Escapade in Japan (1957)

A plane on its way to Japan is forced to land at sea just off the Japanese coast. A small American boy survives the ditching but is separated from the rest of the passengers and crew and is... See full summary »

Director:

Arthur Lubin

Writer:

Winston Miller

Stars:

Teresa Wright, Cameron Mitchell, Jon Provost

Cast

Cast overview:
Teresa Wright	...	Mary Saunders
Cameron Mitchell	...	Dick Saunders
Jon Provost	...	Tony Saunders
Roger Nakagawa	...	Hiko
Philip Ober	...	Lt. Col. Hargrave
Kuniko Miyake	...	Michiko Tanaka
Susumu Fujita	...	Kei Tanaka
Katsuhiko Haida	...	Capt. Hibino
Tatsuo Saitô	...	Mr. Fushimi

Storyline

A plane on its way to Japan is forced to land at sea just off the Japanese coast. A small American boy survives the ditching but is separated from the rest of the passengers and crew and is picked up by a Japanese fisherman, who takes the boy back to his village. The boy is befriended by the fisherman's son, but when they see Japanese police swarming over the village, they are afraid that they've done something wrong and run away, although the police are only searching for the missing boy. Together the two boys travel through the Japanese countryside, trying to avoid the police who are searching for them and meeting up with many different kinds of people along the way.

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Plot Keywords:

japan | airplane accident

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Taglines:

The exciting adventures of two little runaway boys in Japan!

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Genres:

Adventure | Family

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

November 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Verschollen in Japan

Filming Locations:

Horyu-ji Temple, Nara, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures, Arthur Lubin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally made by RKO Pictures, but was acquired and released by Universal Pictures after RKO closed down.

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Soundtracks

"Lonely Song"
(uncredited)
Music by Max Steiner
Lyrics by Norman Bennett

User Reviews

A Charming and Exciting Chase in Japan

Young Jon Provost, later to star in "Lassie", got his first notice in this charming story of a chase in 1950's Japan. He plays the son of an American couple working in Japan who survives a airplane ditching off the coastline; he got separated from the crew, and in the fog is picked up by a fisherman.

This Japanese fishing family befriends him, even though they cannot talk to him, not knowing English. The boy, however, fears he did something wrong when he sees many Japanese police searching the village. He flees, along with the slightly older son of the fisherman. Then begins the chase between the police and the American couple, and the two boys who fear the police only try to find you when you've done something wrong.

The bulk of the movie is of the two boys fleeing through Japan and seeing different and interesting sights on their odyssey. It is in effect a travelogue of post-war Japan. The final scenes on top of a tall Shinto religious temple are exciting enough.

Colorful, and good family fare, the film also was a clear attempt to ease hostilities between the United States and a Japan that just a decade before had been a hated enemy. They did this by showing the Japanese as human being as concerned about their missing son as the Americans were about theirs.

Recommended! Give it a try if you see it.