A 1957 American Technicolor drama film starring Marlon Brando. It tells the story of an American Air Force fighter pilot during the Korean War who falls in love with a famous Japanese dancer. The picture won four Academy Awards, including acting honors for co-stars Red Buttons and Miyoshi Umeki. The supporting cast also features Patricia Owens, James Garner, Martha Scott, Ricardo Montalbán, and Miiko Taka.
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The screenplay was adapted by Paul Osborn from the 1954 novel of the same name by James Michener, and was directed by Joshua Logan and produced by William Goetz. Unlike most 1950s romantic dramas, it deals squarely with racism and prejudice
Miiko Taka, who at the time was working as a clerk at a travel agency in Los Angeles, was discovered by a talent scout at a local Nisei festival. She was cast despite having no previous acting experience.
Ricardo Montalbán, born in Mexico to Spanish immigrants, plays a Japanese character in “yellowface” makeup. Montalbán modeled his performance on Seki Sano, a well-known Japanese acting teacher under whom he had trained.
Alongside the less successful Japanese War Bride (1952) and The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956), Sayonara is considered by some scholars to have increased racial tolerance in the United States by openly discussing interracial marriage. Other scholars have argued that it is one in a long list of films stereotyping Asian American women as "lotus blossom, geisha girl, china doll, or Suzie Wong".
Appearances[edit]
- Miiko Taka as Hana-Ogi
- Miyoshi Umeki as Katsumi Kelly, a role for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
- Reiko Kuba as Fumiko-San
- Rollin Moriyama as Reporter (uncredited)
- Bill Saito as Photographer (uncredited)
- Kayoko Wakita as Door Attendant (uncredited)
- Setsuko Yamaji as Teenage Fan (uncredited)
Problems[edit]
- Ricardo Montalban in Yellowface
- Asians as Attendents