Episode goal:
Our goal for this contextual podcast episode is to help you understand the plot of the

Virus (Day of Resurrection), to give you the cultural and historical background about the period in which the movie was made, to tell you about how the movie was made in 1980 and to let you know some of our thoughts about this movie.

Narrative summary:
In 1981 a virus called MM88, a deadly pathogen that makes any virus or bacteria multiply and become extremely worse is stolen from a US laboratory. A year later an East German scientist Dr. Krauss sells the virus to a group of Americans who kill him and flee. Their plane crashes in Russia and the virus is released into the world. The virus is named the “Italian flu” as it starts killing people around the world rapidly

The President of the United States and his cabinet soon realize that the virus was stolen from a lab inside the U.S. and it was covered up by a military general. Another general tells the president he should turn on the US’s Automatic Reaction System of nuclear weapons in case the virus is an attack from the Soviet Union.

The people stationed in Palmer Station Antarctica have been getting little information from the outside world but are protected from the virus because of its inability to handle cold subzero temperatures. Right before the President of the United States dies, he informs the Antarctic bases that everyone in the world is going to be killed but them. He tells them to save themselves by staying in Antarctica and to not let anyone else into the continent. He tells the countries that are stationed at the base that they must work together to stay alive. Once the president dies the trigger happy General uses his last few minutes alive to turn on the ARS nuclear system.

Shortly after the President’s message is received, the people in the Norwegian base all kill themselves except for one pregnant woman who hides to avoid the massacre. The remaining people from all different countries form The Federal Council of Antarctica. The remaining 855 men and eight women create a set of rules and laws that includes all the women getting pregnant to begin repopulation of the earth.

The main character Dr. Shûzô Yoshizumi figures out that oil drilling in the East Coast of the United States will cause an earthquake that will be powerful enough to mimic a nuclear explosion in Washington D.C. that will cause the U.S. ARS system to fire nuclear missiles at the Soviet Union. A Russian Captain on the base informs the Federal Council that a missile strike will set off all of Russia’s nuclear missiles including one targeting Palmer Station. Major Carter and Dr. Yoshizumi decide to go to D.C. and turn off the US ARS system to save the remaining human population in Antarctica. Yoshizumi spends his last night on the base with Marit, the only surviving woman from the Norwegian base.
Before leaving the submarine Carter and Yoshizumi take an experimental MM88 vaccine then head toward the White House. Major Carter is killed by the earthquake as they enter the bunker. Yoshizumi runs to the button to stop the missiles but he’s too late. All the missiles from both countries are launched.

Years later Yoshizumi is alive after somehow surviving both the nuclear blast and the virus as he walks towards Antarctica. The remaining women, children and men from an icebreaker that left shortly before the missile strike are barely surviving somewhere in South America. Yoshizumi arrives at their encampment where he and Marit embrace as he whispers “Life is wonderful”.

Opening Scene:
A British submarine emerges in the waters outside of Tokyo to take an air sample that concludes that a deadly virus is still active in the air. The crew shows Yoshizumi the main character drone footage of Tokyo post deadly infection. A scientist aboard the submarine convinces the captain of the vessel to allow him to keep the air sample in isolation in hopes of creating a vaccine.

Story development:
The story follows the cause of the US genetic scientist creating a deadly disease that annihilates the entire population of the planet except for a small number of people stationed in the continent of Antarctica. The movie shows the initial release of the virus into the world and all the devastation it does to the human race. The only remaining humans in Antarctica must figure out a way to survive and repopulate the earth. After surviving the first mass extinction of the human race the survivors in Antarctica must figure out a way to survive a future nuclear strike targeted for their home.

End of the film:
At the end of the movie, you should assume he has traveled from Washington DC to the southern part of South America for several years until finally arriving at the account encampment of the remaining Antarctic survivors. Marit’s daughter plays with a young boy that could be the child of Yoshizumi and Marit. As Yoshizumi stumbles down the rocky beach towards the house, Marit runs toward him and they embrace. The rest of the survivors are in disbelief that he is alive as they run to meet their long lost friend once again. As the group hug, Yoshizumi says “Life is Wonderful” just as Major Carter did with his last breath.

3 Most important scenes:
1. The U.S. President’s speech to Antarctica- This scene was very important because it confirmed the people based in Antarctica‘s worst fear. For months the bases had been unable to get information from the outside world about the virus. The president pleaded with all of the remaining countries in Antarctica to work together unlike they did before the pandemic. He told them that this was the only way to ensure their survival. This scene informed the remaining population of their new reality. They understood the importance of their cooperation because the president used his last few minutes to make sure they saved the human race.

2. Colonel Rankin institutionalizes virus scientist- I believe this scene is really important because the action of this Colonel could have prevented the virus from being cured. Instead of taking the blame for authorizing the creation of MM88 and allowing it to be stolen, Colonel Rankin forces the scientist who knew about the virus to be committed to a mental hospital to stop him from telling the truth. The scientist knew how dangerous MM88 was and was planning to inform the government about its disappearance and Colonel Rankin’s attempts to cover it up. If the scientist was able to inform the government about MM88, they could have been able to make a vaccine before it wiped out the entire population.

3. Toby Anderson’s radio call- This scene was both informative and shocking for the men in the Japanese base to hear. In the scene, a boy named Toby Anderson is heard on the radio trying to contact anyone that is still alive. The men try to communicate with him but he is holding down the button making it impossible for him to hear the men on the base. He says his dad is dead and he is alone in Santa Fe. He says he has his dad’s gun and after the men hear a gunshot, Toby is not heard again. It is implied that he accidentally killed himself. This radio call shows the chaos that is ensuing throughout the outside world to the man stuck in Antarctica. They begin to understand the severity of the virus and that many people are possibly dead. This radio call shows the chaos that is ensuing throughout the outside world to the man stuck in Antarctica. They begin to understand the severity of the virus and how many people are possibly dead.

Main theme:
Survival
Rebirth (destruction of corrupted society and hope of new world)

Climax:
The climax of the movie occurs when Yoshizumi and Major Carter go to Washington DC to turn off the United States ARS nuclear system. Right after they take an experimental vaccine for MM88 on the submarine they rush off in a speedboat towards the White House. They run through the city and as they arrive at the White House a small earthquake hits. Once they make it into the bunker they set up a bomb to open the doors where the nuclear controls are kept. While Major Carter runs away from the door after setting the bomb, another large earthquake hits which causes him to be stabbed by falling metal. Yoshizumi runs into the war room but arrives one second too late as the earthquake sets off the missile launch. Carter dies on the floor at the war room and Yoshizumi radios the submarine to warn them of the incoming nuclear missiles.

Loose ends:

• ●  The film does not show or explain how Joshua Sumi survives the nuclear missile strikeon Washington DC while he is below the White House.
• ●  In the film, Yoshizumi’s girlfriend who works as a nurse in a hospital is one of the lastpeople in the hospital and the city of Tokyo to die even though she is one of the firstpeople shown to become sick.
• ●  Before your show soon his girlfriend dies of the virus she takes her friend’s child onto aboat and begins driving it into the ocean. While she drives the boat she hands the boy a dozen pills to take and tells him to call out for his father in Antarctica. She takes the same pills as they continue to drive out to see. They don’t explain why she decides to get on a boat to commit suicide instead of just letting the virus kill her at home.

Historical Context
Japanese- US Relations 1970-1980

• –  Post WWII japan was occupied by the Allies, mostly American troops until released by the San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1951
• –  1952 Occupation Ended, Japan is Independent state and an ally of US 1
• –  1970s- End of Vietnam War, concern over Japan’s security as an East Asian American Ally and at the request of the US Defense, it gradually bolstered its defense system including American Military bases in Japan 2
• –  1980s- Tehran US embassy (sixty hostages), Japan condemned act while continuing to purchase Iranian Oil- received criticism from US and Japan apologized
• –  After Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, Japan implemented sanctions against Soviet Union and agreed to build up their national defense at the request of US3 Virus (pandemics that occurred shortly before film & production)

• –  1957 H2N2 (“Asian Flu”) emerged in East Asia death was 1.1 million worldwide
• –  1968 H3N2 Pandemic- first noted in US, killed 1 million worldwide and continues to circulate as seasonal influenza
• –  1970s H1N1 (swine flu) outbreak among recruits in US military Fort leads to vaccination program until excessive cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome is suspected to be associated with the vaccine- program is halted4 Cultural Context

-​ ​Set in 1981-1983 in different places throughout the world such as Japan, Washington DC, Antarctica and briefly Russia.

• -​  ​Film released in 1980
• -​  ​This is a Japanese made film, with English parts and Japanese parts. It is more geared towards Japanese culture and society because of how the film was produced with untranslated Japanese labels throughout the film. However, context is very international as it consists of a subject which is a global issue; worldwide pandemic.5

-​ ​Social ideologies such as post cold war tensions are present which make it difficult for certain countries to cooperate in these desperate times.

1 ​“San Francisco Peace Treaty.” San Francisco Peace Treaty | Japan Module. Accessed April 15, 2020. https://www.japanpitt.pitt.edu/glossary/san-francisco-peace-treaty.
2 ​LaFeber, Walter. ​The Clash: US-Japanese Relations throughout History​. New York: Norton, 1997.
3 ​Gluck, Carol, and Stephen Richards Graubard. ​Showa: the Japan of Hirohito​. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993. 4 ​“1968 Pandemic (H3N2 Virus).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, January 2, 2019. ​https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1968-pandemic.html​.

5 ​“Virus (1980 Film).” Culture Wikia. Accessed April 15, 2020. https://culture.fandom.com/wiki/Virus_(1980_film). 

Production Context

Virus​ (復活の日, ​Fukkatsu no hi)​ (literal translation: ​Day of Resurrection​) is a 1980 Japanese ​post-apocalyptic​ ​science fiction film​ directed by ​Kinji Fukasaku​In the 1970s, producer Haruki Kadokawa formed the Kadokawa Production Company. 6

The production of Virus went into the end of a tide of globally visible disaster movies, and Haruki Kadokawa think of this genre and makes it as international co-corporate film, the eccentric heir of the Kadokawa entertainment empire in Japan, as his passport to international success. Tōhō as one of the best Japanese production company produces a lot of film with a good box office. Then Kadokawa plan to produce a disaster film Virus to achieve similar box-office to Nippon Chinbotsu (1973) made by Tōhō, Kadokawa plumped for source material from the same author, Sakyō Komatsu, in the form of Fukkatsu [“Resurrection Day”] (1964). As the content of this film is about the disaster and it has been a matter to Japanese producers, they started to consider Virus as a co-production film since 1965. At the time, it was the most expensive movie ever made in Japan. There are 4 shoot counties in the film which are from Canada, the U.S, Antarctic, and Japan. Because of the 200-day shooting schedule, of which 40 were spent in Antarctica, as well as the use of a real submarine on loan from the Chilean navy, the budget was extremely excessive. And unfortunately, the film still failed in box office

155 minutes (Japan), cut to 108 minutes (US), cut to 93 minutes (tv). 7
Kadokawa put 2 million yen into the film Virus, the largest production budget in Japan film history. There are 97 main film makers.

There are 8 film locations.
British Columbia, Canada (Antarctic Scenes) Alaska, USA
Antarctic peninsula, Antarctica
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada
Machu Picchu, Peru
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Tokyo, Japan

Awards of the Japanese Academy 1981:
Won, Award of the Japanese Academy: Best Sound​ Kenichi Benitani

• –  Nominated, Award of the Japanese Academy: Best Cinematography​ Daisaku Kimura
• –  Nominated, Award of the Japanese Academy: Best Music Score​ Kentaro Haneda
• –  Nominated, Award of the Japanese Academy: Best Art Direction ​Yoshinaga Yoko’o
• –  Nominated, Award of the Japanese Academy: Best Director ​Kinji Fukasaku
• –  Nominated, Award of the Japanese Academy: Best Lighting ​Hideki Mochizuki Mainichi Film Concours
  Won, Mainichi Film Concours: Best Sound Recording ​Kenichi Benitani86 ​Wikipedia, ​Virus 1980
  7 ​SFE: The Science Fiction Encyclopedia. Accessed April 15, 2020. ​http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/fukkatsu_no_hi​. 8 ​“Day of Resurrection.” ​IMDb,​ IMDb.com, 26 June 1980,​ ​www.imdb.com/title/tt0080768/​.