Sayonara

This movie is very interesting in which it concerns the relationships between Japanese and American servicemen after the Second World War in Japan. Especially Marlon Brando's character goes from reservations (especially considering the period the movie is set) to falling in love with a Japanese woman and hopes to marry her. Brando shines in this movie, and I put it among his best movies. The standout of the cast is Red Buttons, who at the time was still unkown as an actor, but in his debut revealed that he was destined for greatness. His performance of Joe Kelly, an American airman, is incredibly believable and touching, and Buttons won the Academy Award for best Supporting Actor for this film, and he truly deserved it.

An interesting movie for the subject and the actors' performances, well directed and also very entertaining. And I think it's deeply underrated today.

Released in December of 1957, Sayonara went on to earn 8 Oscar nominations and would pull in 4 wins. Red Buttons won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in his role as airman Joe Kelly who falls in love with a Japanese woman while stationed in Kobe during the Korean War. Oscar nominated for Best Leading Actor, Marlon Brando plays Major Lloyd Gruver, a Korean War flying ace reassigned to Japan, who staunchly supports the military's opposition to marriages between American troops and Japanese women and tries without any success to talk his friend Joe Kelly out of getting married. Ironically Marlon Brandos character soon finds love of his own in a woman of Japanese descent. This movie highlights the prejudices and cultural differences of that time. Filmed in beautiful color and with stunning backgrounds I found this movie to be well worth watching just for these effects alone. Good movie, gimme more...GimmeClassics

"Sayonara" is a Drama - Romance movie in which we watch a US Air Force major in Japan falling in love with a Japanese woman something that he would never expect since he was against to marriages between American men and Japanese women.

I enjoyed this movie because it had an interesting plot with a beautiful meaning. It presented a very sensitive and important subject of that time, something that made it even more interesting. The direction which was made by Joshua Logan, it was very good and I believe that he did an excellent job on it since he succeeded on presenting very well the main subject of the movie along with his main characters who did an equally good job under his guidance. Regarding the interpretations of the cast, both the interpretations of Marlon Brando who played as Major Lloyd Gruver and Miiko Taka who played as Hana-Ogi were very good but the best interpretations were made by Red Buttons who played as Joe Kelly and Miyoshi Umeki who played as Katsumi. In conclusion, I have to say that "Sayonara" is an emotional, beautiful love story that I strongly recommend everyone to watch because it will travel you back in time and you will follow this great story.

There are two "Sayonara"s: the James Mitchner book and the

Hollywood adaptation. The Major Llyod Gruver portrayed in the book is

introduced as an army brat, graduate of West Point, no-nonsense air

force pilot and career officer who does not discuss personal matters

with enlisted men. The Ace Gruver introduced in the film is a

brooding Brando who arrives in a fighter jet instead of on a Triumph

motorcycle and whose best friend is Airman Kelly. The Japan portrayed

in the Mitchner book is the everyday Japan of narrow streets, noodle

vendors, ramen shops, yakitori stands, tatami rooms, and futon at bed

time. The Japan portrayed in the film is a land of geisha,

Takarazuka, kabuki, bunraku, pagoda, arched bridges, and a lot of other

Japan stereotypes I have yet to encounter although I have lived in

Japan for the past 31 years and have a masters degree in Far East Asian

Studies from Sophia University, Tokyo. Both "Sayonara"s offer something o value. One is realistic. One

is a beautiful fantasy. Read the book and watch the movie and take

your choice of endings.

Brando's position in the pantheon of the greats is secure. Now that

he is gone, (his life expired just yesterday) it will be worthwhile to

review his legacy. Pictures like 'Sayonara', which were grade 'A'

productions, but subject to criticism when they came out ,can now

be viewed in a new light. We can now see the care lavished upon

them. 'Sayonara' is a superb film in every category.

Brando's odd (to say the least) 'southern' accent proves to be a

brilliant choice in defining his character's contrasting presence in

the Japanese scene, an approach he would employ later in his

amazing, bizarre interpretation of Fletcher Christian. Whatever one

thinks of Brando's choices in tackling a role, he was never dull,

and watching him experiment is a viewer's treat. And Miyoshi

Umeki: what a discovery! The portrayal of those in Japan who are

just living their lives is done with sensitivity and humanity.

Just as important as the stars' performance and the story itself, is

Franz Waxman's music. It cannot be praised too highly, and is a

perfect example of a meticulously crafted score: mature, totally

sincere, and without one trace of cynicism or misdirection. Film

music like this is safe from being taken for granted. Waxman's

theme for the Red Buttons/Miyoshi Umeki relationship is among

the most poignant and haunting even written for the screen. Its

variations range from wistful to heartbreaking.

None other than Irving Berlin supplied the title song (he gets as

much screen credit as Waxman!). No pop hit, it nevertheless

integrates well with Waxman's score.

Ellsworth Fredericks' masterful Technirama lensing makes this

picture one of the best of the 50s. Seeing it in widescreen is a

thrilling event. The title sequence, in red lettering, is a fine example

of how every department, even one which deals with the 'job' of

giving credit, made sure that each element of a film like this

worked in concert with each other, to create a cohesive whole.

What a pleasure it is to have a proper introduction to a film, with

visuals and overture tailored to the drama to come. Such was the

style then. Bill Goetz produced. Thanks, Bill!

Josh Logan as a director is often reviled, but why is it then, that his

pictures are especially enjoyable, particularly with repeat

viewings? His huge closeups are terrific! He really went for the

gusto in splashing his stories on the screen, and made the most

of the 'big Hollywood production' thing.

Jack L. Warner's mid to late 50s productions rivaled 20th-Fox's in

lavishness and quality. Fortunately for us, the fans of pictures like

'Sayonara', he and Zanuck always tried to outdo each other.

Tonight, to honor the memory of Marlon Brando, I'm rolling

'Sayonara'.