The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958)

Townsend Harris is sent by President Pierce to Japan to serve as the first U.S. Consul-General to that country. Harris discovers enormous hostility to foreigners, as well as the love of a ... See full summary »

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

Charles Grayson (screenplay), Ellis St. Joseph (story),

Stars:

John Wayne, Eiko Ando, Sam Jaffe

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Wayne	...	Townsend Harris
Eiko Ando	...	Okichi
Sam Jaffe	...	Henry Heusken
Sô Yamamura	...	Governor Tamura (as So Yamamura)

Storyline

Townsend Harris is sent by President Pierce to Japan to serve as the first U.S. Consul-General to that country. Harris discovers enormous hostility to foreigners, as well as the love of a young geisha.

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Plot Keywords:

japan | archery | tokyo japan | xenophobia | japanese woman | 

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Taglines:

The geisha girl they sent to love and to destroy the barbarian from the west!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

30 September 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Barbarian

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Average Shot Length = ~10.5 seconds. Median Shot Length = ~9.7 seconds.

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Goofs

When Harris is before a panel of Japanese leaders to convince them to vote to accept the treaty, he is asked by one if the U.S. imports Africans for slavery. He answers regrettably yes and goes on to say many are trying to end slavery. The story took place around 1858, fifty years after The Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves of 1807 took effect in 1808.

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Connections

Featured in Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood (2001)

User Reviews

The Barbarian And The Geisha (John Huston, 1958) **1/2

Star and director are not exactly in their element throughout this period piece (set in mid-19th century Japan and based on real events) – though John Wayne gets to brawl with a dwarf/giant combination!; apparently, Huston became fascinated with the country and its culture after viewing Akira Kurosawa’s RASHOMON (1951) and Teinosuke Kinugasa’s GATE OF HELL (1953) – in fact, he obtained the services of the latter as a “script supervisor” on this one!

Still, the film is interesting in its depiction of the clash of traditions – especially involving two countries which, a little over a decade earlier, had been deadly enemies – and, in any case, Japan was a popular venue with Hollywood during this time: witness the two back-to-back Marlon Brando vehicles THE TEAHOUSE OF THE AUGUST MOON (1956) and SAYONARA (1957). The glossy production values (courtesy of Fox) make the most of the exotic locations, but the plot itself is rather melodramatic – Wayne’s initially hostile reception, an outbreak of cholera, the assassination of a supportive Japanese leader (which threatens to throw the country into Civil War), an attempt on Wayne’s own life and the failed aggressor’s subsequent seppuku (which also terminates Wayne’s subtle romance with the geisha of the title), etc.

Finally, though as I said this is one of Wayne’s most uncharacteristic films (which I had missed out on countless times in the past but was determined to catch now in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of Huston’s passing), it’s certainly not worthy of the same level of disdain as his other Asian flick – Dick Powell’s camp classic THE CONQUEROR (1956).