Sayonara

Sayonara (1957) starring Marlon Brando, Ricardo Montalban, Miiko Taka, Miyoshi Umeki, Red Buttons, James Garner. In 1951, during the Korean War, a hotshot American fighter pilot (Brando) goes on leave to Japan to meet his American fiancee. While there, he falls in love with a Japanese entertainer named Hana-Ogi (Taka). Fraternizing with the Japanese is strongly discouraged by the authorities, and it seems that their love is doomed from the start. This movie has very high production values and is well-acted. It attempts to condense a James Michener novel into two and a half hours and is only partially successful. Buttons and Umeki won Oscars for Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress. All in all, a very involving evening's entertainment. No English subtitles, but closed captions are available. Grade: B+