Sayonara (1957)

“The pleasure does not lie in the end itself. It’s in the pleasurable steps to that end. ” – Hana -ogi

Number of Times Seen – 1 (30 Dec 2014)

Brief Synopsis – An Air Force officer transferred to Japan during the Korean War gets immersed in the country’s culture and helps to try and fight against unjust US Army regulations.

My Take on it – This movie takes a very firm stance against US policy towards soldiers stationed in Japan during the Korean War from fraternizing and marrying Japanese women.

It shows us the toll this policy had on servicemen serving overseas.

This is based on a novel by James Michner who while stationed himself in Japan, he ended up marrying a local girl despite the policies.

This movie has a great cast led by Marlon Brando. Red Buttons and Miyoshi Umecki both won Oscars for their supporting roles.

Keep an eye out for James Garner and Ricardo Montalbon in small parts

The one problem that I had with this movie is that I felt it hasn’t aged very well in the 57 years since it came out.

Bottom Line – Very interesting story that helps shed light on unjust Armed Forces regulations during the Korean War. Great cast especially Buttons and Umeki who both won Oscars for their roles. Despite all this, I can’t say that this movie aged so well. Recommended!

Rating – Globe Worthy

_______________________________________

Check out my *updated* movie stats here

To see my reviews of Oscar Winning Performances check out this link

To see my reviews of all Oscar Best Picture Winners click here (now complete)

Here is a link to my movie index A-Z