Review of The Teahouse of the August Moon (1957) by Vite M — 24 Dec 2006

In the film's introduction, Sakini, a translator, (Marlon Brando) discusses the history of his country. They have been conquered by many countries and then taught the customs and beliefs of the conquerers. They're used to it by now. After WWII, the United States military settled in Okinawa and tried to "civilize" them by sharing American principles. To the dismay of the captain whom was assigned this task, they clearly do not care about American culture. Captain Fisby, however, adjusts to their culture and helps them do what they want to do. Once his superior learns that Fisby is not doing his task, everything Fisby has done to help the village is in jeopardy.

The one aspect of Teahouse many will remember is Brando's performance as the translator. I can only compare it to a skit on SNL involving Mike Myers as a Japanese game show host. He's funny, but it's quite an inaccurate depiction of those people. Even the village people act like goofballs. Where I'm getting with this is even though the pic has an anti-imperialism message, it falls short because of the portrayal of the villagers. That's not to say it's not entertaining because you'll laugh in many of the scenes.