On July 2, 2014, Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner, solider, war captive, writer, and worldwide hero passed away. This unfortunately was only a short time after his story was told in the new movie “Unbroken.”
This movie was long overdue and took 50 years to come out. However, with the directing assistance of Angeline Jolie, it finally made it to the big screen. Jolie had the great opportunity to get to know Zamperini during the production of this movie.
The movie really captured his progression from a rambunctious child to an Olympic underdog. The theater broke out into cheers as Zamperini sprinted the last lap of his 5000 meter run in just 56 seconds, scattering the previous record of 69.2 seconds. His level of pain tolerance pushed him forward in running and every challenge he came to face.
“Running is a sport that requires a lot of self discipline not just talent. And those traits can define a person’s personality,” said track Coach Chris Pellegrini.
Those traits had to be embodied by actor Jack O’Connell who played Louis Zamperini in “Unbroken.” O’Connell had to train vigorously to match an Olympic runner’s build and then had to lose it all to properly display how Zamperini looked floating in rafts on the ocean, starving and dehydrated.
O’Connell brilliantly recreated the emotions Zamperini felt during the plane crash into the Pacific to being captured by the Japanese.
During Zamperini’s capture a man named Mutsuhiro Watanabe “the bird” was given the task to make his life a living hell. An actor named Miyavi was chosen to play this role. He had the hardest, most controversial part to play because Watanabe despite being cruel did have a humane side that he desperately tried to destroy.
The most inspirational part of the movie was when Zamperini was forced to hold a heavy wooden plank above his head and was told he’d be shot if he dropped it. Zamperini had endured many painful situations and was at his breaking point. But instead of giving up and giving in to them, he stared his oppressors down and lifted the log all the way above his head.
Senior Tesla Barrera said, “It was an uplifting moment and showed that you don’t have to use violence to show you’re the better person.”
There was not a dry eye in the theater when Zamperini finally came home. Although, the movie didn’t show him dealing with post-traumatic stress and alcoholism, the movie explained how Zamperini went back to Japan to forgive his captors. Something a lot of people would never consider doing. He even tried to meet with Watanabe, who never showed up.
In 1998, Zamperini ran the torch in the winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. He was an inspirational man who truly deserves the title of the strongest man to have ever existed.
Sophomore Sara Waugh said, “He was an unbelievably strong man who never gave up.”