Captive Hearts

"Out of a bitter war comes a love story you'll always remember."

1987 1h 37m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 5

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

December 1944. As their bomber is shot down during a mission over Japan, Sergeant McManus and Robert, a young lieutenant, have no other choice but make a parachute jump. They are captured by local villagers and are saved from execution by Fukushima, the village elder. McManus never accepts his lot unlike Robert, who soon takes an interest in Japanese customs and rites. More, he falls in love with pretty Miyoko, Fukushima's widowed daughter-in-law.

“Out of a bitter war comes a love story you'll always remember.”

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Cast

Pat Morita
Fukushima
Chris Makepeace
Robert
Mari Sato
Miyoko
Michael Sarrazin
Sergeant McManus
Seth Sakai
Takayama
Denis Akiyama
Masato
Laurence M. Makamua
Priest

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Paul Almond
Writers: John A. Kuri, Pat Morita, Sargon Tamimi
Languages: Japanese, English
Countries: Canada

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

39 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Japanese, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Paul Almond, shot by Thomas Vámos. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Pat Morita and Chris Makepeace and Mari Sato carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Out of a bitter war comes a love story you'll always remember.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Paul Almond directs. Thomas Vámos behind the camera. Osamu Kitajima scores. Yurij Luhovy cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Canada. Dialogue in Japanese, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

139 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Japanese, English.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Paul Almond, shot by Thomas Vámos. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Osamu Kitajima. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Yurij Luhovy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Pat Morita and Chris Makepeace and Mari Sato carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Out of a bitter war comes a love story you'll always remember.".
9IMDB entry: tt0092721 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 5 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.