Madame Butterfly

it is a shame that movies like this one don't get much attention!.. Cary Grand is playing a role of an American Lieutenant who marries a Japanese woman who wanted to be a geisha. it's a tragic romantic story, about loyalty and how some cultures don't understand other cultures. it's a classic movie.. short and no unnecessary scenes. all the scenes are related to the plot. i liked it a lot, enjoyed watching it, and Cary Grant was so young!. it made me learn something about the Japanese culture: how they are very loyal, accept other cultures, and maybe adopt them as well. how they are honorable, and live to be good people and be honored till the end. the plot is well developed, and the action of the movie happens fast.

An American naval officer leaves his Japanese wife without realising she is pregnant with their son. Ponderous film version of Puccini's opera that features none of its music until the final credits. Sidney is good as the tragic Cho-Cho San, but Cary Grant gets little chance to shine as B. F. Pinkerton, who comes across as a flippant and unlikable character. The couple's reunion is achingly poignant, but it's a bit of a slog getting to it.

Madame Butterfly (1932)

** (out of 4)

Liutenant B.F. Pinkerton (Cary Grant) and Lt. Barton (Charles Ruggles) are on leave in Japan when they decide to have some fun during the night. This leads them to a party with a few maiden's only to have Pinkerton quickly fall for Cho-Cho San (Sylvia Sidney) who is about to become a Geisha. Before long the two are married but shame is about to strike Cho-Cho.

MADAME BUTTERFLY was based on the David Belasco play and it was a huge hit, which made sense for Paramount to then turn it into a motion picture. Sadly, this film here is pretty darn boring from start to finish and there's really very little in it to recommend. There are all sorts of problems with this film ranging from the direction to the casting and I'd even argue that the story just doesn't translate very well to the screen here.

The biggest problem is the fact that they've got an all white cast doing these Japanese roles. Look, I understand that this was just common practice back in the day and I really don't blame the filmmakers and I'm certainly not going to go on some sort of political rant. With that said, there isn't even an attempt to make these white actors even sound Japanese. I love Sideny but she was just wrong for this role here. She might hit the dramatic notes just fine but the lack of an accent just doesn't help matters. With everyone speaking pretty much English it just makes the film seem all the more cheap.

Even Grant isn't all that good here. His charm is on 100% but the character is just rather bland as are the supporting players. Speaking of bland, director Marion Gering doesn't do a thing with the picture. Visually it's quite boring and I'd argue that the story itself drags out so badly that by the hour mark you're just ready for it to be over. MADAME BUTTERFLY has been filmed several times since but this 1932 version is just flat.

Don't go looking for much Puccini in this adaptation of the rather sad tale of "Madame Butterfly". Sylvia Sidney picks up the fan as the young geisha girl who encounters American sailor "Pinkerton" (Cary Grant) after the war. Rather cynically, his pal "Barton" (Charles Ruggles) informs him that he can pretty much have his way with the girl so long as he "marries" her beforehand and then she automatically becomes divorced afterwards when he gets on with his life Stateside. "Pinkerton" isn't quite so nasty, but when assured that "Cho-Cho San" will also just get on with things too, then a night of fun and fancy ensues. His departing comments to the girl hearten/mislead her by saying he will be back before the robin builds it's next nest. Well a visit to the US consul after his sailing makes matters works for the girl as he tells her that happens in the US every three years. He meant well! It's around then that he returns to Japan with a new bride (Shiela Terry) with both completely oblivious to the fact that there is now also a child - "Suzuki". "Pinkerton" does want to go and see her but he is unaware that she has waited patiently for his return and, well, the story takes quite a tragic turn when truths are told. This is not the liveliest presentation of this story with the staccato accents not really helping; Grant doesn't really impose himself and the pacing is distinctly ponderous. That said, Sidney delivers a solid performance as a woman who readily elicits feelings of sympathy and pity as her life becomes subsumed in a dream of faux-expectations centred on a selfish and thoughtless man. It's all watchable enough, just not really that great.

Heaven knows what possessed Paramount to cast Sylvia Sydney in this in the first place, unless it was a desire to find a novel context for her to suffer in. Given that they did, it's actually been done with taste and elegance, Puccini is used quite well as incidental music on the soundtrack, and Miss Sidney is as moving as she always is (we can imagine only too well what a western woman wronged so grievously would have done with the dagger she reaches purposefully for at the conclusion).

Those outraged at the casting of a Jewish/American actress as a geisha should also take note of the fact that All-American cad Pinkerton is played by a Bristolian.