The same writer and director as Hitler's Children cranked out this semi sequel - tells a similar sort of story about life in the enemy country, only Japan here instead of Germany. Once again it's set against the backdrop of a country turning increasingly fascist and focuses on a romance between a more liberal girl and a man who has a decent core but has descended into militariam... and sort of comes back via love for the girl.
All the yellow face is really distracting - Tom Neal is the guy, Margo (who was Mexican) is the girl, J Carrol Naish as Neal's dad.
There's a number of American characters - Robert Ryan as some dude (who boorishly shoots at a cat, and fights on behalf of an American insulted by Neal), Gloria Holden as a female reporter whose face is slapped by Japanese soldiers, Don Douglas an an engineer (the closest thing to the Kent Smith part). Ryan is mostly in the film to take part in the fight scene.
Some scenes have tremendous power, such as a woman having her child ripped out of her arms and thrust into a comfort woman's station, Holden being tortured by Japanese secret police.
And for all the yellowface it does attempt to present slightly more complex Japanese characters than normal for a film of this time.
But these are around the side. in Hitler's Children Bonita Granville was an activist. Here Margo is a liberal but mostly wants to get married. The escape of the Americans at the end felt a little contrived - would've been better if they'd died.
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