Director: Raymond Cannon
Cast: Paul Fung, Luke Chan, David Chow, Barbara Wooddell

It was decorated United States officer Richard Davis Winters, who among his achievements commanded the successful assault on Brecourt Manor during the Allied Normandy invasion in World War II, gave out the following quote after the war: "War brings out the worst and the best in people." How true those words were then, and even today. But since the movie being reviewed here, Samurai, was a movie that was a product of World War II, I want to take a look at how that war showed the good and the bad in humanity. Those who know their history will know that World War II pushed some positive advancements in American culture. For example, the circumstances of the war helped women to get employment in positions that were previously unavailable to them, such as the WAC in the military, and industrial jobs as well. There was a similar turn of events for certain visual minorities as well. The war also transformed America in just a few short years into an industrial powerhouse. And it was in this period that the concept of recycling, such as with scrap iron drives, planted its seeds into the minds of Americans. But I really want to talk about how World War II brought out the good in Hollywood. The American government asked Hollywood for help with fighting the war, and boy did Hollywood pull out all the stops. They of course made movies that showed the American military fighting and/or deceiving the Axis powers, from Casablanca to Battan. They made short subjects that urged Americans to buy war bonds or start doing various actions that would support the war. There were even some Hollywood actors who temporarily left the film industry so they could directly fight with Allied forces, such as Clark Gable and David Niven.

All that and a lot more were not only definitely major contributions towards America and its allies ultimately winning the war, they could be considered good gestures. Unfortunately, as even readers who only have a perfunctory knowledge of this period in American history, World War II also showed the bad side of humanity. I don't think I have to go into topics such as war crimes, racism, and war profiting. But I do want to go into how the war also brought out a dark side to Hollywood at the same time it brought out a good side. Probably the lowest of all low things Hollywood did during World War II was to gleefully seize and exploit certain racial stereotypes. Let me give you an example with one of the most notorious racist chapters in Hollywood during the war, which was a Bugs Bunny cartoon of all things. The cartoon was titled Bugs Bunny Nips The N**s, and that title alone should tell you what you are in store for if you decide to watch it. If not, in the cartoon, Bugs Bunny travels to a south Pacific island and engages in battle against various Japanese soldiers. While the cartoon does have some funny non-racist gags, for the most part the cartoon is a relentless savaging of the Japanese in the most racist manner you can think of. For example, the Japanese are depicted with wearing thick-rimmed glasses, sport bad teeth, mangle English, and are the absolute savages of savages. Oh, and incredibly stupid as well. It's no wonder that Warner Brothers has permanently withdraw the cartoon from official release, and I had to get a bootleg copy to watch it. The same with the Warner Brothers cartoon Tokio Jokio, and in that cartoon, we get to see... uh, I think you can already guess the Japanese there are not portrayed kindly as well.

Yes, I realize that cartoons and other anti-Axis Hollywood productions were made in a different time and in a different frame of mind as today. And yes, I know that one of the key ways to rally people into fighting an enemy is to depict the enemy in a manner that demeans the enemy thoroughly. No doubt those Warner Brothers cartoons and other Hollywood rallying productions did help the war effort in some way. Neverless, when I watch Hollywood movies from the World War II period like the 1943 Gung Ho!, where an American army commander asks soldiers asking to volunteer for a mission, "So... why do you want to kill J**s?", and one of the volunteers says he wants to volunteer because, "I just don't like J**s!".... well, I get an uncomfortable feeling within me, even though I know the circumstances such a movie was made in. As it turns out, most World War II Hollywood movies at best just flirt with racism, but recently I learned about one particular film that, while having drifted into obscurity, has an especially notorious reputation for being racist to the nth degree. That movie is Samurai, and you are probably asking why the movie has been forgotten if it's so utterly offensive in its racism. Well, it's probably due to the fact the movie in its time had several strikes against it - it was very low budget, it was a "B" movie through and through, and it was handled by a small distributor that didn't even have the clout of B movie studios Monogram and PRC. Another factor against it was that reports I uncovered say that the movie was released either just before or just after VJ Day - in either case, the threat of imperialist Japan was no longer a big concern for the American public. When the opportunity to present itself came to me recently, I did pause a little at first, I admit... but ultimately, I decided to give it a whirl. A good critic will test himself occasionally with material that promises to make him uncomfortable, and I also felt that discussing a movie like this might hammer home to my readership that we should make an effort to not try and repeat ugliness that happened in the past.

The movie Samurai stars off with some opening credits, of course. Among the credits, there is one curious listing: "Technical Advisor: Dr. David Chow". As you probably know, "Chow" is a Chinese name, so from that alone there are already some questions I have about this movie. What got the Chinese-American (I assume he's American-born from his first name) Dr. Chow to have such a great interest in learning about Japan, especially when you remember how, in the few decades before this movie was made, Japan had been inflicting numerous brutalities towards China and the Chinese? And realizing that, might Dr. Chow have advised the makers of this movie with a lot of prejudice? Anyway, let's go on. After the opening credits end, over some really bad-looking stock footage is the proclamation "TOKIO DESTROYED!" Well, the city of Tokyo was at the time sometimes spelt that way, as in that Warner Brothers cartoon short I mentioned earlier. Then we see an American newspaper from September 2, 1923 that has in its front-page headline, "TERRIFIC EARTHQUAKE HITS JAPAN". Well, the makers of this movie actually did some research; a big earthquake did hit Japan on September 1 of that year, the next day American headline being because of the Pacific date zone. But personally, I think earthquakes are horrible, not terrific. Over more bad-looking stock footage of the aftermath of the earthquake, a narrator states that during the aftermath, there was a call for humanitarian aid, adding, "American mercy, it is tradition." The narrator then states that one of the first arrivals of Americans to help out the earthquake-ravaged Japan was the Morey family.

Mr. Morey (Fred C. Bond) and Mrs. Morey (Barbara Wooddell, I Shot Jesse James) are shown wandering around the wreckage of Japan - or, to be more exact, a rear projection of wreckage, since this movie didn't even have the money to dump some wreckage in front of the camera. In the wreckage they find Ken Kenakitcha (Ronald Siu), a boy about six years old, and they attend to Ken's injuries, with Mr. Morey luckily already having his stethoscope on. A few seconds later, before any of these three characters can speak, we cut to stock footage of San Francisco, where the Moreys have their newly adopted son Ken with them. That was fast. We finally get a moment that doesn't involve stock footage or rear projection as Ken beholds his new opulent home... and it lasts for just a few seconds before the movie returns to using stock footage. The narrator says that this new land is, "Where the atmospshere of freedom prevails for all." Since it's San Francisco, were they making a subtle nod to the blooming LGBTQIA+ community? Getting back to the stock footage of various learning institutions, the narrator indicates Ken is getting a "liberal education". Then we get even more stock footage of temples, inside and outside, while the narrator then tells us, "Innocent-looking temples like these hold human monstrosities of deception." The young Ken is loitering around one of these temples (portrayed by - you guessed it - more rear projection), and an adult Japanese-American (Luke Chan, The Mysterious Mr. Wong) approaches Ken, introducing himself as one "Ka-Foo-Ah". Yes, that's how he pronounces it. Ken doesn't know it from this brief meeting, but Ka-Foo-Ah has big plans for him!

It turns out that Ka-Foo-Ah is a Bushido priest, and his plan is to brainwash Ken into swearing allegiance to the Bushido code. And Ka-Foo-Ah is apparently successful with this... though how he manages to do this is a mystery. You see, we see footage of Ka-Foo-Ah giving lessons to Ken, but we don't actually hear what Ka-Foo-Ah is saying, since the movie is content for the narrator to tell us what is happening, probably because it was a lot cheaper to dub over narration than to record live sound. "The priest entices the lad with stories of valor, that glory of his ancestors," the narrator tells us, and Ken learns the worship of the sword, to live and die by it. Didn't Ken during all this ever have any questions or point out any contradictions from his westernized life with his adopted family? Either no, or the movie was too cheap to stage any pointed questioning. Ken is sworn into the Bushido code, though it's strange that the priest speaks both Japanese and English during the swearing-in ceremony. A short time afterwards, Mr. and Mrs. Morey adopt another son, this one Caucasian. But before Ken or the movie can properly digest and accept this addition... you guessed it, more stock footage!

Shortly afterwards, Ken has suddenly reached adulthood, and he plans to go to Germany to study medicine, then to Paris to study art. Wow, his adoptive parents must be really generous with their agreeing for him to study two majors! Over more rear projection, his priest warns him not to be swayed by Christian philosophies from his adoptive parents or anyone else: "Nothing is sin!" exclaims the priest. For the next few years, Ken travels around Europe to places such as Paris, Rome, and London. Do we actually see Ken knocking around in those cities? Of course not! Instead, this cheapo movie tells of all his visits by showing titles onscreen and using postcards of those cities. Eventually Ken returns to San Francisco, and we finally see him as an adult, where he is played by Paul Fung. Some really bad casting there, because not only was Fung a Chinese-American actor with no Japanese ancestry (yeah yeah, I know why a Chinese-American had to be cast instead of a Japanese-American), here at least he looks like he's well in his 40s, when his character was born around 1917 or so. Ken meets his old priest down at the San Francisco docks (more rear projection!), and Ken enthusiastically tells his priest that Europe is boiling and headed for war. Ken adds that with his studies of art, he can paint, "...military objects in my paintings." That may explain why in a subsequent art exhibition, his artwork looks like something a child would whip up in about fifteen minutes. But a dumb Oklahoma woman looking at his art doesn't see the military object that's supposedly in the painting, so all is good. What is not good, however, is that when actor Fung is talking, he pulls back his lips in an attempt to make his character's smile look the stereotypically racist way Asians were portrayed in American culture at the time, with big protruding dental work. He may have been smiling, but I wasn't smiling.

Ken is soon given the assignment to go to Japan and show off his doctored paintings to the Japanese military, going undercover as a curator of Japanese art. He tells the good news to his adoptive parents, and then decides to tell his adopted brother the news. We (finally) learn the name of his adopted brother (which is Frank), but before we can be introduced to the now-grown Frank, we cut to stock footage of an ocean liner making its way to Japan. Once in Japan, Ken goes to the Tokyo Military Intelligence Department, headed by (according to the narrator), "His Satanic Majesty, Horosho Namakura, director of spies and saboteurs." Upon meeting the director, Ken unfolds his plans and engages in conversation with him... all in Japanese. It's up to the narrator to tell us that Ken's presentation is a success, and to celebrate, Ken goes out to explore Tokyo... yep, more rear projection and stock footage for the next few minutes! Then abruptly, Ken travels to Shanghai for reasons that aren't clear at first. Once in Shanghai (portrayed with - yes - stock footage and rear projection), Ken takes a number of pictures of the strife going on in the city, as the narrator solemnly states, "This demon in human shape seized the hungry Chinese jostling for food." Then Ken drops in to the Shanghai Investigation Department, which is actually run by the Black Dragon Society from Japan. The head of the department is at first greatly peeved by Ken's appearance for reasons that aren't entirely clear, but his demeanor changes for the better when Ken shows the photographs he took have been doctored with his art skills to make it look like the Japanese are taking care of the hungry Chinese. While the department head is pleased, he grouses that there is an (unnamed) Englishman in the area making trouble by reporting of the actual atrocities the Japanese are making in Japan. Ken sees a photo of the (still unnamed) Englishman, and states he recognizes him, an "old chum". Huh - there was no mention of this "old chum" before this point in the movie. Anyway, Ken makes plans...

...and in the next scene, we see an English language newspaper with the headline, "STEPHEN ATHERTON FOUND MURDERED". No mention of how this was done, but at least we now know the name of the "old chum". Ken is promptly sent to Peking, where he goes to the office of one General Sujiyama, in order to learn methods to use in America. Upon meeting Ken, the General isn't quite sure of Ken's loyalty at that point, so he decides to make a test. In his compound there is a prison cell full of Chinese women and Caucasian women. I can imagine why they would have Chinese women imprisoned, but no idea of why they have Caucasian women. The general orders a Chinese woman and a Caucasian woman dragged out of the cell. The narrator tells us the Chinese woman refused to swear allegiance to the Japanese government, and she's given one more chance to do so. She is defiant, and rips a Japanese flag off the General's wall to try and rip it in half, but she can't (no doubt because that would cost the production money), and ends up just throwing it on the floor. She's then dragged away by a Japanese soldier to no doubt a fate worse than death. It's up to Ken now to show his loyalty with a Caucasian woman in his hands, and do you know what horrible thing he does with the Caucasian woman? He... well... he... drinks sake and gets drunk while she looks at him with horror!!! The beast! Afterwards, Ken is told by the General he's essentially passed the test, and he is told of Japan's planned invasion of America. Ken is ordered to go back to America to recruit Japanese Americans into a "semi-military organization", and is promised he'll be made Governor of California once the invasion is successful. Well, better him in a position of political power than a certain modern-day arrogant politician in a certain country who has kept appearing in the news around the world for a number of years now. (Come on - you know which arrogant politician in that certain country I'm talking about, right?)

Ken returns to America and meets with his old priest, who is nonplussed to find out that the Japanese government has now made Ken outrank him. The priest accepts this reluctantly, and Ken then goes to tell his patrons at the art gallery about all the supposed good deeds the Japanese are doing in China. But the narrator (and more stock footage!) shows us the Japanese war machine is in full steam, with its factories making supplies for the planned invasions of America and other countries. Ken is also increasing his efforts for Japan, sketching factories and other parts of American infrastructure for Japanese saboteurs, and arranges for explosives to be smuggled in for the saboteurs by Japanese American fishermen - yep, stock footage of fishermen! Finally, Ken finds time to go home to visit his family. While chatting with his adoptive mother, his adopted brother Frank (Larry Moore) announces he's (gasp!) joining the American army. Ken grouses a little: "The uniform? The little blonde? Or just a good old American yearn for adventure?" But in quick notice, Ken puts on a good front and says, "And if we should go to war against Japan, I hope you will bring back Tojo's helmet," leaving a few seconds afterwards.

While Ken's adoptive mother didn't seem to find Ken's last statement strange, Frank did. In fact, he then tells his mother, "Ken is working for Japan against this country!" He then shows his mother a document he found in Ken's possession, the document decreeing Ken will become governor after the upcoming invasion. The document, by the way, is all in Japanese, but I guess somehow Frank and his mother can read Japanese, because the mother laughs it off and says, "Ken will have a lot of fun showing this around." Frank convinces his mother to call their father and have all three of them go to Ken's studio so Frank can provide more proof. Once all three of them are there, Frank shows his parents the details in one of Ken's paintings that show he's a spy. The parents are devastated, but are reluctant to have the authorities arrest Ken and put a halt to the upcoming invasion because, "After all, he is our son." But they eventually allow Frank to leave to call the cops. While Frank is gone, Ken enters the studio, and with a quick deduce he realizes his adoptive parents know now he's a spy. He thinks quickly, and gives this genius statement: "But dad, you don't understand. I'm working with the secret agents here." Well, it's genius enough for his idiotic parents, who are instantly swayed and see him again as their good son. But they shortly mention to Ken, after he takes a call from his superiors that "zero hour" is almost here, that Frank went to call the police. So what does Ken do? When his parents' backs are turned, he takes out a knife and both figuratively and literally stabs his father in his back, and a few seconds later kills his blubbering mother! Those kids today....

What happens next? Well, I will leave the last ten or so minutes of Samurai unrevealed so that you can discover if Ken succeeds or not... though if you know this movie was made during the Hays Code, you probably already know the answer to that question. What you may not know, however, is that my description of the movie, how detailed it might be, doesn't get close to describing the viewing experience. This is an unbelievably cheap and shoddy movie; even legendary low budget studios like PRC and Monogram would blanch at its incredibly primitive state; it barely resembles what you'd normally call a movie. And to call the movie xenophobic would be one of the great understatements of all time, even when you consider that a World War was happening during the time of its making. One can easily wonder if there would be an audience for this movie in this day and age. But I decided to write about this misguided (to put it mildly) effort and bring attention to it because I think it's important to know that movies like this do exist, movies that are so utterly wrong in every way you can think of. I can certainly understand why someone might not want to watch it, but there may be some sort of audience for it because it can be a learning experience as to how to do better in both an artistic sense and an attitude sense. That's the best I can do when it comes to saying whether to see this movie or not, so you're on your own from this point, and hopefully you'll make the right decision for yourself and whatever society you may live in.

(Posted August 1, 2024)