Madame Butterfly (1932)

Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton is on shore-leave in Japan. He and his buddy Lieutenant Barton, out for a night on the town, stop in at a local establishment to check out the food, drink and ... See full summary »

Director:

Marion Gering

Writers:

David Belasco (play), John Luther Long (play),

Stars:

Sylvia Sidney, Cary Grant, Charles Ruggles

Cast

Credited cast:
Sylvia Sidney	...	Cho-Cho San
Cary Grant	...	Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton
Charles Ruggles	...	Lt. Barton
Irving Pichel	...	Yomadori
Helen Jerome Eddy	...	Cho-Cho's mother
Edmund Breese	...	Cho-Cho's grandfather
Louise Carter	...	Suzuki
Sándor Kállay	...	Goro
Judith Vosselli	...	Madame Goro
Sheila Terry	...	Mrs. Pinkerton
Dorothy Libaire	...	Peach Blossom
Berton Churchill	...	American Consul
Philip Horomato	...	Trouble
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Wallis Clark	...	Comm. Anderson

Storyline

Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton is on shore-leave in Japan. He and his buddy Lieutenant Barton, out for a night on the town, stop in at a local establishment to check out the food, drink and girls, 'uh, and girls' to quote Lt. Barton. Pinkerton spies Cho-Cho San and immediately falls in lust. Barton counsels Pinkerton that he can 'marry' this beautiful Japanese girl, enjoy himself with cultural approval, then sail happily on back to America unshackled, since abandonment equates divorce in Japan. Barton assures Pinkerton that once abandoned, Cho-Cho will be free to marry whomever she chooses from amongst the Japanese people. When Pinkerton's ship sails out of port, Butterfly waits patiently for her husband to come home. Three years pass. Ever with her eye toward the harbor, Butterfly holds a secret delight that she eagerly wishes to surprise her husband with: their son. Pinkerton arrives in Japan with his American bride by his side. He goes to Butterfly to make his apologies and to finally ...

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Plot Keywords:

japan | public domain | based on play

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 December 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ein Falter flog zum Licht

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gary Cooper was originally slated for the role of Lieutenant Pinkerton.

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Connections

Version of Aria (2001)

User Reviews

The 28 Year Old Cary Grant

Another run of the mill 1930's Hollywood film with the 28 year old Cary Grant acting alongside Sylvia Sidney. There was no genius in Grant at this stage simply because the scripts were lousy and he didn't have a good director like Hitchcock on board.