The Teahouse of the August Moon (film)
The Teahouse of the August Moon | |
---|---|
Directed by | Daniel Mann |
Written by | John Patrick |
Based on | The Teahouse of the August Moon 1951 novel by Vern J. Sneider |
Produced by | Jack Cummings |
Starring | Marlon Brando Glenn Ford Machiko Kyō Eddie Albert Paul Ford Harry Morgan |
Cinematography | John Alton |
Edited by | Harold F. Kress |
Music by | Saul Chaplin June Hershey Kikuko Kanai Don Swander Kikuro Kanai |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Loew's Inc. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 123 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $3,926,000[1] |
Box office | $8,925,000[1][2] |
The Teahouse of the August Moon is a 1956 American
Plot
Misfit Captain Fisby (
Fisby tries to implement the military's plans by encouraging the villagers to build a school in the shape of a pentagon, but they want to build a teahouse instead. Fisby gradually becomes assimilated to the local customs and mores with the help of Sakini and Lotus Blossom, a young geisha (Machiko Kyō).
To revive the economy, he has the Okinawans manufacture small items to sell as souvenirs, but nobody wants to buy them. These include cricket cages and wooden Japanese footwear called geta. Then Fisby makes a happy discovery. The villagers distill a potent sweet potato brandy in a matter of days which finds a ready market in the American army. With the influx of money, the teahouse is built in next to no time.
When Purdy sends psychiatrist Captain McLean (Eddie Albert) to check up on Fisby, the newcomer is quickly won over. This, even after Fisby greets McLean wearing geta, an army bathrobe (which Fisby claims is his kimono) and what Fisby terms an "air-conditioned" straw hat (the latter being headwear worn by Okinawan farmers). McLean later proves to be enthusiastic about organic farming.
When Purdy doesn't hear from either officer, he shows up in person and surprises Fisby and McLean, the latter wearing a yukata (summer-weight kimono). They are leading a rowdy song at a party in full swing in the teahouse. Purdy orders the building and distillery destroyed. In a burst of foresight, the villagers break up old water urns rather than the brandy storage and only dismantle the teahouse, hiding the sections.
The village is chosen by the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (
Cast
- Marlon Brando as Sakini
- Glenn Ford as Captain Fisby
- Machiko Kyō as Lotus Blossom
- Eddie Albert as Captain McLean
- Paul Ford as Colonel Wainwright Purdy III
- Jun Negami as Mr. Seiko
- Nijiko Kiyokawa as Miss Higa Jiga
- Mitsuko Sawamura as Little Girl
- Henry (Harry) Morganas Sergeant Gregovich
Production
Playing the role of an Okinawan villager was to prove an interesting challenge for Marlon Brando's method acting techniques. He spent two months studying local culture, speech, and gestures and, for the actual shooting, spent two hours daily having make-up applied to make him appear Asian.[5]
The role of Colonel Wainwright Purdy III was to have been played by
Ford was not the only actor who went on to be cast in a television series role very similar to his Teahouse character. Like the psychiatrist Captain McLean, Eddie Albert's Oliver Wendell Douglas on Green Acres (1965-1971) was a licensed professional with an advanced degree, who obsessed about the glory of farming and yearned to give up his practice in favor of tending the soil.
The film made use of Japanese music recorded in Kyoto and sung and danced by Japanese artists.
Home media
In November 7, 2006, was released in DVD by
Reception
The picture was well received, both at the box-office and critically. The film was MGM's biggest hit of the year, earning $5,550,000 in the US and Canada, and an additional $3,375,000 from a worldwide audience. The film made a profit of $1,507,000.
Legacy
Alongside
A 1971 musical version of the play, Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen ran only two weeks on Broadway, closing after 19 performances.
In 1980, Michael Medved awarded Marlon Brando's performance a Golden Turkey Award for "Most Ludicrous Racial Impersonation".[14]
See also
Further reading
- Hiroshi Kitamura. 2019. "Runaway Orientalism: MGM’s Teahouse and U.S.-Japanese Relations in the 1950s." Diplomatic History
References
- ^ a b c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
- ^ US and Canada take see "All Time Domestic Champs", Variety, 6 January 1960 p 34
- OCLC 429098.
- ^ "IMDB.com: Awards for The Teahouse of the August Moon". imdb.com. Retrieved 2009-12-30.
- ^ Thomas, Tony, The Films of Marlon Brando, p. 97
- ^ trivia, IMDb
- ^ Thomas, Tony, The Films of Marlon Brando, p. 100
- ^ The Marlon Brando Collection DVD (Julius Caesar / Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) / Reflections in a Golden Eye / The Teahouse of the August Moon / The Formula), retrieved 2022-09-06
- ^ The Teahouse of the August Moon DVD (Warner Archive Collection), retrieved 2022-09-06
- ISBN 978-0-8047-8346-0.
- ISBN 978-0-313-34751-1.
- ^ AsianWeek (November 28, 2007). "The 25 Most Infamous Yellow Face Film Performances". Asianweek.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
- ^ "Yellowface: A Story in Pictures :: Racebending.com | Advocating for Equality in Entertainment". Racebending.com. December 9, 2009. Archived from the original on November 22, 2009. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
- ISBN 0-399-50463-X.
External links
- The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956 film) at IMDb
- The Teahouse of the August Moon at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956 film) at AllMovie
- The Teahouse of the August Moon at the TCM Movie Database
- The Teahouse of the August Moon at the American Film Institute Catalog
- The Teahouse of the August Moon (1953 play) at the Internet Broadway Database
- Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen (1970 musical) at the Internet Broadway Database