Review of The Teahouse of the August Moon (1957) by Francis L — 30 Apr 2012

I enjoy this film quite a bit. Brando's odd casting doesn't affect my impression, since I'm not really a fan of him. Still, I feel that he filled the 'Sakini' role quite well, since I really didn't know it was Brando at first.

Glenn Ford (another actor that I do not really know much background about) plays a decent turn as Captain Fisby. Paul Ford's character (and that highly recognizable voice) seems to be directly linked with the Colonel Hall character from the "Sergeant Bilko" television series.

And the character fits. Finally, there's Eddie Albert. His role is strikingly different from his characterization of the shell-shocked Colonel Norval Bliss in "Captain Newman, M.D.". In fact, it's practically a complete 180-degree turn - this time playing an enthusiastic psychologist who is thought by Colonel Purdy to have totally 'flipped out'.

As for the plot, I find it to be rather interesting that the role of the United States following World War II is portrayed as being the overbearing father of a child that actually knows what they're doing, and is quite capable of manipulating their parent (or overseer) to their own end.

Several amusing sequences abound, such as the initial trip to Tobiki (which Brando seems to thoroughly enjoy playing), the 'discovery' of the yam brandy (including 'the goat test', as well as when 'Fisby' is taking orders for "7-Star", "8-Star" and "10-Star" varieties), and Albert's over-the-top botonist trying to get Colonel Purdy to acquire a couple of gardening books.

There is the underlying racist portrayal of the villagers (which was apparently not as objectionable 'back then'), but if you can just sit back and enjoy the story for itself, you should be able to place such objectionable content aside, since the characterizations do nothing to either add or subtract from the plot (other than to emphasize the Japanese locale).