Blood on the Sun

"Having a wonderful time In Tokyo!"

1945 1h 34m EN

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 42

ActionDramaWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Nick Condon, an American journalist in 20s Tokyo, publishes the Japanese master plan for world domination. Reaction from the understandably upset Japanese provides the action, but this is overshadowed by the propaganda of the time.

“Having a wonderful time In Tokyo!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

James Cagney
Nick Condon
Sylvia Sidney
Iris Hilliard
Porter Hall
Arthur Bickett
John Emery
Premier Gilchi Tanaka
Robert Armstrong
Col Hideki Tojo
Wallace Ford
Ollie Miller
Rosemary DeCamp
Edith Miller
John Halloran
Capt. Oshima

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Frank Lloyd
Writers: Garrett Fort, Lester Cole, Nathaniel Curtis
Languages: English, Japanese
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

81 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Japanese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Frank Lloyd, shot by Theodor Sparkuhl. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Miklós Rózsa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Truman K. Wood shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

James Cagney and Sylvia Sidney and Porter Hall carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Having a wonderful time In Tokyo!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0037547 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Frank Lloyd directs. Theodor Sparkuhl behind the camera. Miklós Rózsa scores. Truman K. Wood cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

181 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Japanese.
3Directed by Frank Lloyd, shot by Theodor Sparkuhl. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Miklós Rózsa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Truman K. Wood shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6James Cagney and Sylvia Sidney and Porter Hall carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Having a wonderful time In Tokyo!".
8IMDB entry: tt0037547 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 42 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Theodor Sparkuhl
Original score: Miklós Rózsa
Editing: Truman K. Wood
Costume design: Michael Woulfe
Runtime: 94 min · 1h 34m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Blood on the Sun (1945)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Art Direction, Black and White

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Frank Lloyd

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-07-01
★ 5/10
James Cagney is a journalist in pre-war Tokyo who gets embroiled in a tussle between the forces of Imperial aggression led by John Emery ("Tanaka") and those of peaceful conciliation headed by "Prince Tatsugu" (Frank Puglia). When the expansionists realise that Cagney is not going to play along - after bribery/threats and blackmail all fail to convince him; his very life is soon in peril - made worse once he is given a letter from the Prince that his opponents need back at all costs. Made at the end of WWII, it is a pretty obvious slice of propaganda, though it is tempered by some respect for the decent Japanese who did not want war, and it reflects their sense of "honour" in quite an interesting fashion - is it to the glory of the ancestors or just glorified cowardice? Cagney carries this pretty much single handedly. Marvin Miller is quite menacing as the dastardly "Yamada" too, but Sylvia Sidney as the plotting "Iris" doesn't remotely carry off her task as a scheming double-dealer and Rhys Williams ought to have stuck to his more jovial roles - he never could carry off meatier parts. The budget went on the star, the technical aspects of this leave quite a bit to be desired. It's a straight-up goodies v baddies film and nothing more complex than that...

Production companies