August 14, 2006: Date in print
Red White Black & Blue (Documentary)
By JAY WEISSBERG
A Rainstorm Entertainment presentation of a A Three-Headed Monster production. Produced by Tom Putnam, Jeff Malmberg, Matt Radecki, Michael Harbour. Executive producers, Steven G. Kaplan, Gregg L. Daniel. Directed by Tom Putnam.
With: William S. Jones, Andrew Petrus, Woodrow Arndt, Ian W. Beaton, Walter Bradshaw, Dayton Drewry, Edward Dupont, Armando Gonzales, Michael Haller, Marvin Hiatt, Robert Hoffmeir, Allan J. Jantz, Albert King, Michael McLaughlin, Jeff Murphy, Roy Patterson, Owen Pierce, Laura Tatsaguchi-Davis.
In June 1942, American soil was invaded for the first time since 1812; 11 months later the U.S. sent ill-equipped troops to the Aleutian Island of Attu to recapture it from the Japanese. With unerring visual acumen, "Red White Black & Blue" rescues the battle from oblivion while asking how 4,000 dead soldiers became an obscure footnote in history. Keeping the focus on two veterans of the battle, helmer Tom Putnam reveals the psychological scars of warfare with a respect that doesn't preclude deeper questions about morality. Docu has legs strong enough to proudly stand at indie cinemas and fests before likely PBS/cable broadcast.
Attu is considerably closer to Russia than mainland Alaska, making it an obvious choice for a Japanese invasion during World War II. When Hirohito's forces landed, the U.S. government kept the info under wraps for fear the news would demoralize the country.
Convinced the army would take back the island quickly, the Pentagon didn't bother to equip the men with necessary gear: no gloves, rubber boots, winter coats or decent maps. Frostbite and trench foot soon decimated the infantry, and the battle, according to vet Andy Petrus, was considerably worse than Okinawa; the number of U.S. casualties (as opposed to fatalities) was only rivaled by Iwo Jima in the entire war.
Putnam doesn't address of the question of why the battle has been forgotten (though the decreasing emphasis on history teaching surely deserves part of the blame). What he and his team are more interested in is the rocky psychological territory left behind when soldiers are placed in a kill or be killed situation. In veteran Bill Jones, they found the ideal man to focus on in regard to their interests.
Jones, a farm boy from southern New Jersey, wound up as squad leader during the 19-day fight, in which the Japanese always maintained the high ground and regular sniper fire turned the conflict into a vicious war of attrition.
Putnam interviews Jones on multiple occasions, on and off Attu: He comes off as intelligent, fiercely patriotic, jingoistic in the way of his generation (the Japanese are still "Japs"), and still struggling with memories that will not die. "When you use a flamethrower on somebody and they're on fire and they scream...," he recalls before tears prevent him from continuing.
One of Putnam's strengths is his ability to capture the conflicting forces that still tear Jones apart: unswerving loyalty to his country, unquestioning obedience to the army, and yet a deep humanity.
Impeccably researched and supplemented with excellent historical footage, docu is the perfect riposte to the current fad for reconstructions, proving that such jarring gimmicks are unnecessary when subjects are tackled with creativity and sensitivity.
Terrific editing by Jeff Malmberg (also a producer) juxtaposes interviews in a way that subtly reveals the conflicting nature of Jones' attitudes without undermining the veteran's integrity.
Thanks to the island's unchanged landscape and harrowing photographs of the battle's aftermath, Putnam and his team seamlessly duplicate shots, displaying B&W images of mangled bodies in the barren tundra that fade into the exact locations today.
Camera (color/B&W, DV, 16mm-to-Beta), Matt Radecki, Alex Vendler; editor, Jeff Malmberg; music, Jay Clarke, Jess Stuart Saltzman; sound (Dolby stereo LTRT), Nathan Smith; associate producer, Lori Putnam. Reviewed at Locarno Film Festival (Critics' Week), Aug. 4, 2006. Running time: 85 MIN.
