Saturday, October 06, 2007
KAMIKAZE
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was
Sayonara (1956)There is a type of film that preaches racial (or other) tolerance while at the same time demonstrating the most blatant stereotyping itself.
Here we have Marlon Brando, a southern bigot with a hopelessly over the top shit kicking accent, playing an Air Force Major who, in spite of himself, falls in love (lust) with a Japanese theater star.
Is this because the woman he is supposed to marry, a General's daughter, is such a hopeless shrewish military brat (like her Mom)?
In any case, I left before the magic happened.
Stereotypes chasing stereotypes.
As a side story, Red Buttons (in a serious role) marries a Japanese woman against military advice and the two are hounded into suicide. I didn't see this actually, but read it in a review.
This is the kind of melodrama that James Michener wrote over and over (see South Pacific) and Joshua Logan directed.
Brando is a parody of himself in this film.
It is so bad.
Did I mention that this also has Ricardo Montalban as a Kabuki actor? Taped eyes and all. I got that he was a homo to boot.
Another condescension into stereotype.
Oh. And Irving Berlin wrote the title song. Oriental music parody.
It is just fucking awful.
Another 1 out of Netflix5 in less than a week.
We are on a run.
Labels: best films
