A Japanese-American fisherman is accused of killing his neighbor at sea. In the 1950s, race figures into the trial. So does reporter Ishmael.A Japanese-American fisherman is accused of killing his neighbor at sea. In the 1950s, race figures into the trial. So does reporter Ishmael.A Japanese-American fisherman is accused of killing his neighbor at sea. In the 1950s, race figures into the trial. So does reporter Ishmael.
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
14K
YOUR RATING
- Director
- Writers
- David Guterson(novel)
- Ronald Bass(screenplay)
- Scott Hicks(screenplay)
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Writers
- David Guterson(novel)
- Ronald Bass(screenplay)
- Scott Hicks(screenplay)
- Stars
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 5 wins & 11 nominations total
Videos1
Daniel von Bargen
- Carl Heine Sr.as Carl Heine Sr.
- (as Daniel Von Bargen)
- Director
- Writers
- David Guterson(novel)
- Ronald Bass(screenplay)
- Scott Hicks(screenplay)
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
- All cast & crew
Storyline
It's 1950 on San Pedro Island in the American Pacific Northwest. Commercial fisher Carl Heine Jr.'s dead body is pulled out of the water in a fishing net by his crew, he who died of head trauma. Kazuo Miyamoto is charged with his murder. Carl and Kazuo were once friends, had known each other since childhood, but WWII has placed a strain on any sort of relationship between the ethic Japanese and Caucasian populations of the area, the Japanese population which was and is still substantial on the island. Carl had motive regarding a land dispute between the two families, land which Carl's mother eventually sold from under the Miyamotos and which Carl had just repurchased. Evidence also points to Kazuo being on the water with Carl probably sometime during his last voyage, evidence which Kazuo knew would put him in a bad light, adding on top of being Japanese, and thus decided not to disclose to the investigating sheriff at the time he was questioned. Kazuo and his wife Hatsue's fear come to realization in that there are racist overtones to the questioning by the prosecutor, Alvin Hooks, in playing to existing anti-Japanese sentiment. Among the many locals following the proceedings is Ishmael Chambers, the owner/editor of the local newspaper, he who took it over following the passing of his father, the previous owner Arthur Chambers. Arthur was one of the few Caucasians on the island who came to the defense of the local Japanese during their internment because of the war. Ishmael, a veteran who lost his left arm in battle, has more personal than professional interest in the case as he has been in love with Hatsue since they were in their youth. Hatsue broke off their clandestine romance to marry Kazuo, Ishmael not knowing out of pressure from her mother to marry within their own culture. It is his feelings for Hatsue that Ishmael has his own motives for wanting to find out the truth of what happened to Carl. —Huggo
- Taglines
- First loves last. Forever.
- Genres
- Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
- Rated PG-13 for disturbing images, sensuality and brief strong language
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaWhen the Japanese-Americans are sent to internment camps, many of the extras were Japanese-Americans who had actually been sent to the camps in the 1940s.
- GoofsThe American flag shown has 50 stars. At the time, the flag had 48 stars.
- Quotes
Nels Gudmundsson: It takes a rare thing, a turning point, to free oneself from any obsession. Be it prejudice or hate, or, even love.
- Crazy creditsJan Rubes and Sheila Moore are on the credits despite their scenes being deleted.
- ConnectionsFeatured in At the Movies: Double Jeopardy/Jakob the Liar/Mumford (1999)
- SoundtracksMoon over Burma
Written by Friedrich Hollaender (as Frederick Hollander), Frank Loesser
Performed by Dorothy Lamour
Courtesy of the RCA Records Label of BMG Entertainment
Top review
A murder-mystery / love story set against the backdrop of a small island community in post-WWII north western United States.
This movie is based on the book of the same name by author David Guterson. It is *highly* recommended to read the book before watching this movie as, in the opinion of this reviewer, the movie is an unintelligible mess that leaves out vitally important material to the understanding of the plot.
While it is not always possible to retain the feeling and spirit of a work of fiction through the screenplay writing process, I believe that this is one case in which the screen writers failed to capture the essence of the characters and what the author was trying to impart, despite the fact that Mr. Guterson was involved in the process.
Even though the movie departs from book in several vital area's that drastically change the symbology and moral of the story, the cinematography in this movie is splendid; it captures a feeling of 1950's Americana in very convincing fashion and by itself, this imagery brings much of the feeling of time home to the viewer in a real and emotionally dramatic sense.
It is really too bad that more was not done to preserve the beautiful symbology of the book and, though it must be a difficult task, that the essence of the characters was not more carefully interpretted in a true-to-the-book fashion. The director comments that he was not attempting a very literal translation, and in this I think he makes a rather grave mistake and ends up doing both the movie and the story a disservice.
Again, I highly recommend reading the book before watching this movie, even though it might take away from your appreciation of the cinematography as you struggle to reconcile the directors choices with the authors obvious intended meaning.
While it is not always possible to retain the feeling and spirit of a work of fiction through the screenplay writing process, I believe that this is one case in which the screen writers failed to capture the essence of the characters and what the author was trying to impart, despite the fact that Mr. Guterson was involved in the process.
Even though the movie departs from book in several vital area's that drastically change the symbology and moral of the story, the cinematography in this movie is splendid; it captures a feeling of 1950's Americana in very convincing fashion and by itself, this imagery brings much of the feeling of time home to the viewer in a real and emotionally dramatic sense.
It is really too bad that more was not done to preserve the beautiful symbology of the book and, though it must be a difficult task, that the essence of the characters was not more carefully interpretted in a true-to-the-book fashion. The director comments that he was not attempting a very literal translation, and in this I think he makes a rather grave mistake and ends up doing both the movie and the story a disservice.
Again, I highly recommend reading the book before watching this movie, even though it might take away from your appreciation of the cinematography as you struggle to reconcile the directors choices with the authors obvious intended meaning.
helpful•20
- allankh
- Mar 29, 2006
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Засніжені кедри
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $35,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $14,417,593
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $32,135
- Dec 26, 1999
- Gross worldwide
- $23,049,593
- Runtime2 hours 7 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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