Unbroken Faith: Louis Zamperini's Unmentioned Beliefs In The Movie

The 2014 film Unbroken, directed by Angelina Jolie, is based on the life of World War II veteran and Olympian Louis Zamperini. The film mentions Zamperini's faith briefly, showing him praying to God while stranded on a raft in the Pacific Ocean. However, critics have noted that the film does not delve deeply into Zamperini's faith journey, particularly his post-war struggles with alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder, and his eventual conversion to Christianity after attending a Billy Graham crusade. Zamperini's son, Luke, has also shared details of his father's faith that were not included in the film, such as the nightmares he experienced due to PTSD and his journey to forgiveness.

Zamperini's promise to God

Louis Zamperini's promise to God was a pivotal moment in his life, and it is depicted in the film "Unbroken", directed by Angelina Jolie. The film is based on Laura Hillenbrand's biography of the same name, which chronicles the extraordinary life of Zamperini, an Olympic runner-turned-war hero.

> "God save my life, get me home, and I'll seek you and serve you."

Zamperini recalled making this promise to God during a sermon by the evangelical preacher Billy Graham, which he attended years after returning from the war. He was filled with faith and forgiveness as he remembered God's hand in his life and survival. This moment marked a turning point in Zamperini's life, leading him to follow Christ and fulfil his promise to God.

Zamperini's post-war life

After the war, Louis Zamperini returned home to the United States, where he married Cynthia Applewhite in 1946. They had two children, Cissy and Luke, and remained married until Cynthia's death in 2001. Zamperini struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism, and suffered from nightmares about his wartime experiences.

In 1949, Zamperini's life changed when he attended a Billy Graham crusade in Los Angeles at the encouragement of his wife. He became a devout follower of Graham, quit drinking and smoking, and forgave his captors. His nightmares ceased, and he no longer felt the urge to kill his former prison guard, Mutsuhiro "The Bird" Watanabe.

Zamperini went on to become a Christian evangelist, devoting his life to God and to helping at-risk youth. He returned to Japan many times as a gesture of friendship and forgiveness, though Watanabe refused to meet with him. In 1998, four days before his 81st birthday, Zamperini ran a leg in the Olympic Torch relay for the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, not far from the POW camp where he had been held.

Zamperini died on July 2, 2014, at the age of 97, of pneumonia.

Zamperini's conversion to Christianity

Louis Zamperini's conversion to Christianity was a significant turning point in his life, helping him to overcome the trauma he experienced during World War II. While the film "Unbroken" does not delve deeply into his religious journey, it does include a scene where Zamperini prays to God, promising to dedicate his life to Him if he survives the storm. This moment is a pivotal part of Zamperini's faith journey.

Zamperini's spiritual journey began during his time adrift in the Pacific Ocean after his plane crashed. Facing life-threatening circumstances, he turned to prayer, promising God that if he spared his life, he would serve Him forever. This promise stayed with Zamperini after he returned home from the war. However, his initial attempts to live a normal life were plagued by nightmares about killing his former captors, leading him to alcohol to cope.

It was not until 1949, when his wife Cynthia encouraged him to attend a Billy Graham crusade in Los Angeles, that Zamperini's life truly changed. Reluctantly agreeing to go, he was reminded of the prayers he had made while stranded at sea and as a prisoner of war. It was at this crusade that he committed his life to Christ and began his journey of forgiveness towards his captors.

Zamperini's forgiveness of his captors

Louis Zamperini's journey to forgiving his captors began with his conversion to Christianity. After the war, Zamperini's life began to unravel due to post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism. He was haunted by nightmares of being tortured by "The Bird", and his rage towards his former captor became so all-consuming that he was driven to return to Japan to murder him.

However, in 1949, Zamperini's life changed after he attended a Billy Graham crusade at the urging of his wife. On the second night, Graham asked people to stand up and declare their faith. Initially resistant, Zamperini stopped short at the aisle and had a flashback to his time adrift on the raft, where he had prayed for rescue. At that moment, he felt that divine love had been with him during his darkest moments, and the bitterness and pain that had haunted him vanished.

Zamperini's newfound faith gave him the strength to let go of his hatred. He realised that holding onto anger was hurting himself, not his captors, and that true forgiveness would bring him peace and good health. During his 1952 speaking tour in Tokyo, he met with his former guards and shared his story and testimony with them, pressing the issue of Christianity. At age 80, he returned to Japan once more to carry the Olympic torch for the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, and though "The Bird" refused to meet with him, Zamperini sent him a letter expressing his forgiveness.

The absence of Jesus in the film

The film "Unbroken" does mention Louis Zamperini's faith, but only briefly. It does not mention Jesus at all. Zamperini's son Luke said that the film was faithful to his father's faith, but only in a very limited way. In the film, Zamperini is shown praying to God while stranded on a raft in the Pacific Ocean during a storm, promising to dedicate his life to Him if he survives. The film also notes that Zamperini made good on his promise to serve God and forgave all his captors. However, according to his son, many things happened between that moment of prayer and the time he returned home that were not included in the film.

After Zamperini was rescued from the ocean, he was kept in a prison camp for 27 months. The Japanese tried to use him for propaganda purposes, but he refused. As a result, he was sent back to the prison camp, where a guard known as "The Bird" tried to break him by beating him. Zamperini began to have nightmares about "The Bird" attacking him and started self-medicating with alcohol. His wife threatened him with divorce until they met a young preacher, Billy Graham, whose sermon she heard and which changed her heart.

Zamperini and his wife repeatedly returned to hear Graham preach, but Zamperini would walk away whenever Graham talked about sin. Finally, one day, Zamperini heard Graham say that people turn to God when they are at their lowest, which reminded him of the promise he had made to God on the raft. After that, Zamperini turned his life around. He began praying in earnest, stopped drinking, and forgave all his prison guards, including "The Bird". That night, he did not have the recurring nightmare for the first time in five years, and he never had it again for the rest of his life.

The film "Unbroken" does not include any of these details about Zamperini's faith journey and his struggles with PTSD and alcoholism. It also does not mention the influence of Billy Graham, who played a crucial role in Zamperini's life. While the film touches on Zamperini's promise to serve God and his forgiveness of his captors, it fails to show the full extent of his faith journey and the challenges he faced after returning home.

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