Ogata's performance is not bad but a great performance would be required to carry off such a claustrophobic script. Robert Dawson is clearly not even an actor and seems not to understand his own lines. I assume that the GIs were played by Russian passers by with a cold war grudge.<br /><br />Like 'Downfall' the narrative has all the potential of Greek Tragedy: human life writ large, where the outcome is not in doubt and a small stage on a human scale is used to chart great events. Unfortunately the task was beyond the writer and director's grasp and far beyond that of the cast.<br /><br />Some of the Emperor's verbal and physical non-sequiturs are amusing and generate some pathos from his situation but that is as far as it goes.<br /><br />In the few outdoor scenes the curious visual effects that are obviously meant to add artistic gravitas are as intrusive as the score.<br /><br />A good film could be made out of this subject matter but this one isn't it.