Emperor

Historical drama can be a tricky topic. Attempts to manufacture tension from events long past where the audience presumably already knows the outcome means two things. First, it is in the telling of the story, and not the surprise-free ending, that the cinematic value is gleaned. Second, infusing these events with interests both human and historical means that we need to care about the fates of the people involved. This is especially true of film centering around the exhaustively explored period of World War II. Recycling stories that are often grim and, by now, in danger of being cliched, requires...  read more