One of the last films left to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival is the next drama from Peter Webber (Girl with a Pearl Earring, Hannibal Rising). Starring Tommy Lee Jones and Matthew Fox, after initial stills and sales posters, we’ve now got the first look at footage from Emperor, thanks to a clip from Entertainment Weekly.
While it doesn’t go into the romantic side of this war drama, we do get to see Jones in great form as General Douglas MacArthur, complete with an epic corncob pipe. If you enjoyed his war banter in Captain America, it looks like this film is for you. Fox also pops up later in the clip with some voiceover, looking not as crazy as his Alex Cross character. Check it out below for the film also starring Eriko Hatsune.
Synopsis:
A gripping tale of love and honor forged between fierce enemies of war, “Emperor” unfolds the story, inspired by true events, of the bold and secret moves that won the peace in the shadows of post-war Japan. Matthew Fox joins Academy Award® winner Tommy Lee Jones and newcomer Eriko Hatsune to bring to life the American occupation of Japan in the perilous and unpredictable days just after Emperor Hirohito’s World War II surrender. As General Douglas MacArthur (Jones) suddenly finds himself the de facto ruler of a foreign nation, he assigns an expert in Japanese culture — General Bonner Fellers (Fox), to covertly investigate the looming question hanging over the country: should the Japanese Emperor, worshipped by his people but accused of war crimes, be punished or saved? Caught between the high-wire political intrigue of his urgent mission and his own impassioned search for the mysterious school teacher (Hatsune) who first drew him to Japan, Fellers can be certain only that the tricky subterfuge about to play out will forever change the history of two nations and his heart.
Emperor premieres tonight at TIFF.