''Blood Oath'', known in some countries as ''Prisoners of the Sun'', is a 1990 Australian drama film directed by Stephen Wallace and co-written by Denis Whitburn and Brian A. Williams. The film stars Bryan Brown, George Takei, Terry O'Quinn, John Bach, John Clarke (satirist), John Clarke, Deborah Kara Unger, John Polson, Nicholas Eadie, David Argue and Ray Barrett. The film is based on the real-life trial of Empire of Japan, Japanese soldiers for war crimes committed against Allies of World War II, Allied prisoners of war on the island of Ambon Island, Ambon, in the Netherlands East Indies (Indonesia), such as the Battle of Ambon#Laha massacre, Laha massacre of 1942.
The film was the first film debut for both Russell Crowe and Jason Donovan, in minor roles. It was nominated for several AACTA Awards, AFI Awards in 1990, including "Best Film". It won the AFI Awards for "Best Achievement in Sound" and "Best Achievement in Costume Design".
Cast
*Bryan Brown as Captain Cooper
*George Takei as Vice-Admiral Baron Takahashi
*Terry O'Quinn as Major Beckett
*John Bach as Major Roberts
*Sokyu Fujita as Mr. Matsugae
*John Clarke (satirist), John Clarke as Sheedy
*Deborah Kara Unger, Deborah Unger as Sister Littell
*John Polson as Private Jimmy Fenton
*Russell Crowe as Lt. Corbett
*Nicholas Eadie as Sgt. Keenan
*Jason Donovan as Private Talbot
*Toshi Shioya as Lt. Tanaka
*Ray Barrett as President of the Bench
*Kevin Paul Weeks as the Cook
Production
The film was the idea of Brian Williams, who was the son of Captain John Williams, who had prosecuted Japanese officers in charge of the POW camp at Ambon during the war. He was impressed with the TV series ''The Last Bastion'' and approached Denis Whitburn, who had written it with David Williamson, and they wrote the script and produced together. Bryan Brown and Stephen Wallace then came on board the project (although at one point Geoff Murphy was also considered as director).
The movie was shot at the Village-Warner Film Studio on the Gold Coast.
Box office
''Blood Oath'' opened on 60 screens in Australia and grossed A$310,281 in its opening week finishing fourth place at the box office and went on to gross A$707,194 at the box office in Australia. Stephen Wallace has said he thought the film would have been better had the writers been more accurate as the truth was more interesting.
["Interview with Stephen Wallace", ''Signis'', 21 November 1998](_blank)
accessed 21 November 2012
The writers announced plans to follow up ''Blood Oath'' with a $20 million film about the Cowra breakout, ''Giants at Dawn'', but this was not made.
[Kevin Sadlier, "JAPANESE BACK COWRA POW BREAKOUT FILM", ''Sun Herald'', 31 March 1991 p7]
See also
*Dutch East Indies campaign
*Japanese war crimes
*Cinema of Australia
References
External links
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''Blood Oath'' at the National Film and Sound Archive''Blood Oath''
at Oz Movies
{{Stephen Wallace
1990 films
1990 drama films
Australian drama films
1990s Japanese-language films
World War II war crimes trials films
1990s legal films
Pacific War films
Films set in Indonesia
Films directed by Stephen Wallace
World War II prisoner of war films
1990s English-language films
Films about capital punishment