K. Sutherland and the Deputy Chief of Staff was Lieutenant Colonel Richard J. Marshall. The core of this command was drawn from the Office of the Military Advisor to the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese Instrument of Surrender</span> 1945 agreement ending hostilities in WWII

The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the written agreement that formalized the surrender of the Empire of Japan, marking the end of hostilities in World War II. It was signed by representatives from the Empire of Japan and from the Allied nations: the United States of America, the Republic of China, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of Canada, the Provisional Government of the French Republic, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Dominion of New Zealand. The signing took place on the deck of USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masaharu Homma</span> Japanese officer, war criminal 1887-1946

Masaharu Homma was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Homma commanded the Japanese 14th Army, which invaded the Philippines and perpetrated the Bataan Death March. After the war, Homma was convicted of war crimes relating to the actions of troops under his direct command and executed by firing squad on April 3, 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomoyuki Yamashita</span> Japanese officer and war criminal (1885–1946)

Tomoyuki Yamashita was a Japanese officer and convicted war criminal, who was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Yamashita led Japanese forces during the invasion of Malaya and Battle of Singapore, with his accomplishment of conquering Malaya and Singapore in 70 days earning him the sobriquet "The Tiger of Malaya" and led to the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill calling the ignominious fall of Singapore to Japan the "worst disaster" and "largest capitulation" in British military history. Yamashita was assigned to defend the Philippines from the advancing Allied forces later in the war, and while unable to prevent the Allied advance, he was able to hold on to part of Luzon until after the formal Surrender of Japan in August 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Bataan</span> Intense phase of Imperial Japans invasion of the Philippines during World War II

The Battle of Bataan was fought by the United States and the Philippine Commonwealth against Japan during World War II. The battle represented the most intense phase of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines during World War II. In January 1942, forces of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy invaded Luzon along with several islands in the Philippine Archipelago after the bombing of the American naval base at Pearl Harbor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Luzon</span> 1945 World War II battle

The Battle of Luzon was a land battle of the Pacific Theater of Operations of World War II by the Allied forces of the U.S., its colony the Philippines, and allies against forces of the Empire of Japan. The battle resulted in a U.S. and Filipino victory. The Allies had taken control of all strategically and economically important locations of Luzon by March 1945, although pockets of Japanese resistance held out in the mountains until the unconditional surrender of Japan. While not the highest in U.S. casualties, it is the highest net casualty battle U.S. forces fought in World War II, with 192,000 to 217,000 Japanese combatants dead, 8,000 American combatants killed, and over 150,000 Filipinos, overwhelmingly civilians who were murdered by Japanese forces, mainly during the Manila massacre of February 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Manila (1945)</span> 1945 battle in the Pacific theatre of World War II

The Battle of Manila was a major battle of the Philippine campaign of 1944–45, during the Second World War. It was fought by forces from both the United States and the Philippines against Japanese troops in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. The month-long battle, which resulted in the death of over 100,000 civilians and the complete devastation of the city, was the scene of the worst urban fighting fought by American forces in the Pacific theater. Japanese forces committed mass murder against Filipino civilians during the battle and American firepower killed many people. Japanese resistance and American artillery also destroyed much of Manila's architectural and cultural heritage dating back to the city's founding. Manila became one of the most devastated capital cities during the entire war, alongside Berlin and Warsaw. The battle ended the almost three years of Japanese military occupation in the Philippines (1942–1945). The city's capture was marked as General Douglas MacArthur's key to victory in the campaign of reconquest. To date, it is the last of the many battles fought within Manila's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manila massacre</span> Atrocities committed by Japanese troops

The Manila massacre, also called the Rape of Manila, involved atrocities committed against Filipino civilians in the City of Manila, the capital of the Philippines, by Japanese troops during the Battle of Manila which occurred during World War II. The total number of civilians who were killed was at least 100,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippines campaign (1944–1945)</span> Aspect of WWII history

The Philippines campaign, Battle of the Philippines, Second Philippines campaign, or the Liberation of the Philippines, codenamed Operation Musketeer I, II, and III, was the American, Mexican, Australian and Filipino campaign to defeat and expel the Imperial Japanese forces occupying the Philippines during World War II.

<i>MacArthur</i> (1977 film) 1977 film by Joseph Sargent

MacArthur is a 1977 American biographical war film directed by Joseph Sargent and starring Gregory Peck in the eponymous role as American General of the Army Douglas MacArthur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese occupation of the Philippines</span> 1942–1945 Japanese occupation of the Philippines during WWII

The Japanese occupation of the Philippines occurred between 1942 and 1945, when Imperial Japan occupied the Commonwealth of the Philippines during World War II.

<i>Back to Bataan</i> 1945 film by Edward Dmytryk

Back to Bataan is a 1945 American black-and-white World War II war film drama from RKO Radio Pictures, produced by Robert Fellows, directed by Edward Dmytryk, that stars John Wayne and Anthony Quinn. The film depicts events that took place after the Battle of Bataan (1941–42) on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The working title of the film was The Invisible Army.

<i>American Guerrilla in the Philippines</i> 1950 film by Fritz Lang

American Guerrilla in the Philippines is a 1950 American war film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Tyrone Power as a U.S. Navy ensign stranded by the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II. Based on the 1945 book of the same name by Ira Wolfert, it was filmed on location.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Service summary of Douglas MacArthur</span>

This is the service summary of Douglas MacArthur, a General in the United States Army, who began his career in 1903 as a second lieutenant and served in three major military conflicts, going on to hold the highest military offices of both the United States and the Philippines.

The Hunters ROTC was a Filipino guerrilla unit active during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, and was the main anti-Japanese guerrilla group active in the area near the Philippine capital of Manila. It was created upon the dissolution of the Philippine Military Academy. Cadet Terry Adevoso refused to go home as cadets were ordered to do and began recruiting fighters willing to undertake guerrilla action against the Japanese. This force provided intelligence to the liberating forces led by General Douglas MacArthur, and took an active role in numerous battles, such as the Raid at Los Baños.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Baguio (1945)</span> Battle in the Philippines during World War II

The Battle of Baguio occurred between 21 February and 26 April 1945 and was part of the greater Luzon campaign during the Allied liberation of the Philippines at the end of World War II. During the battle, American and Philippine forces recaptured the city of Baguio on the island of Luzon from a Japanese occupation force. One of the last tank engagements of the Philippine campaign took place during the battle. Baguio later became the scene of the final surrender of Japanese forces in the Philippines in September 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine resistance against Japan</span> Organized guerilla group in World War II

During the Japanese occupation of the islands in World War II, there was an extensive Philippine resistance movement, which opposed the Japanese and their collaborators with active underground and guerrilla activity that increased over the years. Fighting the guerrillas – apart from the Japanese regular forces – were a Japanese-formed Bureau of Constabulary, the Kenpeitai, and the Makapili. Postwar studies estimate that around 260,000 people were organized under guerrilla groups and that members of anti-Japanese underground organizations were more numerous. Such was their effectiveness that by the end of World War II, Japan controlled only twelve of the forty-eight provinces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilio Valdes</span> Filipino general

Basilio José Segundo "Basil" Pica Valdés was a Filipino doctor, general and minister. Valdes was chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1939, and was in 1941 appointed Secretary of National Defense by President Manuel L. Quezon. After the Japanese invasion of the Philippines at the beginning of the Second World War, he was one of the members of Quezon's war cabinet in exile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World War II monuments and memorials in the Philippines</span>

The Philippines being one of the major theaters of World War II, has commissioned a number of monuments, cemeteries memorials, preserved relics, and established private and public museums, as well as National Shrines, to commemorate battles and events during the invasion, occupation, and liberation of the country. The United States and Japan also has established a number of memorials in the country.

References

  1. IMdb
  2. Bosley Crowther, New York Times (December 8, 1945)
  3. "Preserved Projects". Academy Film Archive.