Sayonara movie storyline. 1951. US law forbids Japanese nationals from emigrating into the country, including the wives of military personnel posted in the Far East. As such, the US military has made it as difficult as possible for Far East posted servicemen to marry Japanese. Regardless, US Air Force Airman Joe Kelly, posted in Korea, intends to marry his Japanese girlfriend, Katsumi.
Major Lloyd “Ace” Gruver, the US Air Force’s poster boy in Korea, the son of a four star general, and under who Kelly works, doesn’t understand Kelly’s stance of even renouncing his American citizenship if he and Katsumi cannot ultimately live as man and wife in the US. Gruver and his team are reassigned from active combat in Korea to non-combat duty at the military base in Kobe, Japan on the orders of three star General Mark Webster where he is posted himself, all in an effort to expedite what the Websters see as the inevitable: that Gruver and their daughter, Eileen Webster, get married.
In Kobe, Gruver meets Captain Mike Bailey of the US Marine Corps, who, like Kelly, is dating a Japanese woman who dances in a musical revue. It is through Bailey that Gruver meets the revue’s lead dancer, Hana-ogi. Gruver begins to understand Kelly’s perspective as there is an immediate attraction that Gruver has for Hana-ogi, which he admits far exceeds his feelings for Eileen.
Hana-ogi, in turn, feels the same, but is more apprehensive in starting up with Gruver in knowing the difficulties they face. The relationships of Gruver, Kelly and Bailey are put to the test as the US military does whatever it can not only to limit open fraternization of military men with Japanese women, but to break up whatever relationships exist, married or not, get married to Hana-ogi which Gruver is now determined to do. Eileen, who does love Gruver, wants to understand the Japanese culture in which they live, regardless of Gruver, she doing what feels natural to her in not understanding the policy or law.
Sayonara is a 1957 American Technicolor drama film starring Marlon Brando in Technirama. The picture tells the story of an American Air Force fighter pilot during the Korean War who falls in love with a famous Japanese dancer. Sayonara won four Academy Awards, including acting honors for co-stars Red Buttons and Miyoshi Umeki.
The film’s screenplay was adapted by Paul Osborn from the 1954 novel of the same name by James Michener, and was produced by William Goetz and directed by Joshua Logan. Unlike most 1950s romantic dramas, Sayonara deals squarely with racism and prejudice. The supporting cast also features Patricia Owens, James Garner, Martha Scott, Ricardo Montalbán, and Miiko Taka.
Sayonara (1957)
Directed by: Joshua Logan
Starring: Marlon Brando, Patricia Owens, James Garner, Martha Scott, Miiko Taka, Miyoshi Umeki, Red Buttons, Ricardo Montalbán, Douglass Watson, Kent Smith, Reiko Kuba, Dennis Hopper
Screenplay by: Paul Osborn
Production Design by: Chuck Hansen, Joe Nolan
Cinematography by: Ellsworth Fredericks
Film Editing by: Philip W. Anderson, Arthur P. Schmidt
Costume Design by: Norma Koch
Set Decoration by: Robert Priestley
Art Direction by: Ted Haworth
Music by: Franz Waxman
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures, The Samuel Goldwyn Company
Release Date: December 5, 1957
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