THEY ARE REPLACED BY THE PRODUCERS, TERRENCE CHANG, TRACIE GRAHAM, AND ALISON ROSENZWEIG . TERRENCE CHANG IS A HONG KONG LEGEND… ALONG WITH HIS PARTNER AND FRIEND JOHN WOO. ALISON AND TRACIE ARE PRODUCING PARTNERS WITH A LONG HISTORY OF SUCCESS. THEY LOOK LIKE ACTRESSES, BEAUTIFUL AND INTELLIGENT. BUT YOU CAN TELL THAT THEY ARE A CUNNING TEAM.

Sad to say, I’ll have to recap what was talked about. My recorder was fine, but they all seemed to speak very quietly for producers. I wouldn’t want to misrepresent them.

Terrence spoke a lot of John Woo. You can tell that they are very close friends. Terrence respected the story of the code talkers and wanted to make sure that none of us thought of Woo as some action director. If you are a true Woo fan like I am you will understand what he is saying. Woo’s films, while violent, are always about the relationship between two men. These days it’s hard to tell such stories. The action is a way to bring in the macho side of us and understand friendship and sacrifice. It’s a ballet for men.

Alison and Tracie came upon the story from Tracie’s brother, a WWII buff. He was very passionate about the details, which enticed the two of them. They brought it to John and Joe… knowing that they were seeking a project to reconnect together.

When asked if they thought it was different for two women producing a John Woo war film… they laughed and said that they love action. They love explosions.

The three of them were thrilled to be working with Nic Cage… who couldn’t be here today, and were proud to have a star/director combination of Cage and Woo.

ALL THREE OF THEM ARE VERY QUIET AND YOU CAN TELL THAT THEY KNOW THE BUSINESS BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS. TERRENCE IS CALM, BUT HAS A WONDERFUL PRESENCE… POWERFUL. ALISON AND TRACIE ARE SERIOUS BUT VERY NICE. THEY COMMAND THE ROOM SOMEHOW… WITH THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE.

THEY ARE REPLACED BY AN ORIGINAL CODE TALKER FROM THE WAR, HIS SON, AND A CONSULTANT FOR THE NAVAJO CODE HISTORY.

The veteran was one of the initial creators of the code. He spoke even more softly. At 81 years, you can see the wisdom in his face. He speaks of the Navajo with pride and promise. I saw him at the MGM screening room the night before, and you could see that the images in front of him were creating some memories. His son, sitting next to him, has so much pride for his father. He admits to speaking very little Navajo… and wishes, in honor of his father, that he would have learned more.

We asked the veteran if the Navajo regarded the code talkers as national heroes. While he said that those who knew did, he also admitted that many of the Navajo people weren’t aware of the history. Some of us couldn’t believe that. He sat stern and said to us, “We are no different than all races. There is a generational gap in all of us. Even if you’re white. Most grandfather’s didn’t talk about the war… which meant that many stories went untold.”

He reminds me of my grandfather, a hero who doesn’t believe in his reputation as one. He was there to do a job, and serve his country. The Navajo Code was the secret of the military until late 1968… it was then revealed that the Code was the key to the war in the Pacific.

Ken talks with Noah Emmerich and Peter Stormare in Part 1.
Ken talks with Christian Slater and Roger Willie in Part 2.
Ken talks with actors Brian Van Hol, Martin Henderson and writers John Rice and Joe Batteer in Part 3.
Ken talks with producers Terrence Chang, Tracie Graham and Alison Rosenzweig in Part 4.
Ken talks with director John Woo and star Adam Beach in Part 5.

Ken Miyamoto