|
| • Advanced Search • Help |
Sayonara | Year: 1957 Classification: Drama Directed: - Joshua Logan Actors/Actresses: - Marlon Brando - Ricardo Montalban Very good movie I must admit I have watched this movie at least ten times. After renting it over and over at the video store, I finally broke down and bought it. I still watch it. I don't remember why I picked it up at the video store the first time, but I was so very impressed when I watched it. It is a fascinating love story and very well told. The acting is superb. James Garner is a nice surprise, and of course, Brando is at his best. It tells a great story of the difficult choice many men faced in the military while stationed in Japan after WWII when they fell in love and wanted to marry their Japanese girlfriends. I credit all those attached with the film for their wisdom in making this film about love that transcinds racial barriers. Three Love Stories In One SAYONARA is a love story. Actually the movie gives us three separate love stories but focuses mainly on just two of them. Major Lloyd Gruver (Marlon Brando) is a West Point graduate who is the son of a general and is engaged to a daughter of another general. Gruver falls in love with Hana-ogi (Miiko Taka), the leading dancer of a prestigious Japanese girl review. Joe Kelly (Red Buttons) is an airman in Gruver's outfit who is in love with Katsumi (Myoshi Umeki), another Japanese girl. Marine Captain Mike Bailey (James Garner) and one of the minor dancers in the troupe make up a third couple. As the story unfolds Gruver and Hana-ogi have to come to grips with their own prejudices while each has to combat the expectations thrust upon them by society because of their respective positions. Both are heavily bound by custom and tradition. On the other hand, Airman Kelly and Katsumi, who are unwavering in their love for each other and their determination to stay together at all costs, have to battle a mountain of red tape and an insensitive bureaucracy. This proves to be no small task. Captain Bailey and his girl friend seem to succeed in taking the whole situation in stride without putting too much pressure on each other. The movie is filled with contrasts. Besides the many differences between the two cultures, there is the sharp differentiation between the lives of military officers and enlisted men. The differences in style between Major Gruver and the more relaxed Captain Bailey are obvious. After earning a reputation as a comedian, Red Buttons was surprisingly convincing in his portrayal of the tragic Kelly. Myoshi Umeki and Miiko Taka both gave strong performances in their Hollywood debuts. Marlon Brando and James Garner did about as well as expected. Ricardo Montalban played a Kabuki dancer. Although he has long been considered a fine actor, surely one of the many fine Japanese actors available at that time would have been a better choice for this role. Both Red Buttons and Myoshi Umeki received Academy Awards as best supporting actor and best supporting actress. The film was nominated for five other Oscars including best picture. A Lack Of Women's Rights In Postwar Japan SAYONARA is a great love story about American servicemen in Japan during the early 1950's. Viewers may be shocked by the racial attitudes of the American military brass and also by the treatment of women in Japanese society. Academy awards were won by Red Buttons and Myoshi Umeki for their supporting roles. The movie was adapted from a novel by James Michener who had broad knowledge of postwar Japan. Beautiful and touching film Marlon Brando plays a Korean War pilot who has been ordered to rest in Japan, because his fiance's father is the commanding general. There he becomes pals with James Garner and the two of them meet Japanese dancers. Socializing with the locals is strictly forbidden, but Brando gradually falls in love with the star dancer. Their relationship must be kept secret, but Brando finds this impossible when one of his men, played by Red Buttons, marries a Japanese woman and is subjected to harsh army prejudice. Brando is very good as the southern charmer, but Red Buttons and Miyoshi Umeki steal the show as the married couple who face tragedy in an unforgettable scene. The beauty of cherry blossoms and kimonos and the cruelty of biogtry combine to make a lovely film you'll want to see again and again. Buy Sayonara at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Sayonara Search with the Priority Search Engine on Sayonara This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
|
