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Japanese War Bride
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Wikipedia article
' 'Japanese War Bride' (also known as 'East is East') is a 1952 drama film directed by King Vidor. The film featured the American debut of Shirley Yamaguchi in the title role. In February 2020, the film was shown at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, as part of a retrospective dedicated to King Vidor's career.
Synopsis
A wounded Korean War veteran, Jim Sterling (Don Taylor), returns to his California home with his Japanese wife. The couple had met and fallen in love in a Japanese hospital where Tae Shimizu (Shirley Yamaguchi) was working as a nurse. Back in America, the couple face racism and bigotry from their neighbors and family, particularly their sister-in-law, Fran (Marie Windsor).
Impact and legacy
The widespread publicity surrounding the film's launch made Japanese wives increasingly visible in the United States. Along with 'The Teahouse of the August Moon' and the more successful film 'Sayonara', 'Japanese War Bride' was argued by some scholars to have increased racial tolerance in the United States by openly discussing interracial marriages.
Principal cast
*Shirley Yamaguchi Tae Shimizu, a nurse, wife to Jim Sterling
*Don Taylor Captain Jim Sterling, GI in the Korean War
*Cameron Mitchell Art Sterling, Jim's older brother
*Marie Windsor Fran Sterling, Art's wife
*James Bell Ed Sterling, Jim's father
*Louise Lorimer Harriet Sterling, Jim's mother
*Philip Ahn Eitaro Shimizu, Tae's grandfather
*Lane Nakano Shiro Hasagawa, the Sterlings' Japanese-American neighbor
*May Takasugi Emma Hasagawa, Shiro's wife
*Sybil Merritt Emily Shafer, a local girl
*Orley Lindgren Ted Sterling, Jim's younger brother
*George Wallace Woody Blacker, a friend of Jim Sterling
*Kathleen Mulqueen Mrs. Milly Shafer, a friend of Harriet Sterling
References
Sources
* "Story of a 'Japanese War Bride'", 'The New York Times', January 30, 1952.
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