As Zamperini nearly starved, a Japanese officer known as “The Bird” made it his personal mission to break him. This was the only way Louis felt he could finally be free of him. With Angelina Jolie’s film Unbroken, about the life of Louis Zamperini, set to release on Christmas Day, it seemed timely to offer you a conversation I had a few days ago with Louis’ 61-year-old son, Luke.Even before seeing the film, I was a huge Louis Z fan. Mutsuhiro Watanabe, known as the Bird to POWs, was a sadistic Japanese leader at two different POW camps, Omori and Naoetsu. The author of Seabiscuit now brings us a biography of World War II prisoner of war survivor Louis Zamperini (b. The Bird beat Zamperini mercilessly every day, often using a leather belt with a heavy brass buckle. In the movie, Officer Matsuhiro Watanabe relentlessly tortures the one-time Olympic hero Louis Zamperini. Watanabe had arrived in winter 1943 and soon became one of the most feared guards in the country. Hillenbrand cites Zamperini… He hoped to visit Watanabe, "the Bird," so he … Zamperini did make it home, but only after being picked up by a Japanese boat and suffering through two years of torture in POW camps. World War II Hero and Olympic Distance Runner. Now the only British survivor has told MailOnline: 'He was a psychopath.' Mutsuhiro Watanabe, aka The Bird. Louies Zamperini, upon returning to civilian life after the war, suffered severe PTSD from the torture he received in the POW camp and from Mutsuhiro Watanabe. It is said that he once made one man sit in a shack, donning only a fundoshi undergarment, for almost four days in winter. Japanese musician and first-time actor Miyavi plays Zamperini’s tormentor, prison guard Cpl. Unbroken: Path to Redemption (2018) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. They were beaten and starved, and Zamperini was singled out and abused repeatedly by a camp sergeant called the Bird, who would tear into fits of psychotic violence. Omori was on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay connected to the main city by a bamboo-slat bridge. Mutsuhiro Watanabe is a man of many names… and personalities. Excited at the prospect of being free of "The Bird," his hopes were crushed when he found out that Watanabe had also been transferred to Naoetsu. He was born under the name of Louis Silvie Zamperini in 1917 in Olean, New York. The 2014 movie Unbroken told only half the story of World War II veteran and prison camp survivor Louis Zamperini, but a new film – a sequel to that earlier hit – recounts the incredible second chapter in his life. Louie Zamperini and best-selling author Laura Hillenbrand’s eight-year journey together began just as the author finished “Seabiscuit: An American Legend.” During her research for her first book, she kept coming across another famous Californian who was discussed as the only one who could give Seabiscuit a run for his money. Following … When you forgive, it's like it … Near the end of 1944, the Japanese took advantage of their famous prisoner’s star power. He is a man who faces, and miraculously survives, an incredible number of horrific experiences. Aug 12, 2016 - Louis Zamperini shares his letter of forgiveness for "The Bird" with Greg Laurie. He later attributes his survival to the will of God. The Zamperini Field in Torrance, California, formerly the Torrance Municipal Airport, is named after him. The “Bird” couldn’t be one of them, so he decided to make their lives as miserable as possible. Zamperini was scheduled to be the Grand marshal of the 2015 Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. Later that year, a crash involving a B-24 bomber similar to this one would land the former Olympian in a Japanese prison camp. Although he didn’t medal, Louis Zamperini became known as “the boy with the fast finish,” and instantly became a … His tactics were so ferocious, Omori became known as “punishment camp.” Louis Silvie Zamperini (January 26, 1917 – July 2, 2014) was an American World War II veteran, an evangelical Christian and an Olympic distance runner. “His belt was about five inches wide, half-inch thick with a big steel buckle,” Zamperini said. Cynthia Zamperini, formerly Applewhite, was the wife of Louis Zamperini. the Bird Bird of Prey. Cynthia Zamperini met Louis when he returned from the war. The Bird subjects prisoners to extreme physical and emotional abuse. Filled with anger, anxiety, and hatred, Zamperini found solace in alcohol and in concocting plans to return to Japan to murder The Bird. Major Thematic Topics: Redemption, human dignity, human cruelty, survival, forgiveness. Cynthia Zamperini: Meeting Louis and Marriage. Wantanbe is called “The Bird” in Unbroken. Mutsuhiro “the Bird” Watanabe (played by Japanese musician Miyavi), a young corporal, singled out Zamperini for excessive torment. Zamperini found that he was in many ways still under the control and power of The Bird. Long Description. “The one who forgives never brings up the past to that person's face. Zamperini returned to Japan in 1998 to carry the Olympic torch. After being liberated after two years in prisoner-of-war camps and returning to the United States, Zamperini tried to live a normal life. Zamperini was transferred to Naoetsu, a beautiful snowy mountainous region. It was there that a sadistic guard, Corporal Mutsuhiro Watanabe, nicknamed "The Bird," chose Zamperini for special torture. In 1936, a 19-year-old track star from Torrance, California, placed eighth in the 5000-meter dash at the Berlin Olympics. Louis Silvie Zamperini is the man whose life journey is chronicled in this book. Watanabe was a constant figure in his nightmares. Watanabe’s favorite punishments included ordering some men to punch their officials in the head. Zamperini was shuttled among a series of POW camps until he landed at Omori, in Tokyo Bay. [2] It was in prison camp that Louie encountered a monstrous guard known as the Bird. A track athlete at the 1936 Munich Olympics, Zamperini became a B-24 crewman in the U.S. Army Air Force. Cynthia Zamperini saw the effects firsthand of Louis’s PTSD, and together, they used their faith to help him heal. He was born into a wealthy family but experienced humiliation when he was not made a military officer. Louis Zamperini, who has died aged 97, was a teenage American track star at the 1936 Berlin Olympics but went on to be more sorely tested as a … 1917). He also has a mischievous side. He was a leading candidate to break the 4-minute barrier in the mile run. Mutsuhiro Watanabe a.k.a. Zamperini sees on the Bird’s face “an expression of sexual rapture.’’ Zamperini stands up to every assault. He shows fighter instincts and remarkable endurance from a young age. Track star Louis Zamperini served in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II and suffered as a prisoner of war in Japan under the “The Bird.”. With his dignity destroyed and his … Louie reached the end of his endurance. Hillenbrand explained that the Bird had a special fixation on Zamperini, stalking, tormenting and beating him every day. Main Characters: Louis “Louie” Zamperini, Pete Zamperini, Russell Allen “Phil” Phillips, William “Bill” Harris, Mutsuhiro “The Bird” Watanabe, Cynthia (Applewhite) Zamperini. After an initial radio broadcast proving Louis was alive, he refused to read a second broadcast filled with Japanese propaganda. Titled Unbroken: Path to Redemption, it shows Zamperini returning to the United States a bitter and angry man, battling post-traumatic stress disorder. He married and seemingly “moved on,” but the Bird continued to haunt him. Conversion took away his nightmares, cured him of alcoholism, and enabled him to love his former enemies, even the guard that mistreated him so badly. Due to his fame—he had competed in the 1936 Olympics and was one of the fastest distance runners in the world—a jealous and sadistic prison guard, Mutsuhiro Watanabe, whom the prisoners nicknamed “the Bird,” singled Louis out for particularly cruel treatment. Louis Zamperini peers over the hatch nose of his aircraft in 1943. 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