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Rating: 4.25 out of 5
The history of the United States is fucked up. Every day, I learn something new about this country that makes me wonder how the hell it came to be in this great land. Here is one that I learned, which relates to today’s review. Did you know that interracial marriage and interracial sexual relations were illegal in many U.S. states? They were called anti-miscegenation laws. That is CRAZY. I have been in a few interracial relationships and got busy with many outside my race. I would’ve been put in jail long ago because the charge against you was a felony. Some of these laws were established before the U.S. was even thought of. Here is a fact that might blow your mind. Some of these laws were enacted 100 years before the institution of slavery in the states. Here is another fact that might blow your mind. These laws were in effect until 1967. Yep, 1967 is when many states repealed them because the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment. Oh, but wait, there was one state that held out until 2000 to repeal its laws against interracial marriage. Can you guess what state it is? If you guessed Alabama, you got it right. Forrest Gump should shake his head at this one.
That brings me to today’s movie review, Sayonara. I wasn’t sure about this film, but I learned a few things while watching it and became invested as time went on. A film directed by Joshua Logan and adapted by Paul Osborn from James A. Michener’s 1954 novel of the same title, it is a story of racism and prejudice that two American Air Force pilots deal with during the Korean War as they fall in love with two Japanese women. The film features a strong cast, led by the legendary Marlon Brando, along with Patricia Owens, James Garner, Martha Scott, Miyoshi Umeki, Red Buttons, Miiko Taka, and Ricardo Montalbán. Get ready to dive into the world when anti-miscegenation laws come head-to-head with L.O.V.E.
Sayonara begins in 1951 during the Korean War. U.S. Air Force fighter pilot Major Lloyd “Ace” Gruver (Brando) is the golden boy. He is the son of a high-ranking Army general, his beautiful fiancée, Eileen (Owens), is the daughter of General Webster (Scott), and he just got reassigned from combat duties to Itami Air Force Base near Kobe, Japan. Lloyd has it, but underneath his charming smile and smooth talk, his and Eileen’s relationship has become strained, even though they have been together for a minute.
Lloyd’s best friend and crew chief, Joe Kelly (Buttons), has fallen in love and is about to wed a pretty Japanese woman by the name of Katsumi (Umeki). Here is the problem with this wedding idea. The military disapproves of this and will not come close to recognizing interracial marriages because they are illegal under American law. Joe knows the Air Force is against it, but Lloyd is also opposed to the marriage and tries to persuade Joe against doing it. Lloyd and Joe even get into a major argument when Lloyd uses a racial slur to describe Katsumi. Joe was about to put his paws all over Lloyd. Lloyd apologizes because he is Joe’s boy and decides the best way to make amends is to agree to be the best man at Joe’s wedding.
When Lloyd and Eileen go out on a date to see a Japanese performance, Lloyd is uninterested until he sees Hana-ogi (Taka). Lloyd thinks Hana-ogi is FOINE. Hana-ogi is the lead performer for the popular all-female “Matsubayashi.” Lloyd wants to impress Hana-ogi and does everything he can to catch her attention, from showing up at her spots to even using her friendship with Katsumi to invite himself over for dinner. This causes further strain with Eileen, who feels abandoned. When Hana-ogi finally gives in to Lloyd’s advances, the pair fall in love with each other. Soon, they will experience what Joe and Katsumi are going through.
Sayonara should be a film that everyone should watch, simply because it sheds a spotlight on something that was wrong in American history. It was released in 1957 and depicted anti-miscegenation laws. I wondered how people of interracial marriages looked at this film, showing that no one could love the one they wanted if they were of a different race. The fear of going to prison on a felony charge. This film showed that even though it was against the Japanese at the time, what about all the other races. It is crazy to think of. This film should be commended for saying FU anti-miscegenation laws.
The main thing that should be noticed is the racism and prejudice in this film towards the Japanese people. If you recall your world history, World War II ended a few years earlier, and the Korean War had been ongoing for a year. It’s only been 6 years since that deadly war ended, and the U.S. is still pissed at Japan while also fighting in the Korean War. You would think that after dropping two atomic bombs on a country and recovery starting, the Japanese people are still seen as the enemy. They might be enemy #1 after Germany, and that is saying a lot. With the laws of the U.S. going against interracial marriage and the military banning it, you know shit is going to go down in this film. You can see the tensions all around. Lloyd, in the beginning, is a racist asshole and rather be anywhere else. You can tell the military is racist or the soldiers. In one scene, when a Japanese woman comes looking for her man, she is denied entry to the building and ridiculed. When Joe marries Katsumi, he is warned, and then his house is under surveillance. You can see the pressures of everything coming down on him. His commanders give him shit duty and transfer him to a base in the U.S. in the hope of forgetting Katsumi. Katsumi is so distraught that she wants to get radical plastic surgery that will make her eyes look more Western. The shit is insane, and it all gets to Joe and Katsumi with the constant ridicule and racism.
Lloyd is too cool for school and seems to be loving life with Hana-ogi, as he is the son of a military general. He is the ultimate hypocrite as he bashes Joe for falling in love with Katsumi, and then he, in turn, leaves Eileen, who is FOINE, by the way, for Hana-ogi. It was like he looked at Hana-ogi and threw up the deuces towards Eileen. He dresses in a kimono outfit, drinks sake, and acts like nothing is wrong. It wasn’t until he told Eileen and her family straight up he loved Hana-ogi and planned to marry her. I feel bad for Eileen. Lloyd really feels the brunt of the racism and prejudice when he tries to talk to a colonel who doesn’t care about his daddy’s rank and tells him that Joe is shipping out. Lloyd finally realizes the depth of the racism when the unthinkable happens with Joe and Katsumi. After that, Lloyd and his boy, Mike Bailey, played by James Garner, get into a brawl with the community and must throw those bows.
The acting in this film was superb and should be commended. Brando was Brando. The dude is just too pretty in his younger years. Even I must admit that homeboy had the looks back in the day. He was just so cool when he spoke. It seemed like he was at such ease. Miiko Taka as Hana-ogi was excellent as the woman Lloyd perused. She spoke with such elegance and was a beauty to all the women.
I want to give some MAJOR respect to Miyoshi Umeki as Katsumi Kelly and Red Buttons as Airman Joe Kelly. Both performers won the Oscar in the Best Supporting category. They were excellent. Buttons was great, as he was a loyal friend and a devoted husband who would do anything for his bride. That is how marriage should be. Fight for everything you have and never let it go. I loved Umeki as she seemed so sweet and innocent. Umeki was the first East Asia-born woman to win an Academy Award for acting.
Sayonara is a film that everyone should watch. It is another film that highlights the discrimination and prejudice inherent in the U.S. system. It shows that anti-miscegenation laws existed, and people feared them until the 1967 Supreme Court decision. The acting was great all around, and the story was intriguing and worth watching. Watch this film and then say Sayonara to anyone who disagrees with interracial marriages.
