Snow Falling on Cedars (1999)

A Japanese-American fisherman may have killed his neighbor Carl at sea. In the 1950's, race figures in the trial. So does reporter Ishmael.

Director:

Scott Hicks

Writers:

David Guterson (novel), Ronald Bass (screenplay),

Stars:

Ethan Hawke, Yûki Kudô, Reeve Carney

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ethan Hawke	...	Ishmael Chambers
Yûki Kudô	...	Hatsue Miyamoto
Reeve Carney	...	Young Ishmael Chambers
Anne Suzuki	...	Young Hatsue Imada
Rick Yune	...	Kazuo Miyamoto
Max von Sydow	...	Nels Gudmundsson (as Max Von Sydow)
James Rebhorn	...	Alvin Hooks
James Cromwell	...	Judge Fielding
Richard Jenkins	...	Sheriff Art Moran
Arija Bareikis	...	Susan Marie Heine
Eric Thal	...	Carl Heine Jr.
Celia Weston	...	Etta Heine
Daniel von Bargen	...	Carl Heine Sr. (as Daniel Von Bargen)
Akira Takayama	...	Hisao Imada
Ako	...	Fujiko Imada

Storyline

Carl, a fisherman in the waters off Washington state, has been found dead, drowned in his own nets, but with a serious head wound. Was he murdered? Post-war anti-Japanese sentiments are still running high, and a murder suspect is found in the local Japanese-American community in the form of Kabuo, another fisherman, who had a grudge against Carl's family. Ishmael, the small town's newspaperman, may have the information that would acquit Kabuo, but can he ever put his jilted love for Hatsue (Kazuo's wife) aside?

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Plot Keywords:

fisherman | japanese american | trial | small town | reporter | 

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Taglines:

First loves last. Forever.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for disturbing images, sensuality and brief strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Universal [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Japanese German

Release Date:

7 January 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mientras nieva sobre los cedros

Filming Locations:

Cathlamet, Washington, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$36,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£30,243 (UK) (12 May 2000)

Gross:

£30,243 (UK) (12 May 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Kennedy/Marshall Company, The, Artists' Colony, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Boats used in the production were provided by the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, Oregon, and can be seen in its permanent collection.

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Goofs

A Coast Guard form (reporting weather and shipping messages) shown in the lighthouse scene lists the Coast Guard as part of the Department of Transportation. The Coast Guard was under the Department of the Treasury until 1967.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sheriff Art Moran: So did any more of you guys see Carl out of ship channel bank last night?
Ishmael Chambers: What do you want to know for?
Sheriff Art Moran: Only to see if somebody talked to him.
Ishmael Chambers: Just went sour on me when the fog rolled. I got the hell out of there.

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Connections

Featured in Spotlight on Location: Snow Falling on Cedars (2000)

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Soundtracks

"My Blue Heaven"
Written by Walter Donaldson, George Whiting
Performed by the Canada Dance Band
(A Sub-Unit of the Canadian Band of the Allied Expeditionary Force)

User Reviews

Falls Disappointingly Short of Greatness

At times, "Snow Falling on Cedars" borders on greatness. The film is visually stylish and the actors handle their roles well.

The story revolves around a teenage love affair between a caucasian boy and a Japanese-American girl on an island off the coast of Washington state ... and later in their adult lives ... a murder trial in which her Japanese American husband is accused of killing a local fisherman.

Set in the era before, during and after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the film uses this story as a backdrop to expose the injustices that were perpetrated against innocent Japanese Americans living in the U.S. We watch as they are stripped of their homes and belongings, victimized by racial bigotry, separated from their families and herded into federal government Relocation Centers -- an oh-so-polite term for concentration camps.

What a powerful and emotionally charged topic! The opportunities for high drama endless. Right?

Yes, but not here. The extreme overuse of flashback/flash-forward techniques and a poorly organized screenplay combine to make this movie unbelievably difficult to follow. It gradually degrades into a virtual mish-mash where all sense of time, place and drama are lost. A potentially compelling film is, sadly, rendered hopelessly impotent.

Very disappointing ... especially when you consider how great this film could -- and should -- have been.