 |
| Out of Focus |
 |
 |
|
|
|
Hollywood has long been fascinated with Japan, and its perspective has evolved through the decades. Japanese went from being wartime enemies to victims of American racism, '70s swingers and relentless economic animals. A sample of Hollywood's multiple takes on Japan: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Posted Monday, November 14, 2005; 20:00 HKT
THE PURPLE HEART (1944) An American bomber crew is tortured and tried by the Japanese as war criminals
JAPANESE WAR BRIDE (1952) King Vidor directs a story of prejudice against the Japanese wife (Yoshiko Yamaguchi) of an American serviceman
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961) All-out caricature: Mickey Rooney plays Holly Golightly's buck-toothed Japanese neighbor
MY GEISHA (1962) Shirley MacLaine disguises herself as a geisha to fool Yves Montand into casting her as Madame Butterfly
WHAT'S UP TIGER LILY? (1966) Japan as a joke: Woody Allen redubs a Japanese detective movie
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967) James Bond (Sean Connery) marries Kissy Suzuki and has his eyes altered to look Asian.
TORA! TORA! TORA! (1970) The first big U.S.-Japan co-production showed the attack on Pearl Harbor from both sides. The New York Times' verdict: Tora-ble! Tora-ble! Tora-ble!
SEVEN NIGHTS IN JAPAN (1976) Party time! The Prince of Wales (Michael York) finds a week of freedom in Yokohama
SHOGUN (1980) Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune in feudal Japan
RISING SUN (1993) Michael Crichton's tale of Japan's insidious influence
LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003) The Americans were dazed and confused, the Japanese downright loony
THE LAST SAMURAI (2003) The Emperor Meiji is selling out Japan's soul to modernize. Can the sensitive samurai Tom Cruise stop him? (Plot spoiler: no)
|
Indicates premium content
