Go for Broke! (1951 film)
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| Go for Broke | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Robert Pirosh |
| Produced by | Dore Schary |
| Starring | Van Johnson |
| Release date(s) | 1951 |
| Running time | 92 min. |
| Country | U.S.A. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Go for Broke! is a war film released in 1951. It was directed by Robert Pirosh, produced by Dore Schary and starred Van Johnson, several veterans of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and Henry Nakamura. Richard Anderson appears briefly as the debarkation officer, embarrassed by his inability to pronounce some Japanese names.
The film dramatizes the real-life story of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which was composed of Nisei, second-generation Americans born of Japanese parents. Fighting in the European theater during World War II, this unit became one of the most decorated in the history of the United States Army, as well as one of the units with the highest casualty rates.
This film is a Hollywood rarity which features Asian-Americans in a positive light and even more rare in highlighting the irony of those Japanese-Americans who fought bravely for their country while that country interned their families in concentration camps.
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[edit] The storyline
The film begins in 1943, with a newly-commissioned Lieutenant Grayson (Johnson) reporting for duty with the 442nd, then training for deployment to Europe. He discovers that he has been sent to a unit composed primarily of Nisei troops, when he had expected to be returned to the U.S. 36th Infantry Division, a Texas National Guard unit with which he had served as an enlisted man. Having joined the war to fight against the Japanese, he is disturbed that he now has to fight alongside people who he sees as Japanese, rather than as Americans.
He (and the audience) learn that "Go for broke" is a pidgin phrase (used in Hawaii) meaning to gamble everything -- one will be broke, bankrupt if he loses. Eventually Grayson also learns the meaning of the frequently-repeated expletive Baka tare, which, loosely translated, means "very stupid."
There is only brief discussion the internment camps from which most have come, but throughout the film there are references to the camps. There are also a few brief references to the difference in social systems between the Nisei from Hawaii ("Buta-heads") and mainland Nisei ("Katonks"). While Buta-heads (the phrase later devolved to "Buddha-Heads") were a key part of the Hawaiian economy and society, Katonks were largely distrusted and disliked by their neighbors.
Arriving in Italy, they are joined by the 100th Battalion, the Nisei unit formed in Hawaii before the 442nd was formed on the mainland. The troops of the 100th are seasoned veterans and the new arrivals look to them for advice.
Through fighting in Italy and France, Grayson eventually comes to respect the Nisei troops, and his bigotry fades. Eventually, he is transferred back to his old unit, the 36th as a liaison -- over his objections -- when the 442nd is attached to the larger unit.
As he has misjudged the Nisei troops, they have misjudged Grayson. They eventually learn that he has defended them against bigotry, even getting into a fistfight with an old friend of his from the 36th who had insulted them.
The climax of the movie comes with the "Buddha-heads'" famous rescue of the "Lost Battalion," after the 36th was surrounded by the German Army. Then comes their return home, and the award of the Unit Citation.
[edit] Veterans of the 442nd who appeared in the film
- Lane Nakano as Sam
- George Miki as Chick
- Akira Fukunaga as Frank
- Ken K. Okamoto as Kaz
- Henry Oyasato as Ohhara
- Harry Hamada as Masami
[edit] See also
[edit] External link
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