The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956)

[Scott]

THE TEAHOUSE OF THE AUGUST MOON (1956) - Good movie version of what seems to be a well know stage play. The comedy stars Marlon Brando, Glenn Ford, Paul Ford, Harry Morgan, Eddie Albert, and Japanese actress Machiko Kyo who I never saw before. Looks like Machiko Kyo did 67 films in her native Japan. Marlon Brando plays a Japanese translator for the Army in Post War Japan. He's good in the role, but something doesn't look right. You wouldn't know it was Marlon Brando if you didn't have foreknowledge, yet he doesn't seem Japanese either. Even though Brando may have done the role better than any American could have. The fact that this is a comedy allows him to get away with it I suppose. The rest of the Japanese cast and villagers are Japanese except Brando. Some fun comedy here.



Well, this narrows down my list of Marlon Brando films to just 3 to be viewed. The few of his films that I have yet to see are:

The Nightcomers
Countess of Hong Kong
Bedtime Story

Marlon Brando did 41 films.

[BoyScoutKevin]

Scott, if you liked this one, you might also like the next year's "Sayonara," as both films deal with the subject of the cultural clash between East and West. With Marlon Brando again, but this time playing an American. It is Ricardo Montalban, who plays the Asian in "Sayonara."

[Scott]

SAYONARA is a very good film. One of my favorite Brando films. I only have 3 more Brando films to view.

[peter johnson]

Did you already post one of your mini-reviews of Brando's version of "Dr. Moreau/Island of Lost Souls"?  Personally, I think he got a bad shake on that film & I really enjoyed his performance in that one.  To me, he seemed genuinely shocked when the "manimals" turn against him.
Still think "On The Waterfront" one of the best American movies ever made . . .
peter johnson/denny crane