Honor & Sacrifice: The Roy Matsumoto Story 2013
Distributed by Stourwater Pictures, 11431 Miller Road NE, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110; 206-617-1354
Produced by Lucy Ostrander and Don Sellers
Directed by Lucy Ostrander and Don Sellers
DVD, color, 28 min.
Jr. High - General Adult
History, World War II
Date Entered: 02/05/2014
Reviewed by Alexander Rolfe, Technical Services Librarian, George Fox University, Newberg, ORThis fascinating documentary tells the story of Roy Matsumoto, a Japanese-American who left an internment camp to fight with Merrill’s Marauders in Burma, where his knowledge of Japanese dialects proved essential. It is also the story of a family divided between America and Japan, and illumines the wider experience of Japanese immigrants from a unique angle.
The technical quality is very good. Roy’s father’s photographs of their life in California, and of their later home of Hiroshima, illustrate their experience wonderfully.
The film is brief yet reveals a complex story, making it ideal for classroom use and discussion.
Highly recommended.