Where's the film version of "Ghost Soldiers"?

Over a year ago, I saw a preview screening of a WWII film titled The Great Raid , which is derived from the acclaimed book Ghost Soldiers. The story focuses on a mission undertaken by the 6th Ranger Battalion to liberate a American POWs -- survivors of the Bataan death march -- held in a Japanese camp in the Philippines. Few movies detail the atrocious behavior of the Japanese fascists, but this film (the version I saw, at least) pulls no punches.

Those attending preview screenings are asked not to publish anything about the film, which is one reason why I've never mentioned The Great Raid on this site. I doubt that its makers will mind my saying I considered the movie excellent, and that I overheard nothing but positive comments from other members of the audience.

Yet the film remains unseen.

The official website says only that the film is due in "2004." They're running late.

This tardiness has me a tad concerned. Did someone pressure the producers?

The Japanese -- who fund a large portion of our deficit -- despise any honest recollection of their wartime atrocities. When Iris Chang wrote about the Rape of Nanking (a holocaust the Japanese usually refuse to acknowledge), she received death threats and other forms of harassment, which may well have played a role in her suicide. Some observers have even argued that her opponents engineered her death. Those looking for new reasons to feel paranoid may want to check out this page, which summarizes a radio program about Chang's work and untimely end.

Well, I don't want to be paranoid. I do want you to see The Great Raid. Will this important movie remain on the shelf forever?