Movie Review: “Visas and Virtue” (1997), A 26-minute Short Film Directed By Chris Tashima.

-

 

 

Fig.  A scene from “Visas and Virtue
(courtesy Ceder Grove Productions)

“Visas and Virtue” is a short movie motivated by a true story of Sugihara Chiune, a Japanese diplomat who risked his and his family's life to save thousands of Jewish refugees in WWII by issuing transit visas to Japan from his consulate in Lithuania, in August 1940. The act, however, was a defiance against Japanese government because of Japan’s relationship with Germany.

In the morning of August 18,1940, Sugihara observed hundreds of people surrounding his Kaunas consulate. They looked exhausted. They were the Jewish people from Poland as well as from Lithuania who were facing an existential threat by the Nazis. 

The following scene vividly captures the anguish of Sugihara and his wife.

+++++++++++

Yuki (Sugihara’s wife):

Chiune, you promised that everyone would get a visa.

Sugihara:

If I lose my career-

Don’t you care what happens to us?

Yuki, I am issuing illegal visas.

We will lose everything.

Everything we worked for.

I can’t believe how reckless we have been.

Yuki:

They walked from Poland.

Look at the children.

They will be killed. If we do nothing, we are evil too.

Sugihara:

I can’t open my hand. Yuki, I am afraid.

Yuki: 

You are samurai. Taught to help those in need.

Sugihara: 

(laughing awkwardly)

I’m a diplomat

Yuki: 

Even the hunter cannot kill the bird that has flown to him for refuge.

The one thing you have is honor.

Chiune, keep writing.

++++++++++++++


Fig. The Sugihara’s leave Kaunas for Berlin, his next assignment.

Sugihara issued transit visas even at the train station.

A scene from “Visas and Virtue” (courtesy Ceder Grove Productions)

Actor/dirctor Chris Tashima performs Sugihara in a dazzling manner. One of my most favorite Sugihara movies. Tashima’s speech together with his expression brilliantly shows Sugihara’s anguish. This, I don’t seem to find in other Sugihara movies. I found interesting to know that Tashima with his cofounder, started Ceder Grove Productions [1] which is in tribute to that film subject the company takes its name from the literal translation of Sugihara. “Sugi” means cedar and “hara” meaning field or grove. The company describes itself as dedicated to developing and producing projects which boldly defy mainstream Hollywood by giving Asian Americans the close-up on screen or the spotlight on stage.

Later I learned that this movie won the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film in March, 1998 (70th Academy Awards). The Oscar statuettes went to actor and director Tashima and producer Chris Donahue. [2]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar_Grove_Productions

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visas_and_Virtue

 Acknowledgement: I thank Chris Tashima  for providing me with script as well as images.

 

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Japan: A Late Bloomer

-
Image
The purpose of this blog post is to show that Japan was a late bloomer in terms of an index which will be explained later. From a Western viewpoint, “Japan didn’t exist” until the 16th century CE when the first encounter with the West occurred. I will discuss the views of two individuals on Japan: Francisco Xavier and Alessandro Valignano. Both were missionaries. Although their mission was far from successful, there are several reasons why I focus on them: a. They were highly educated elites of European at the time, capable of describing things as they were. b. Their observations are well documented. Despite their primary goal being missionary work, their records are invaluable for studying 16th-century Japan, even for nonspecialists like myself. c. Some of their views are shared. d. Both visited other Asian countries before visiting Japan, allowing them to place Japan in a relative perspective. e. Their observations align with at least one quantitative data, which will be explained la...
Read more

Movie Review: "Lil Tokyo Reporter (2012)" A Short Film Directed By Jeffrey Gee Chin.

-
Image
Fig. A scene from “Lil Tokyo Reporter”. “ I was read the story of a small samurai ....." ( Courtesy of Leap Man Productions )   time: 1935 place: Los Angeles, California Fujii:     “ I was read the story of a small samurai who traveled to a far off island to defeat demons and ogres. 　 I came to America with that same dream . ”   Fujii exposes the criminal activities of the Japanese club on the front page of his paper.    Fujii   shot ( Courtesy of Leap Man Productions )   Fujii survives   After a police raid, the club was shut down. Fujii continued to defend the Japanese of Los Angeles his whole life.   I never knew Fujii before I stumbled on this movie. Directed by Jeffrey Gee Chin, the 30-minute short film “ Lil Tokyo Reporter ” delves into the life of Fujii (1882–1954). Born in Iwakuni, Japan, Fujii embarked on a transformative journey when he moved to America at the age of 20. He was incarcera...
Read more

Kasuke: Leader Of The 1686 Peasant Uprising, Selfless In Sacrifice

-
Image
  Fig. Kasuke, the leader of the 1686 peasant uprising in the Matsumoto domain. The history of samurai is fascinating. I described some of the samurai history in my blog [1-4]. However, history of Japan is not solely the history of samurai. Samurai made up only a small portion of the population. I always wanted to explore the history of people other than samurai.　 In the summer of 2024, I had an opportunity to visit Gimin History Museum of Azumino , Nagano Prefecture . Their exhibits consist of the 1686 peasant uprising in the Tokugawa period (1603-1868).   Fig. Azumino, Nagano Prefecture.  Source: google earth, modified by the author Fig. Present day Azumino overlooking the North Japan Alps, known for its natural beauty. It is popular among mountain climbers. I have long romanticized the Tokugawa period (1603-1868), envisioning it as an era of peace where people enjoyed life, leading to the flourishing of the rich culture we associate with Japan today. Naturall...
Read more