More than a week ago, there was some industry gossip that Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken probably wouldn’t even be released in Japan. Japanese nationalists have made a big stink about the film’s alleged “anti-Japanese” agenda, and it looks like the studio is just going to sit out a Japanese release. But Unbroken was released in other Asian countries, including China. Anyway, Angelina sat down for an interview with a Japanese publication and it sounds like she’s doing a little bit of damage-control. She shouldn’t HAVE to do this because Unbroken speaks for itself, and it’s obviously based on one man’s (well-documented) experience, but I’m glad Angelina is taking on the “anti-Japanese” complaints head-on. You can read the full piece here (I can’t find a link to the original Japanese outlet, The Yomiuri Shimbun, that published this interview).

The film’s release coming out close to 70th anniversary of V-J Day: “The link is pure coincidence. It takes several years to make any film. My personal view is that we should mark these anniversaries in a way that brings people from different countries closer together. In the case of our two countries, we should celebrate 70 years of peace and progress, and a deep friendship that binds our two countries.”

Depicting Japanese soldiers: “I very much saw Corporal [who mistreats the main character] as an individual, not as someone who represented the Japanese people as a whole. Mr. Louie Zamperini told me stories about some Japanese soldiers who were kind to him during his detention, and of one man he credited with saving his life. It was very important to me to try to see the war from the Japanese perspective as well, and to respect that.

Portraying the Great Tokyo Air Raid: “Yes. My intention was never to give a one-sided account of the war. Civilians suffered on all sides, in Japan’s case including the bombing of Tokyo and the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But the film is art, it is not a documentary.”

Whether ‘Unbroken’ would stir anti-Japanese sentiment in China: “I would be very disappointed if anyone in any country tried to use the film as a pretext for any anti-Japanese sentiment. In any case, Japan’s achievements in the 70 years since the war speak for itself. You are an ally and a friend, a leading democracy, one of the strongest economies in the world, and you play a leading role in international peace and security. I have just returned from the Middle East, where Japan is providing over $2 billion to build stability and fight extremism — that is a contribution to be proud of.”

Explicit denial of anti-Japanese sentiment: “Unbroken is not a film about Japan, nor is it an anti-Japanese film. Louie Zamperini loved Japan. He described carrying the torch in the [Nagano Winter] Olympics as the proudest moment in his life. Those who have a chance to see the film will be able to judge for themselves.”

[From The Yomiuri Shimbun via the Chicago Tribune]

In her answer about anti-Japanese sentiment in China, Angelina sounded presidential. You know what I mean? She sounded like a seasoned diplomat calmly steadying the nerves of an ally.

As for the film and whether it could be taken as anti-Japanese in any way… as I said just after I saw Unbroken, I think Jolie could have carved out about 20 minutes of the torture scenes in the last half and added about 10-15 minutes of other stuff from the book. The book was able to provide more perspective, especially about some of the Japanese guards who properly looked after the POWs. Plus, there was more stuff with Louis and the other POWs that didn’t involve torture. I think if she had framed Louis’s torture differently… well, there still would have been cries that the film is anti-Japanese, but she would be able to say “No, I included some moments with the good guards too, look.”

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.