Watching'"The Railway Man' on installments.

[Paul S.]

I offer this for those who haven't seen this movie but intend to. Let's just say you might want to pace yourself.

I DVR recorded "The Railway Man' back before Easter and haven't watched it yet. Tonight, the wife and I decided to watch it. Mind you, I know exactly what it is about, but we had to turn it off and have a breather after only 20 minutes or so. So, our plan is, we will watch it on the installment plan - say 15 to 20 minutes at a time, with long breathers between 'episodes'.

You see, both of us knew 8th Division blokes growing up. Men who had been captured at Singapore and spent the rest of the war on the railway. They were our neighbours, our friend's fathers or even our school teachers. We knew men who came home broken and tormented by what they endured.

Let's just say that the movie is intense to start with. That intensity is magnified (and easily personalized and anger-inducing) for us Australians who grew up in the shadow of the men who suffered the horrors they did at the hands of the Japanese.

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[CINDERS]

Sadly for those that had to endure it for some they never forgot and never forgave so really after what has been recorded and allot more that has gone to the earth never to be spoken of who would blame them, we have moved on as we never had to endure the privations and horrors they have it day in day out.
And to chuck a match onto a pool of petrol read about " The Great Betrayal " By David Day it was an eye opener for me with some hollow promises made to our Govt of the day before Singapore fell, alsoI have not read this other book in my library yet which I brought to match the David Day one " Singapore The Japanese version " By Masanubo Tsju but fully intend to along with the Gordon Bennett story and Why Singapore Fell.

[Badger]

Excellent movie...

If anyone is interested, I'll get a copy a put it into The Screening Room (click here) for viewing online.

[Paul S.]

It is an excellent movie, and it only scratches the surface of what was endured physically and mentally by those who were captured in Malaya, at Singapore or on Java.

Ron, you're not wrong. The scars were deep and permanent for those who came home. For far too many the mental damage of years in a living hell never left them.

And yes, there was betrayal. Betrayal to Australia as a nation, to the men, and to the world after the war. The occupation and war crimes trials for Japan were a sham compared to what the Germans faced.

[Sentryduty]

The occupation and war crimes trials for Japan were a sham compared to what the Germans faced.

Reading the book "The Arms of Krupp" details from the Krupp family side how they ran their own trials and made a mockery of the Allied process.


Turning off the heat in the courthouse to make the environment uncomfortable.

Organizing repeated defense lawyer walkouts to leave the Krupps undefended and the trials unable to proceed.

Offering up the senior invalid Krupp as the mastermind behind the treatment of Jewish factory slaves on his deathbed to take the fall and die of natural causes before execution.

Paying out the entire reparations fund to the first few hundred Jewish survivors who applied, then played off any later applicants on the first group to absolve themselves of responsibility.

And so on.

They pulled similar stuff during the Armistice after WW1 with the French as well, it's a fascinating book, but does confirm the existence of evil in the world.

[Paul S.]

There is no doubt that the Krupp family as a whole escaped true justice.

[CINDERS]

Krupps should have been fried along with Speer as he got off pretty lightly but isn't funny how the father of the USA space program who was spirited away was never touched (V2 program)interesting reading it is when you compare the summary justice handed out to a few of the dictators that followed that regime can think of 2 quite readily in the past 10 years. Get a copy of that book Sentry The Great Betrayal by David day and you may get an idea of for those who knew on the day and the others that have learned about it over the years were so p*ssed at the mother country leaving our troops high and dry.

I am not going to be drawn or get into a slinging match over it as it is a part of our history but one thing I will say. If Australia did that in reverse Oh Lordy I doubt we would be allowed to have the union Jack on our flag. My father was British moved here in 1929 by himself at age 16 to work with his brother in a mine they owned near Coolgardie, dad signed up in the RAAF in 1941 and spent the next 4 years in N.G, Moratai and Mindanao having fun when the Japanese bombed the airfields he was stationed at as an LAC engine fitter.

Have that book Sentryduty ~ William Manchester The Arms of Krupp 1587 - 1968 Michael Joseph printers

---------- Post added at 10:16 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:08 AM ----------

I would like to see that film Badger as it sorta dovetails into what I said in this thread.

[browningautorifle]

"The Railway Man'

I've seen this one many times now...yes, well worth watching.

[CINDERS]

Welcome back BAR good stuff

[30Three]

I have not seen this movie yet. But I did read the book a few years ago.
It reminded me of a gentleman I knew when I was a lad; Lawrence Mole, he was a prisoner on the Burmah railway during WWII. He would often come to my father's garage for a chat and a cup of tea and a roll your own cigarette stuck to his lip. He hated anything Japanese and I remember him saying how he couldn't find an English made TV to buy, and that all the good British motorcycles were gone. He used to go to a reunion in London every year for his comrades, but stopped going when the president of the group turned up in a Mazda! he just couldn't believe it! he's gone now of course; as is Arthur Taylor, who was in north Africa with Monty; in his retirement; Arthur would help my dad at the garage and make the tea. I enjoyed talking to these guys when I was a teenager. All proper ordinary working class blokes, who knew what it was like to go to hell and back, and not complain! They are not forgotten!