A Majority of One

Of course the producers needed some names to carry this, and after all, Guinness could play anything, right? Here we have Sir Alec in a variation on his standard Refined Exotic Man, very similar to his Prince Faisal in Lawrence of Arabia and Brahmin Professor Godbole from A Passage to India. On Broadway Mr. Asano was played by Cedric Hardwicke, so this was simply continuing established --and highly outdated-- practice.

At least the onstage Mrs. Jacoby was portrayed by Gertrude Berg, creator and star of TV's The Goldbergs (1949-1957), and the kind of little round Jewish mama one would visualize in the role. Roz does her best, but it's not just that she's doing Jew-Face to Guinness' Yellowface-- she comes across as gawky and vulgar rather than sweet and endearingly quaint.

As has been presented in innumerable interracial romances intended for white audiences, the potential shock is taken out by the knowledge that hey, after all, those actors are both white. Acting is pretending! Nowadays, however, audiences are more sophisticated and like a bit more realism.

Now, who would we cast in a new production of A Majority of One?

For the first time I have seen the film A MAJORITY OF ONE. I also have been reading some of the reviews here on IMDb. So many of them harp on the fact that Alec Guinness was cast as the Japanese businessman who falls in love with Rosalind Russell's lonely Jewish widow. For that matter, some take exception to the casting of the Catholic Miss Russell as Mrs. Jacoby.

It's called acting, people! Mr. Guinness and Miss Russell certainly convinced me that they were these people - an elderly lonely Jewish widow and an equally elderly lonely Japanese widower who meet and, although from very different cultures, find a common ground.

This was a beautifully performed and profoundly moving story. I don't know how I've managed to never see it before. It left me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. I will certainly be adding this film to my collection.

Alec Guinness acts as an elderly, influential Japanese businessman in this romance / comedy / drama set in the background of the aftermath of World War II .

When you see this film, you will, not for a minute, imagine that Mr. Koichi Asano (played by Alec Guinness ) is anything other than Japanese - so complete is the effort put in by this great actor.

Superb acting from both Alec Guinness and Rosalind Russell and a unique background of Japanese culture make this a very memorable movie.

A 'must' for all Alec Guinness fans !

I've never seen another love story like A Majority of One. A story of two elderly individuals who are worlds apart having to overcome their racial prejudice, as well as being one of the few films in existence about love at old age. These imperfect and flawed characters feel so real and human, and while two and a half hours may seem overlong, I believe this time is justified. I wish more films could have the level of honest storytelling on display here.

The casting as Alec Guinness as a Japanese businessman has been widely criticised but I have disagree, I thought he was perfectly convincing in the role. His character is flawed, he's not the stereotypical wise old Asian man who is full of otherworldly knowledge which he easily could have been; he makes mistakes and doesn't have the answers to everything. Unlike many Asian characters in Hollywood films, he doesn't talk in broken English or exhibit any other commonly seen Asian stereotypes. Compared to Japanese stereotypes seen in World War II propaganda films 20 years earlier, A Majority of One was certainly a sign of progress.

Why should an actor's race limit the roles they can portray? If they play a character of a different race convincingly and in a non- offence manner, I don't see any reason to be up in arms. Should the roles an actor may want to attempt be limited to only characters of their race? I feel there is a double standard at play here; for a non white actor to be cast in a role or as a character originally conceived as white it will be viewed as forward thinking and progressive; for a white actor to be cast in a non white role then it is considered racist? Film is a business and you need big stars for a movie to be box office hit; how many Asian actors where big stars to American audiences in the early 60's. A movie like A Majority of One was an initial stepping stone to more equal representation in film, perhaps it not succeed as the film was not a box office success but the intent was there.

Rosalind Russell plays a potentially unlikable bigoted character but she manages to make the role endearing with her lovable nature and witty comebacks. I didn't see her character as an exaggerated stereotype. I've seen far more exaggerated representations of Jews in other films (do I even need to list examples?). Her character has lead an ingrown life in Brooklyn, however the movie shows the younger generation of her daughter and son in law holding more progressive views and are less conservative than their elders. Russell won't enter a bedroom wither son in law inhabiting without permission in case he isn't decent; her daughter on the other hand will just walk on in. Likewise the film highlights westernised trends in Japan such as Alec Guinness wearing a western flat cap tot the popularity of American music and Hollywood movies in Japan, while still acknowledging the anti American sentiment which exists in Japan. Also this movie has Eddie, a whiny little brat but in a funny way; I love this guy.

What the world needs now and always is tolerance among people of different faiths. This sweet, charming film is a fine example of this principle. Rent it, buy it, see it. You won't be disappointed.