Men Behind the Sun (Hei tai yang 731)
Francaise title: Camp 731
Greek title: Σφαγή στο στρατόπεδο τον κολασμένον
Russian title: Человек за солнцем
Original title: Hei tai yang 731
Greek title: Σφαγή στο στρατόπεδο τον κολασμένον
Russian title: Человек за солнцем
Original title: Hei tai yang 731
Alternative titles:
Man Behind the Sun / Sfagi sto stratopedo ton kolasmenon / Black Sun 731 / Squadron 731
Man Behind the Sun / Sfagi sto stratopedo ton kolasmenon / Black Sun 731 / Squadron 731
History drama – Hong Kong
Production year: 1988
Movie length: 105 minutes
Production year: 1988
Movie length: 105 minutes
Director: Tun Fei Mou (T. F. Mous)
Writer: Mei Liu (Mei Fei Liu), Wen Yuan Mou, Dun Jing Teng
Writer: Mei Liu (Mei Fei Liu), Wen Yuan Mou, Dun Jing Teng
Movie description:
The movie opens with the passage »Friendship is friendship; history is history«, implying that the film’s intent is not to demonize the modern Japanese, but to simply portray a factual part of Imperial Japan’s history in China.The film follows a group of Japanese boys who have been conscripted into the Youth Corps. They are assigned to the Kwangtung Army, and are brought to one of the facilities serving Unit 731, which is headed by Shiro Ishii. Soon, they are introduced to the experiments going on at the facility, for which they feel revulsion. The purpose of the experiments is to find a highly contagious strain of bubonic plague, to be used as a last-ditch weapon against the Chinese population.
Meanwhile, the young soldiers befriend a local mute Chinese boy who they play games of catch with. One day, the commanding officers ask the boys to bring the Chinese child to the facility. Naively, they follow orders believing that no real harm will come to the boy. However, the senior medical staff places the boy in surgery for the purpose of harvesting his organs for research. When the young soldiers realize what has happened, they stage a minor uprising by grouping up and physically beating their commanding officer.
As the war goes on, the situation becomes increasingly desperate for the Japanese, and therefore Unit 731. In one of their last experiments, they tie a number of Chinese prisoners to crosses, intending for them to be used as targets for a prototype ceramic bomb containing infectious fleas. However, they are not able to contact their airfield due to a retreat. The Chinese prisoners break free from the crosses, and attempt to escape. However, the Japanese troops hunt them down, and nearly all of them are run over or shot. Several Japanese are also killed or injured.
Returning to the facility after the aborted experiment, there is no more time left to Unit 731 and they are forced to destroy their research and all other evidence of the atrocities happening there. Dr. Ishii initially orders his subordinates and their families to commit suicide, but is persuaded instead to evacuate them and only commit suicide if captured. However, he makes it clear that secrecy is to be maintained, with dire consequences.
The Japanese troops gather at a train station to be transported out of China. One of the Chinese prisoners, having disguised himself and escaped with a group of soldiers, is discovered by an officer. During a short scuffle in which he kills the officer before being killed himself, his blood stains the Japanese flag, to the horror of the Youth Corps. The train leaves the station.
The closing passages reveal that Dr. Ishii cooperates with the Americans, giving them his research and agreeing to work for them. Years later, he is moved to the Korean front, and biological weapons appear on the battlefield shortly thereafter.
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