Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that Emperor is a historical drama about American generals attempting to establish order in post-WWII Japan, as well as deciding whether or not to arrest and try Emperor Hirohito for war crimes. The filmmakers have padded the story with a fictional romance (which includes some kissing), but the movie could inspire students and families to do further research. Violence isn't especially frequent/graphic, but there are a couple of suicides (with blood), fighting, and images of a bombed-out Japan after the war. There's also some language, mostly coming from General MacArthur, including one use of "f--k." Characters smoke cigarettes (and one smokes a corncob pipe) throughout, which is accurate for the era the movie takes place in. The main character drinks beer, sake, and whisky and sometimes gets drunk, with no apparent repercussions.
Sexual
Content
The main character has a romantic relationship that includes lots of kissing, but nothing more sexual than that is shown or suggested. There's a brief scene of a "wild" college dance, with students kissing in the background.
Violence
Emperor takes place in Tokyo after WWII. Viewers see destroyed buildings and homeless victims, and there's much talk about how many people died in bombings. Many guns are shown, but they're rarely fired. A dead body is seen just after suicide; a pool of blood is shown. Another character commits suicide with a gun behind an opaque window; blood splatters on the window. The main character gets into a bar fight, and his face is bloodied. Children throw rocks at the main character, giving him a small cut on his forehead.
Language
Language is fairly infrequent, and only General MacArthur uses it. He says "f--king" once and uses "son of a bitch," "s--t," "balls," "hell," "piss," "damn," and "goddamn" at least once each.
Social
Behavior
A man faces a complex decision. In spite of great pressure -- and after a great deal of mental struggle -- he eventually chooses compassion over revenge. And he manages to pass this compassion on to others.
Consumerism
Not applicable
Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol
Fellers drinks beer and gets drunk in a bar and later drinks whisky and gets drunk in his office. There are no apparent after affects. He smokes cigarettes throughout (accurate for the era). Many minor characters are also seen drinking and smoking in the background.
