The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958)

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

Charles Grayson (writer)
Ellis St. Joseph (story)
(more)

Release Date:

30 September 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | History | Romance

Tagline:

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

Plot:

Townsend Harris is sent by President Pierce to Japan to serve as the first U.S. Consul-General to that country...

Plot Keywords:

Japan | Japanese Woman | Intrigue | Japanese | Samurai

Cast

John Wayne	...	Townsend Harris
Eiko Ando	...	Okichi
Sam Jaffe	...	Henry Heusken
Sô Yamamura	...	Governor Tamura
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kodaya Ichikawa	...	Daimyo (uncredited)
Tokujiro Iketaniuchi	...	Harusha (uncredited)
Fuji Kasai	...	Lord Hotta (uncredited)
Takeshi Kumagai	...	Chamberlain (uncredited)
Fuyukichi Maki	...	Peasant (uncredited)
Morita	...	Prime Minister (uncredited)
James Robbins	...	Lt. Fisher (uncredited)
Norman Thomson	...	Captain Edmunds (uncredited)
Hiroshi Yamato	...	The Shogun (uncredited)

Directed by
John Huston

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Nigel Balchin		uncredited
James Edward Grant		uncredited
Charles Grayson		writer
Alfred Hayes		uncredited
Ellis St. Joseph		story

Produced by
Eugene Frenke	....	producer
Darryl F. Zanuck	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Hugo Friedhofer

Cinematography by
Charles G. Clarke

Film Editing by
Stuart Gilmore

Art Direction by
Jack Martin Smith
Lyle R. Wheeler

Set Decoration by
Don Greenwood Jr.
Walter M. Scott

Costume Design by
Charles Le Maire

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup supervisor
Web Overlander	....	makeup artist
Helen Turpin	....	hair styles supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joseph E. Rickards	....	assistant director

Art Department
Don B. Greenwood	....	property master

Sound Department
Warren B. Delaplain	....	sound
Carlton W. Faulkner	....	sound supervisor
W.D. Flick	....	sound
Walter Rossi	....	sound editor

Stunts
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
T.L. Gubbins	....	camera operator
Scotty McEwin	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charles Le Maire	....	executive wardrobe designer

Editorial Department
Leonard Doss	....	color consultant

Music Department
George Adams	....	supervising music editor
Lionel Newman	....	musical director

Other crew
Mitsuo Hirotsu	....	technical advisor
Minoru Inuzuka	....	dialogue coach
Kisaku Ito	....	technical art advisor
Teinosuke Kinugasa	....	script supervisor
Paul Nakaoka	....	assistant to producer
Kampo Yoshikawa	....	technical advisor: Japan
Angela Allen	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1958) (USA) (theatrical)
• Centfox (1958) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Key Video (199?) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Intrada  score album released by (limited edition)

Also Known As:

The Barbarian (USA) (working title)
The Townsend Harris Story (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:15 | UK:U | West Germany:6 (f)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Director Anthony Mann owned the rights to this story, but sold it to Fox after being unable to sign a big enough star to play the lead.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: At one point, Townsend calls to his Chinese servant Sam; this was not, as some thought, a mistaken reference to an actor's real name.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "SexTV: Geisha/Gilles Neret (#5.11)" (2003)

Atypical John Wayne

An interesting look at Japan prior to opening to the West. John Wayne as America's first consul to Japan arrives in accordance with agreements resulting from Perry's gunboat diplomacy. He is not welcome. Wayne eventually wins his meeting with the Shogun after bring a cholera epidemic, introduced by an American ship, under control. There follows a colorful procession to the capital bearing gifts for the Shogun, including a bottle of Old Tanglefoot. The meeting with the Shogun, the debates among the Japanese nobles and an assassination during an archery exhibit present an interesting look at the politics of the period. Altogether a rather enjoyable movie and besides how often do you get to see the Duke lose a fight to a guy half his size.