Sayonara

SAYONARA (PG)

D: Joshua Logan

Warner Bros (William Goetz)

US 🇺🇸 1957

147 mins

Drama

W: Paul Osborn [based on the novel by James A. Michener]

DP: Ellsworth Fredericks

Ed: Arthur P. Schmidt & Philip W. Anderson

Mus: Franz Waxman

PD: Ted Haworth

Marlon Brando (Maj. Lloyd ‘Ace’ Grover), Patricia Owens (Eileen Webster), James Garner (Capt. Mike Bailey), Martha Scott (Mrs. Webster), Miika Taka (Hana-ogi), Red Buttons (Joe Kelly), Miyoshi Umeki (Katsumi)

Sayonara is a melodrama that would have had far more impact upon its 1957 release than it does looking back on it well over 50 years later.

Set against the backdrop of the Korean War, Marlon Brando plays Air Force Major Lloyd ‘Ace’ Gruver, who attempts to dissuade one of his airmen, Joe Kelly, from marrying his Japanese fiancée whilst they are stationed in Tokyo, only for Gruver to fall in love with a Japanese dancer himself.

Whilst the romance aspect of the film, dealing with what was once the taboo subject of interracial marriage, is incredibly dated from a modern perspective, the film is quite gorgeous to look at, with sumptuous set designs, elegant costuming & stunning cinematography and all the performances are very strong, especially from Red Buttons & Miyoshi Umeki, who both won Oscars for their work.

7/10