Sayonara (1957)

Director:

Joshua Logan

Writers:

James Michener (novel)
Paul Osborn (screenplay)

Release Date:

1957 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Worlds apart...theirs was the daring love affair violating every rule, every custom, every centuries-old belief!

Plot:

A US air force major in Kobe confronts his own opposition to marriages between American servicemen and Japanese women when he falls for a beautiful performer.

Plot Keywords:

American | Korean War | Military | Interracial Romance | Duty

Awards:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Marlon Brando	...	Maj. Lloyd 'Ace' Gruver - USAF
Patricia Owens	...	Eileen Webster
Red Buttons	...	Airman Joe Kelly
Miiko Taka	...	Hana-ogi
Ricardo Montalban	...	Nakamura
Martha Scott	...	Mrs. Webster
Miyoshi Umeki	...	Katsumi
James Garner	...	Capt. Mike Bailey - USMC
Kent Smith	...	Lt. Gen. Mark Webster
Douglass Watson	...	Colonel Crawford
Reiko Kuba	...	Fumiko-San
Soo Yong	...	Teruko-san
Shochiku Kagekidan Girls Revue	...	Dancers
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Peter Brown	...	2nd MP (voice) (uncredited)
Dennis Hopper	...	1st MP (voice) (uncredited)
James Stacy	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Harlan Warde	...	Consul (uncredited)
William Wellman Jr.	...	Sgt. Reporter for Stars and Stripes (uncredited)

Directed by
Joshua Logan

Writing credits
James Michener		(novel) (as James A. Michener)
Paul Osborn		(screenplay)

Produced by
William Goetz	....	producer

Original Music by
Franz Waxman

Cinematography by
Ellsworth Fredericks		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Philip W. Anderson
Arthur P. Schmidt

Art Direction by
Ted Haworth

Set Decoration by
Robert Priestley		(as Robert Priestly)

Costume Design by
Norma Koch

Makeup Department
Gordon Bau	....	makeup supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ad Schaumer	....	assistant director

Sound Department
M.A. Merrick	....	sound
Carl Mahakian	....	sound editor (uncredited)
William A. Mueller	....	sound (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Hans F. Koenekamp	....	photographer: second unit (as H. F. Koenekamp)

Music Department
Leonid Raab	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Joseph Curtis	....	dialogue coach
Carlo Fiori	....	dialogue coach: Marlon Brando
Masaya Fujima	....	technical advisor: Kabuki Theatre scenes
LeRoy Prinz	....	supervisor: Matsubayashi Girls Revue Numbers
Walter Thompson	....	production associate

Production Companies

• Pennebaker Productions
• William Goetz Productions

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1957) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Pictures (1962) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1974) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• Afex-Fílmverleih (1957) (Austria) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox (USA) (laserdisc)
• Continental Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Gativideo (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Gativideo (Argentina) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Sayonara (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Sayonara (Greece) [el]
Sayonara (Finland) [fi]
Sayonara (Argentina) [es]
Sayonara (Sweden) [sv]
Sayonara - Elveda (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Sayonara... farlig kærlighed (Denmark) [da]

Runtime:

147 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved | West Germany:12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | South Korea:15 | Sweden:15 | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Japan

Company:

Pennebaker Productions

Trivia:

Apparently Marlon Brando was not the first choice for this lead. It was offered to Rock Hudson, but he chose to make A Farewell to Arms (1957) instead.

Goofs:

Continuity: After the doctor examines him, Maj. Gruver buttons the left coat sleeves and after the right sleeve, keeping his left hand handling the right sleeve. In the next shot he is handling the left sleeve with his right hand.

Quotes:

Hana-ogi: I'm so frightened and confused. I cannot think. I cannot even understand your thinking.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Domo Arigato (1972)

Soundtrack:

Sayonara

A good love story for people who can look beyond the surface of a person.

Any film that deals with bigotry in a positive manner is a film that should still be seen by current audiences as the message and moral of the story will always be relevant as long as we have a world full of bigotry.

Aside from that, the film is really an old-fashioned love story..boy meets girl..boys loses girl...boy gets girl back....

The weakest role goes to the late Kent Smith as Lt. General Webster(Riccardo Montalban is a close second)...my question would be how did he ever get to be a 3-star general...the character is such a wimp in the presence of his wife and military subordinates, it's a wonder they show him any respect at all.

Brando's southern accent is a little overdone, and some scenes have a few holes but overall, I enjoy the film every time I see it.

Red Buttons is great...I always love seeing comedians in dramatic roles...as in Button's case, often a comedian can better portray the tragedy of a person than a more traditional dramatic actor.