Escapade in Japan

Six year old Tony Saunders is flying alone on a commercial flight from Manila to Japan. He's to join his parents waiting in Tokyo. The plane crashes in the ocean and the boy is rescued by a fishing family. The family's boy Hiko is able to speak some English. Upon arriving home, the parents go to alert the police. Hiko fears that Tony is going to jail and the two boys run away.

This should cut back on some of the parents' scenes and add more with the kids. It's basically a Disney movie in exotic Japan. That part is a lot of fun and very cute. It is indeed an escapade in Japan. This is a good look into post-war everyday Japan. The parents part does have some good emotions but it threatens to be too melodramatic at times. The kids part is the best. The climax is a bit scary. This is a fun exotic escapade.

Just saw this again on the BBC.

There must be something horribly wrong with modern Hollywood that we get more enjoyment from 50-year-old movies. This little gem has lovely, bright colour (not the dungeon quality we get now), has super performances, particularly from the young leads, works well as a story and also as a very interesting travelogue of post-war Japan.

No foul language and you feel good afterwards.

I'm just so pleased that with TV and DVD we can see these wonderful older movies and introduce them to our own children. I would add this to the list of must-show-to-the-children movies like the Flicka ones and the old Joel McCrea "Cattle Drive" and "Saddle Tramp".

I agree with other reviewers of this film. It is quite good. You can watch it just to see what Japan looked like in the 1950's. You can watch it to see Jon Provost's first role; we remember him from "Lassie". You can enjoy the chase. Pretty cinematography too; filmed in very nice color. Worth watching if you ever see it on cable or dish. Nice movie.

This is the Japan of my early childhood memories, brought to life by this film. I was a boy of 4 when I moved to Japan in 1956, so seeing this movie which was shot at the same time I lived there was a great thrill. It was the travelogue aspect of the movie that particularly interested me: the vignette in the geisha house; the vignette in the Japanese theater;street scenes; railroad stations; etc. The plot was relatively simple. Cameron Mitchell and Theresa Wright were convincing as the worried married couple desperately trying to find their missing son. But the flattering portrayal of the Japanese people and the reverence shown for Japanese landmarks and its cultural is the real eye opener. Since it was made in 1957, I'm assuming it was to show Americans how their perceptions of the Japanese may have been wrong. I know that having there for 4 years, we couldn't have been treated more kindly than we were by our Japanese friends, neighbors, and co-workers. I thank Turner Classic Movies for showing it.

pleasant family fare which also makes an attempt to understand the Japanese & their culture..Attempts might seem dated now but in 1957 Pearl Harbor was still fresh in the minds of Americans..This film tries to overcome the animosities between the nations..Harmless, pleasant well paced and well acted..Jon Provost was a very good young actor.. as was the oriental young boy (sorry dont know his name)