"The Ginger Tree" (1989) TV mini-series

Directors:

Anthony Garner
Morimasa Matsumoto

Writers:

Christopher Hampton (writer)
Oswald Wynd (novel)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

14 October 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

In 1903, a young Scots woman goes to join her diplomat fiancée in Manchuria. She marries him, and finds herself in a war zone...

Plot Keywords:

Japan | Army | Costume | Epic | TV Mini-Series

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Barbara Barnes

...

Emma Lou (1 episode, 1989)

Runtime:

240 min | UK:60 min (4 episodes)

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

The first BBC drama to be shot for High Definition Television.

The Ginger Tree

This is a compelling, beautifully composed story of cross cultures, race, gender roles, and stereotypes. The acting was superb and the characters well developed. It also demonstrates how love can endure, even through difficult choices and sacrifices. Set in the same era as Puccini's Madama Butterfly, it shows us a time and place that was once exotic during a time when class and family customs trumped personal choice.

Oswald Wynd's book of the same name, and from which this series was created, is a good read, but this visually stunning mini-series is worth seeing again and again. PBS no longer has the rights to show it, so, for the moment, it is lost to all of us. I have been looking for this to come out, first on VHS, and now on DVD to no avail.