The Ginger Tree

"The Ginger Tree" spans nearly half a century of history in Japan and tells the story of a woman from Scotland who marries in China and then spends most of her life in Japan. It is a story of love set in a time when women had few rights in Japan and, yet, this woman persevered and excelled. All the drama takes place during a time in history little known by Westerners and the film drama serves to open one's eyes to life in a different culture and different time. There are many sub-themes and one can get a feel for Japan during those crucial pre-WWII years that has not been portrayed in any other film I've seen. It is a shame this film is not available and it has been 10 years since it was first shown. The acting is superb and sensitive in this story of courage and adventure of a woman who was truly 'before her time.' At present, all attempts to locate a copy of this film have been to no avail. Hopefully, some organization will realize how important a drama this is and market it for general viewing.

This film has had the greatest impact on me of any film that I have ever seen. It was mesmerizing. It revealed dimensions of Asia-Pacific history hitherto unbeknownst to me--it sent me flying to the library to look up further details on that period (1894-1941). Not much there. I did learn, however, that many well-educated Japanese noblemen committed suicide rather than participate in a war they did not believe in. To see this film is to begin to understand the background of the war in the Pacific. To top it off, the story, the actors, and direction are of the highest caliber. Why has PBS never shown it again? Why is it not available on home video?? This film haunts me

I saw this when it was originally transmitted in UK in 1990. It is a brilliant portrayal of life in a culture which is very different from Western Europe and America and also it contains interesting historical information which all appears to have been accurately researched. It is the story of a young girl who went out to Manchuria in 1903 to marry an English Officer and all that happened to her subsequently. It is so detailed and thought provoking that it is very hard to imagine that this work is entirely fictional, even though it was written by an Englishman who was brought up in Japan and was bilingual. Having read the original novel and listened to the BBC audio book version since the serial was transmitted I do wonder why some of the truncation was undertaken - it could have been even more interesting. I have tried everywhere to get the UK version on video or DVD but have been unable to do so. I have seen the US version, which is not exactly the same as the UK version but would dearly like to view the whole of the UK transmission again. It must have cost an enormous amount of money to make so it is difficult to imagine why it was never made available in video format. Does anyone out there have a UK copy?

Like other reviewers here, I saw the original in the UK when it came out. That was the first time I saw Samantha Bond who has gone on to become a very popular actress. At the time I was living in London and had something of a fascination for Japanese culture so for me this series was spell binding.

The love story is beautiful done; we feel for the woman who loves not just another man, but a man from another culture during a time when this was an absolute "no". Then to have her child taken from her, our heart strings are pulled in the extreme. A good movie or series starts with superb writing and this was certainly that.

The Japanese man who played the lead was excellent, as was Samantha Bond. The sets, the production captured the essence of the Japanese way of life and feel of the setting in Japan.

I too would love to be able to see this series, in its original entirety, once again. Let's hope somehow that happens.

This is a compelling, beautifully composed story of cross cultures, race, gender roles, and stereotypes. The acting was superb and the characters well developed. It also demonstrates how love can endure, even through difficult choices and sacrifices. Set in the same era as Puccini's Madama Butterfly, it shows us a time and place that was once exotic during a time when class and family customs trumped personal choice.

Oswald Wynd's book of the same name, and from which this series was created, is a good read, but this visually stunning mini-series is worth seeing again and again. PBS no longer has the rights to show it, so, for the moment, it is lost to all of us. I have been looking for this to come out, first on VHS, and now on DVD to no avail.