Ano hata o ute


Ano hata o ute korehidōru no saigo also known as Dawn of Freedom, and Shoot That Flag: The End of Corregidor is a 1944 Japanese-Filipino drama war film directed by Yutaka Abe and Gerardo de León.

Synopsis

The opening credits start as the narrator speaks about Japan accepting the challenge of the Western powers' arms build-up after having had to stand by for years watching rapacious America and Britain tread upon the enslaved peoples of East Asia. Japan expeditionary forces are rushed to various places in the vast areas of Greater East Asia in order to drive out the Western powers. The first blow in the Philippines is death when Nippon warplanes raid Clark Air Base and Iba airfield on December 8, 1941.
The story of the Japanese victory at the Battle of Corregidor and the U.S. military's hasty retreat from the islands. The film presented the Japanese as Asian liberators who came to free the Filipinos from decades of colonial oppression. Sub-Corporal Ikejima helps a young boy named Toni, the younger brother of Capt. Garcia, to walk again after a car accident.

About the film

The film premiered in Tokyo on February 5, 1944. Originally entitled Hitō sakusen or Philippine Operation, it was changed to Ano hate o ute. For the Philippines it was decided to use Liwayway ng Kalayaan.
The use of Filipino and American prisoners of war as extras in the film became a matter of controversy after the end of the war.

Cast and staff

Staff

Cast
Japanese soldiers
  • Denjirō Ōkōchi – Captain Hayami
  • Seizaburo Kawazu
  • Ichiro Tsukida – Lt. Nanoka
  • Kaizaburo Kawazu – Captain Washio
  • Fujita Shindo – Susumu
  • Nakamura Satoshi – Nakamura Iku
  • Masuki Jun – Senior officer Yamada
  • Satoshi Komori – Senior officer Muramatsu
  • Heihachiro Okawa – Sub Corporal Ikema Ikejima
  • Tanaka Haruo – Lt. Sakuragi
Filipino soldiers and civilians
US Army and officers
  • Bert Leroy
  • Johnny Arville – Captain Adams
  • Frankie Gordon
  • Franco Garcia – Captain Smith
  • E.S. Lockard – US Army men
  • Weldon Hamilton – Bataan surrender scene
  • Burton C. Galde – Bataan surrender scene

Availability

Dawn of Freedom was released in DVD on January 20, 2015, by Deagostini.