Bill is an upcoming British family adventure-comedy film from the principal performers behind children's TV series Horrible Histories and Yonderland. Produced by Punk Cinema and Cowboy Films for BBC Films, it is scheduled for UK release on 18 September 2015. The film is a fictional take on the young William Shakespeare's search for fame and fortune, as written by Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond and directed by Richard Bracewell. It will feature the six lead performers playing several different roles each.
Depiction of Japanese characters, although questionable for our standards, may be useful for those who want to study inter-racial relations in 1940s America.
Japanese are portrayed as evil, insidious and utterly alien to American society. Attempts of integration or assimilation are bound to fail, which is suggested with scene in Panamanian cinema featuring Japanese immigrants preferring technically inferior movies from their old country to more glamorous Hollywood.
Moviemaker's skepticism towards individuals overcoming their cultural and racial background is also underlined with the character of Lorenz's henchman Joe Totsuiko (played by Victor Sen Young) who wants to look and sound more American than Americans themselves only to become a caricature; in the final scenes, Doctor Lorenz, who made a great deal of superiority of Oriental culture, fails miserably in his attempt to follow example of his Japanese role models.
This worldview might look unacceptable for most of today's audience, but it is presented very skilfully, which is another reason why ACROSS THE PACIFIC should be seen as something more than simple WW2 propaganda.
