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The Falcon Fighters (1969)

Genre : Drama, War

Runtime : 1H 40M

Director : Mitsuo Murayama
Writer : Katsuya Susaki

Synopsis

In the prewar days leading up to the Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937, head flight instructor Lt. Katō Tateo of the Imperial Japanese Army-Air Corps trains new volunteers from the Army's Infantry to become Japan's next generation of fighter pilots at the Tokorozawa Flying School. Flying Kawasaki Ko-4 biplanes, Lt. Katō will train both friend and future foe alike. But as war in China breaks out, Katō now in command of the 5th Rentai will take his untested men flying antiquated planes into aerial combat against the Chinese Air Force who is now headed by Lt. Cho who Katō both earlier befriended and personally trained himself. While Katō's squadron ultimately achieves air superiority over the skies of Manchuria, it comes at a high price in men to which each loss carries a heavy burden that he alone must carry. As the war widens into the Second World War, Captain Katō must battle an ever advancing array of deadlier new enemies flying ever more modern fighter planes.

Actors

Makoto Satō
Makoto Satō
Lt. Takeo Kato
Kōjirō Hongō
Kōjirō Hongō
2nd Lt. Ando
Ken Utsui
Ken Utsui
Jun Fujimaki
Jun Fujimaki
Cho Eishun
Shiho Fujimura
Shiho Fujimura
Kato's Wife
Yôko Namikawa
Yôko Namikawa
Keiko
Tōru Minegishi
Tōru Minegishi
Akio Hasegawa
Akio Hasegawa
Shigeru Tsuyuguchi
Shigeru Tsuyuguchi
Kenjirō Ishiyama
Kenjirō Ishiyama
Bontarō Miake
Bontarō Miake
Yoshirô Kitahara
Yoshirô Kitahara
Takashi Nakamura
Takashi Nakamura
Osamu Ôkawa
Osamu Ôkawa
Koichi Uenoyama
Koichi Uenoyama
Jutarô Hojo
Jutarô Hojo
Susumu Fujita
Susumu Fujita
Shôgo Shimada
Shôgo Shimada
Yûzô Hayakawa
Yûzô Hayakawa
Sei Hiraizumi
Sei Hiraizumi
2nd Lt. Kihara

Crews

Masaichi Nagata
Masaichi Nagata
Executive Producer
Katsuya Susaki
Katsuya Susaki
Screenplay
Yukio Okumura
Yukio Okumura
Sound Recordist
Shoichi Uehara
Shoichi Uehara
Lighting Technician
Koichi Takahashi
Koichi Takahashi
Art Direction
Seitaro Omori
Seitaro Omori
Music
Toyo Suzuki
Toyo Suzuki
Editor
Mitsuo Murayama
Mitsuo Murayama
Director
Kimio Watanabe
Kimio Watanabe
Director of Photography