American Pastime (film)
Encyclopedia
American Pastime is a 2007 film set in the Topaz War Relocation Center, a Utah
camp which housed thousands of people during the Japanese American internment
during World War II
.
While the film is a dramatic narrative, it is based on true events and depicts life inside the internment camps, where baseball was one of the major diversions from the reality of the internees' lives. Location scenes were filmed in bleak, desolate land, not far from the site of the actual internment camp.
Former Major League Baseball
Player John Kruk
appeared as announcer.
descent in 1941, composed of Japanese-born parents and American-born children (in this case, two sons, Lane and Lyle).
They are forced to leave their home in Los Angeles
following the infamous Executive Order 9066
, signed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Order 9066 permitted the "exclusion" of Japanese Americans from the West Coast of the United States
, and actual historic footage shows the rounding up of these families, most of whom were (like the Nomura sons) born as American citizens.
The Nomuras find themselves in a dusty, windblown desert camp. The viewer sees some actual footage of Topaz War Relocation Center, shot by Dave Tatsuno
, using a camera which had been smuggled into the camp.
The elder Nomura had been a professional baseball
player, and he rapidly forms an in-camp league. One of the guards, Billy Burrell (Gary Cole
) is a minor-league baseball player, bitter about having been passed over by a recruiter from the New York Yankees
. Many of the major leagues' top players were off to war, perhaps giving Burrell another opportunity with the Yankees.
Lane Nomura, the oldest son enlists in the Army, as a member of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team
, the famed "Purple Heart Battalion." One guard, originally condemning the very idea of letting Japanese Americans into "our Army," changes his mind as he sees a list of men from Topaz who had been killed while rescuing a Texas battalion.
Lyle, the younger son, originally angry and rebellious over the internment, eventually finds motivation to succeed when the Topaz team challenges Burrell and the local minor league team, several of whose members are openly bigoted and hateful against the internees.
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
camp which housed thousands of people during the Japanese American internment
Japanese American internment
Japanese-American internment was the relocation and internment by the United States government in 1942 of approximately 110,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese who lived along the Pacific coast of the United States to camps called "War Relocation Camps," in the wake of Imperial Japan's attack on...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
While the film is a dramatic narrative, it is based on true events and depicts life inside the internment camps, where baseball was one of the major diversions from the reality of the internees' lives. Location scenes were filmed in bleak, desolate land, not far from the site of the actual internment camp.
Former Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
Player John Kruk
John Kruk
John Martin Kruk is a former Major League Baseball player and current baseball analyst for ESPN.-Early life and career:...
appeared as announcer.
Plot
The first scene shows the life of the Nomura family, a typical American family of JapaneseJapanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
descent in 1941, composed of Japanese-born parents and American-born children (in this case, two sons, Lane and Lyle).
They are forced to leave their home in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
following the infamous Executive Order 9066
Executive Order 9066
United States Executive Order 9066 was a United States presidential executive order signed and issued during World War II by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942 authorizing the Secretary of War to prescribe certain areas as military zones...
, signed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Order 9066 permitted the "exclusion" of Japanese Americans from the West Coast of the United States
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
, and actual historic footage shows the rounding up of these families, most of whom were (like the Nomura sons) born as American citizens.
The Nomuras find themselves in a dusty, windblown desert camp. The viewer sees some actual footage of Topaz War Relocation Center, shot by Dave Tatsuno
Dave Tatsuno
Dave Tatsuno was a Japanese American businessman who documented life in his family's internment camp during World War II. His footage was later compiled into the film Topaz...
, using a camera which had been smuggled into the camp.
The elder Nomura had been a professional baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player, and he rapidly forms an in-camp league. One of the guards, Billy Burrell (Gary Cole
Gary Cole
Gary Michael Cole is an American actor. Cole is known for his supporting roles in numerous film and television productions since the 1990s.-Early life:...
) is a minor-league baseball player, bitter about having been passed over by a recruiter from the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
. Many of the major leagues' top players were off to war, perhaps giving Burrell another opportunity with the Yankees.
Lane Nomura, the oldest son enlists in the Army, as a member of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team
442nd Regimental Combat Team
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team of the United States Army, was composed of Japanese-American enlisted men and mostly Caucasian officers. They fought primarily in Europe during World War II, beginning in 1944. The families of many of its soldiers were subject to internment...
, the famed "Purple Heart Battalion." One guard, originally condemning the very idea of letting Japanese Americans into "our Army," changes his mind as he sees a list of men from Topaz who had been killed while rescuing a Texas battalion.
Lyle, the younger son, originally angry and rebellious over the internment, eventually finds motivation to succeed when the Topaz team challenges Burrell and the local minor league team, several of whose members are openly bigoted and hateful against the internees.