Japanese War Bride (1952)

Korean War veteran returns home to rural Salinas, California with his new Japanese wife, whom he met at a war hospital. The couple are forced to deal with the sometimes subtle, sometimes ... See full summary »

Director:

King Vidor

Writers:

Anson Bond (story), Catherine Turney

Stars:

Shirley Yamaguchi, Don Taylor, Cameron Mitchell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shirley Yamaguchi	...	Tae Shimizu
Don Taylor	...	Jim Sterling
Cameron Mitchell	...	Art Sterling
Marie Windsor	...	Fran Sterling
James Bell	...	Ed Sterling
Louise Lorimer	...	Harriet Sterling
Philip Ahn	...	Eitaro Shimizu
Sybil Merritt	...	Emily Shafer
Lane Nakano	...	Shiro Hasagawa
Kathleen Mulqueen	...	Mrs. Milly Shafer
Orley Lindgren	...	Ted Sterling
George Wallace	...	Woody Blacker
May Takasugi	...	Emma Hasagawa
William Yokota	...	Mr. Hasagawa
Shizue Matsumoto	...	Tae's mother (as Susie Matsumoto)

Storyline

Korean War veteran returns home to rural Salinas, California with his new Japanese wife, whom he met at a war hospital. The couple are forced to deal with the sometimes subtle, sometimes overt racism of his family and the townspeople, especially after the birth of their son.

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Plot Keywords:

expectant mother | baby nursery | nursery | pregnant wife | pregnant woman | 

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Taglines:

Why did he have to marry someone like you?

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

29 May 1952 (Japan)

Also Known As:

East Is East

Company Credits

Production Co:

Joseph Bernhard Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

User Reviews

Stranger in a foreign land...

The Japanese War Bride (Yamaguchi) marries handsome American Lt. Sterling (Taylor) who takes her to California where she is met with American rudeness, resentment, contempt and outright dislike by his family and friends. She does everything she possibly can to please them and fit in but can't break their rigid barriers. Every character is so well acted, even the unlikable ones, that the discomfort and eventual pain and anguish are very credible as they develop to a crisis leading to the estrangement of the earnest, loving Lt. from his family and property. His lovely wife blames herself for all their problems and this drives a wedge between them. Will he lose the woman he loves so much, as well as his infant son? Viewers will relate to these ordinary Americans and their difficulty in dealing with situations outside of their norm. Beautifully understated but effectively eloquent, this neglected film gem still has as much to say now as it did in 1952. Don't miss this one...Shirley Yamaguchi's and Don Taylor's excellent performances will leave a lasting impression.