IMDb RATING
6.6/10
3.8K
YOUR RATING
In post-WWII Japan, an American captain is brought in to help build a school, but the locals want a teahouse instead.In post-WWII Japan, an American captain is brought in to help build a school, but the locals want a teahouse instead.In post-WWII Japan, an American captain is brought in to help build a school, but the locals want a teahouse instead.
- Awards
- 1 win & 9 nominations
Machiko Kyô
- Lotus Blossom
- (as Machiko Kyo)
Harry Morgan
- Sgt. Gregovich
- (as Henry {Harry} Morgan)
Carlo Fiore
- Soldier
- (uncredited)
John Grayson
- Soldier
- (uncredited)
Harry Harvey Jr.
- Soldier
- (uncredited)
Miyoshi Jingu
- Old Woman on Jeep
- (uncredited)
Roger McGee
- Soldier
- (uncredited)
Dansho Miyazaki
- Sumata's Father
- (uncredited)
Minoru Nishida
- Mr. Sumata
- (uncredited)
Aya Oyama
- Daughter on Jeep
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaProduction began with Louis Calhern playing Col. Purdy, but Calhern died after more than a month of filming. Paul Ford was quickly recruited, as he had created the role on Broadway, and this resulted a revived career for the lovable, irascible character actor.
- GoofsWhile Fisby and Sakini are finishing up their first address to the villagers Sakini asks Fisby what time it is. He responds that it's a quarter to 5:00. But the sun is directly over their heads as if it were noon.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Okinawa: Keystone of the Pacific (1973)
- SoundtracksSakura Sakura (Cherry Blossoms)
(uncredited)
Written and Arranged by Kikuko Kanai
Sung by Lotus Blossom
Featured review
It's great -- but today both the Left and the Right would hate it
This film made me realize how much we've lost as a country since the 1950s. According to Wikipedia at least, the book, play, and film were enormously popular for about 25 years, when political correctness set in, and liberals were oh-so-terribly aghast at Marlon Brando playing an Okinawan with a heavy accent. But it's Brando's character who is the most admirable in the movie -- sharp, perceptive, and cunning, but also warm, generous, and forgiving.
All told, it's the Okinawans who come off well -- it is we Americans who seem rather ridiculous, with our notions of winning hearts and minds and spreading democracy. Remember that this film was made just ten years after WWII, when we were up against the Soviet Union, and democracy and "the American way" were at the heart of what we thought we were all about. But here is a film that completely satirizes, if not ridicules, all that, and yet it was enormously popular.
Perhaps I'm looking at it through rose-tinted lenses -- there may well have been the Michael Savages and Rush Limbaughs of the day who inveighed against the Hollywood liberals seeking to undermine American resolve in the face of the Soviet threat and disgracing the memory of those who had died in WWII.
But I think, more accurately, it was a time of greater American self- confidence, when we were able to laugh at ourselves more easily, and weren't terrified that this, that or another group might be ticked off.
In short, this is a wise movie that should be seen by all those in power who have anything to do with how we conduct ourselves toward other nations and peoples -- as well as anyone who wants to see an entertaining but also educational film.
All told, it's the Okinawans who come off well -- it is we Americans who seem rather ridiculous, with our notions of winning hearts and minds and spreading democracy. Remember that this film was made just ten years after WWII, when we were up against the Soviet Union, and democracy and "the American way" were at the heart of what we thought we were all about. But here is a film that completely satirizes, if not ridicules, all that, and yet it was enormously popular.
Perhaps I'm looking at it through rose-tinted lenses -- there may well have been the Michael Savages and Rush Limbaughs of the day who inveighed against the Hollywood liberals seeking to undermine American resolve in the face of the Soviet threat and disgracing the memory of those who had died in WWII.
But I think, more accurately, it was a time of greater American self- confidence, when we were able to laugh at ourselves more easily, and weren't terrified that this, that or another group might be ticked off.
In short, this is a wise movie that should be seen by all those in power who have anything to do with how we conduct ourselves toward other nations and peoples -- as well as anyone who wants to see an entertaining but also educational film.
helpful•116
- elision10
- Mar 17, 2014
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Cajdzinica na avgustovskoj mesecini
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $3,926,000 (estimated)
- Runtime2 hours 3 minutes
- Sound mix
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Top Gap
By what name was The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956) officially released in India in English?
Answer