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Storyline
Daniel and his mother move from New Jersey to California. She has a wonderful new job, but Daniel quickly discovers that a dark haired Italian boy with a Jersey accent doesn't fit into the blond surfer crowd. Daniel manages to talk his way out of some fights, but he is finally cornered by several who belong to the same karate school. As Daniel is passing out from the beating he sees Miyagi, the elderly gardener leaps into the fray and save him by outfighting half a dozen teenagers. Miyagi and Daniel soon find out the real motivator behind the boys' violent attitude in the form of their karate teacher. Miyagi promises to teach Daniel karate and arranges a fight at the all-valley tournament some months off. When his training begins, Daniel doesn't understand what he is being shown. Miyagi seems more interested in having Daniel paint fences and wax cars than teaching him Karate. Written by
John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>
Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Taglines:
He taught him the secret to Karate lies in the mind and heart. Not in the hands.
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The song Miyagi drunkenly sings during the "celebration" of his anniversary is actually fragments of an authentic Japanese folk song that
Pat Morita often heard as a child.
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Goofs
When Mr Miyagi is showing Daniel that he has been learning karate the whole time, he says, "Show me paint the house." He is holding Daniel's right hand, but in the next shot Daniel drops his left hand.
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Quotes
Daniel:
You're the best friend I've ever had.
Miyagi:
You... pretty okay, too.
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Connections
Referenced in
From Paris with Love (2010)
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Soundtracks
"THE MOMENT OF TRUTH"
Music by
Bill Conti
Lyrics by
Dennis Lambert and
Peter Beckett
Produced by
Ron Nevison
Performed by
Survivor
Courtesy of CBS Records/Scotti Bros. Records
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A lot of posts focus on the 'coming of age' aspect of this movie, but the very overlooked part is the role it played in helping to alleviate many of the stereotypes a very Asian phobic America was after WWII, Korea and Vietnam.
They make a point of showing Miyagi in a US Army Uniform--and a War Hero-- and makes references to detention camps Miyagi's family was sent to (a horribly dark period in American history)...where Miyagi's wife was being sent (pregnant) and where she and his unborn child (son) ultimately die during childbirth. There are also a few scenes in which ethnic slurs are used by rednecks toward Miyagi.
Taking this into light, and taking the fact that Daniel has no father that we know of in this movie, the name Daniel-san (sounds like Daniel-SON) helps demonstrate a father son bond that is overlooked. Much of the conversation between Daniel and Miyagi is about Miyagi's great father in Okinawa, because Miyagi has acquired all this knowledge and wants to share it. Daniel substitutes for the son Miyagi never had and Miyagi substitutes for the father Daniel doesn't have.