Louis Zamperini
How long was Louis Zamperini POW?
He endured daily torment as a prisoner of war.
After being held for some
six weeks
on the island of Kwajalein, Zamperini was shipped to the Japanese mainland and eventually confined to three different interrogation centers and POW camps.
How long did Louie survive on the raft?
Louis Zamperini, onetime Olympic runner who survived WWII ordeals, dies at 97. Louis Zamperini, a onetime Olympic runner who survived
47 days
on a raft in the Pacific and two years as a Japanese prisoner during World War II, and whose story was retold in the best-selling biography “Unbroken,” died July 2 in Los Angeles …
How long did Louie hold the plank?
He Was a Prisoner of War
Zamperini was pummeled with clubs, belts, and fists, and on one occasion, was ordered to hold a heavy wooden beam over his head. He lasted
37 minutes
before passing out.
Did the actors in Unbroken have to lose weight?
They drifted — without food, water or shelter — for 47 days before being captured by the Japanese. Here his living hell began, as he was starved and tortured. For his role,
O’Connell had to lose some 22 pounds
. “It was definitely difficult, but for the right reasons.
What did Louis call the darkest moment of his life?
Louie would remember that moment when he saw
the Bird
as the darkest of his life.
How many days did Mac survive on the raft?
When his B-24 bomber crashed into the sea on May 27, 1943, only three men survived: Louie, his pilot Russell Allen “Phil” Phillips, and tail gunner Francis “Mac” McNamara. Over the next
46 days
, they struggled to survive in two small, inflatable rafts while drifting across miles and miles of water.
Did Louie Zamperini ever meet the bird?
Yes. Louis Zamperini met Corporal Mutsuhiro Watanabe (aka “The Bird”) at the Omori POW camp located on an island in Tokyo Bay
.
Which American Olympic athlete was later a prisoner of war in World War II?
Zamperini
spent the next two years as a prisoner of war, tortured many times over, though his status of being Olympian perhaps dissuaded the Japanese from killing him. He credited his athletic training for helping him survive.
How is Louie optimistic?
Louie Zamperini is a very optimistic and resilient person. He shows his optimism by
always looking on the bright side, being hopeful
…show more content… He always finds a way to get what he wants. He also never gives up.
What happened to the bird Watanabe?
Mutsuhiro Watanabe | Nickname(s) The Bird | Born 18 January 1918 | Died April 2003 (aged 85) | Allegiance Imperial Japanese Army |
---|
How is Mac different from Louie and Phil?
Mac serves as a character foil, one to whom the reader might find it easier to relate. While Louie and Phil, crewmates from Super Man, are Superman-like,
Mac is heroic but human
.
What made Louie faint?
Weak and ill, Louie is determined to outlast The Bird. Miraculously, he holds the beam overhead for 37 minutes until
The Bird finally gives him a furious beating
that knocks him unconscious.
How much of the movie Unbroken is real?
Yes, Unbroken is based on true events
. Zamperini, who died in 2014 at age 97, was a very real person, and the film tells the true story of his capture and perseverance as a prisoner of war.
How long did it take to film Unbroken?
It took
60 years
for Hollywood to greenlight Zamperini’s life story (and what must have felt like another 60 years for Jolie to edit it), but on Christmas Day, he finally will finish his marathon to the screen. And as far as Jolie is concerned, he couldn’t be arriving at a better time.
Why was Watanabe not prosecuted?
However, he was not prosecuted
when the US was trying to compromise with Japan
. Why was he one of the people who was not prosecuted when his crimes were truly horrendous? He went on to become an insurance salesman and generally had a successful life instead of being arrested for his crimes.
How did the actors get so thin in Unbroken?
“She was so thin because
most of the actors were not able to eat because they’re prisoners in the camp
. So she was close to us.” Unbroken is about Olympic runner and US airman Louis Zamperini who spent 47 days living on a raft after a plane crash and survived two years as a Japanese prisoner of war.
Did everyone Punch Louis Zamperini?
In one camp scene in the movie, the Bird orders all of the other prisoners to line up and punch Louis in the face, one by one, in order to teach him “respect.”
This actually did occur, for about two hours
, though Zamperini wasn’t the only one at the receiving end of the beatings; several other POWs who, along with …
What are Louie’s biggest fears?
Initially, Louis Zamperini’s greatest obstacle was
his own mortality
. During World War II, his entire focus was on surviving, and the odds continued to be against him. He joined the Air Force in 1941 and was stationed on the Pacific as a bombardier on a B-24 Liberator bomber.
What quest did Louie find to replace his lost Olympics?
Louie had found a quest to replace his lost Olympics. He was going to
kill the Bird
.
How was Louie resourceful in unbroken?
Louie is skilled at
hitting his targets and playing pranks on his friends during down time
, like when he clogs a crewmate’s “piss pipe” (2.7.
How did Louie get even with the Sharks?
How did Louie get even with the sharks?
He lifted a shark out of the water by its tail and the men ate its liver.
How did Louie catch a fish?
How was Louie able to catch a fish?
They caught a bird and use its meat as bait to catch fish
.
What important discovery do Phil and Louie make at the end of the excerpt from Unbroken?
What important discovery do Phil and Louie make at the end of the excerpt from Unbroken?
Their minds have been freed
.
Did Louie forgive The Bird?
He forgave them
. In 1998, Zamperini returned to Japan once again to be a torchbearer at the Nagano Winter Games. He offered to meet The Bird (who was thought to be dead but had resurfaced), but Watanabe refused to meet with him. Zamperini forgave him anyway.
What happened to Louis Zamperini after the war?
He and Phillips were later transferred to a number of prisoner of war camps on mainland Japan and were separated. They wouldn’t meet again until after the war. Zamperini eventually was
transferred to the infamous Naoetsu POW camp in northern Japan, where he remained until the end of the war
.
Why was The Bird so mean in Unbroken?
Mutsuhiro Watanabe, known as the Bird to POWs, was a sadistic Japanese leader at two different POW camps, Omori and Naoetsu. He was born into a wealthy family but experienced humiliation when he was not made a military officer.
The Bird subjects prisoners to extreme physical and emotional abuse
.