The Sun (2005) on Netflix
As Japan nears defeat in World War II, Emperor Hirohito stays in a bunker beneath the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. General Douglas MacArthur's car is sent to bring him to their meeting.
- Netflix1.7/5
- IMDb7.3/103,123 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes93%
Trailer
Plot summary
Japan is nearing defeat in World War II. Emperor Hirohito begins his day in a bunker beneath the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, where a servant reads out the day's list: a meeting with his ministers, time for marine biology research, and a letter to his son. Hirohito wonders what will become of these routines when the Americans arrive. He is told that as long as one Japanese person lives, the Americans will not reach him; he answers that he sometimes feels he will be the last Japanese alive. The servant calls him a deity; Hirohito notes he has a body like anyone else's. Dictating notes on a hermit crab, he reflects on what caused the war. General Douglas MacArthur's car carries him through the ruins of Tokyo to meet the supreme commander of the occupation.
Cast
- Shinmei Tsujias Old servant
- Hiroya Moritaas Suzuki, Prime Minister
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Sun (2005)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- According to The Times, The Sun has not been widely screened in Japan because of fears of violence from right wing extremists over how it portrays Emperor Hirohito.
- Director Alexander Sokurov said he was not interested in the history or politics of the period, and the film omits any reference to the Tokyo tribunal's questions over Emperor Hirohito's responsibility for war crimes. The imperial conference and the meeting with General Douglas MacArthur contain none of the words in interpreter Katsuzō Okumura's real transcript.
