The Teahouse of the August Moon (film)
- Glenn Ford: Captain Fisby German Speaker: Wolfgang Kieling
- Paul Ford: Colonel Wainwright Purdy III. German Speaker: Arno Paulsen
- Marlon Brando: Sakini German speakers: Hans Dieter Zeidler
- Machiko Kyo: Lotus Blossom
- Eddie Albert: Captain McLean German Speaker: Alfred Balthoff
- Harry Morgan: Sergeant Gregovich German Speaker: Gerhard Frick Höffer
- Raynum K. Tsukamoto: Oshira German Speaker: Stanislav Ledinek
The small teahouse is an American comedy film directed by Daniel Mann from the year 1956. Captain Fisby, played by Glenn Ford is sent near the Japanese city of Okinawa, in order to ensure, in a small village to build a school. Instead, a tea house is built. The other main roles are occupied by Marlon Brando, Paul Ford, Machiko Kyo and Eddie Albert.
Action
The scene is rural Japanese region of Okinawa, the time is the time after the Japanese surrender in World War II. The land is occupied by American troops; a local, Sakini, the occupiers serves as an interpreter. Turned directly to the audience, Sakini philosophizes in a friendly irony about the fact that the country has seen many invaders who always giving Japan their respective cultural "achievements". Even the American occupiers overestimate the value of what their culture has to offer to the Japanese; conversely, they deliberately ignored the richness, beauty and the appropriateness of the facilities of Japanese culture.
The local commander, Colonel Purdy, a lover of nonsensical rules, receives a new officer, Captain Fisby whose displacement is apparently the result of senseless military administrative acts. Fisby was in civilian life a professor of Humanities, and Purdy, which is naively enthusiastic about the idea, the Japanese to bring the blessings of democracy, decided to send him to the village Tobiki where Fisby use a local government, a Women's League for Democratic Action to establish and build a school. Sakini, the Purdy 's glad to get rid of, accompanied Fisby.
Already the first Japanese, with whom Fisby comes into contact during his trip to Tobiki, prove to be extremely resolute and Fisby, although it tries to be fair, however, is the opposite of assertive, quickly discovers that he must add the foreign rules. After his arrival in Tobiki ends his attempt to hold a rehearsed " democracy " speech, so, conversely, the village community to give him a lesson in Japanese culture. Since Fisby is easily controllable, generous distributed items and the inhabitants promises deliveries of rice, it is well received and receives as a welcome gift even a Geisha, Lotus Blossom.
How much Fisby is with the task of bringing democracy after Tobiki, overwhelmed, shows up as set up by his wife League calls to get serious with the equality and all the women of the village to procure things that has only the geisha until then, namely, lipsticks and perfume; a geisha training they want. When the men - also with regard to their equal rights - provide their own claims, is the building material that was provided for the new school house, used for the construction of a teahouse. Fisby is finally fully acclimatized, wearing his uniform instead of a bathrobe and enjoy the small everyday pleasures of the host country.
In Purdy, the phone regularly with Fisby, eventually germinates the suspicion that does not fulfill its task properly, and he sends the inspector Captain McLean. McLean, who is supposed to investigate Fisby on his state of mind out, forget after his arrival in Tobiki its mission and takes over there now an agricultural development project. After an initial project to the economic structure of the village, the Fisby had initiated on its own fails, a distillery for Süßkartoffelschnaps is set up, which distributes its products with great success in the U.S. Army.
On the evening of the inauguration of the tea house Purdy, appears to see there even after the rights in Tobiki. When he learns of the tea house and the distillery, he is Fisby under arrest. Lotus Blossom Fisby asks to stay with her and marry her; rejects as Fisby, she consoles herself with another suitor. Fisby who has won so deep insights into Japanese culture must admit at this point that he does not know whether it belongs to the side of the conqueror, or whether he himself was captured.
Tobiki is explained by the U.S. government surprising for a model village, which will be shown with the reconstruction of the occupying power. Destroy Purdy, who already has parts of the distillery and the teahouse had let dismantle, to his superiors is now in greatest need. The Japanese had the Destilliereinrichtungen However, hidden in time and also designed in Japanese style tea house can be built within a short time.
Production and reception
The shooting for the small tea house began on April 16, 1956 at various locations in Japan, including Kyoto and Nara. Stormy weather forced the studio then end, in June 1956 with the production on the backlot of MGM to avoid Culver City where the shooting were also completed. The world premiere of the film took place in Los Angeles on November 20, 1956. On November 29, 1956, he competed in the Japanese capital Tokyo. The German premiere was on 28 August 1957.
As the star of this film is not Glenn Ford, but Marlon Brando was announced. Brando had been awarded for his role in the film 1954 formed the Waterfront won an Oscar and had then turned another two financially successful films, so still was at the height of his fame. In this film, he was seen for the first time in his film career in a comic role. He played the Japanese interpreters and house boys Sakini. Brando insisted just to play this role because it the political dimension of the topic interested and the criticism of the bigotry of the American occupation policy in Japan. Dore Shary, head of film production was assumed that Brando wanted to assume the role of Captain Fisby, that should have been played by Gene Kelly, but then went to Glenn Ford.
John Patrick's The Teahouse of the Musical August Moon, the stage adaptation of a novel by Vern Sneider was successfully ran from 1953 to 1956 on Broadway, a triumph, to which MGM wanted to go back. The piece had also received the New York Film Critics Circle Award in addition to the Pulitzer Prize. Since Brando was a crowd puller, the film is expensive Cinemascope format was produced.
The role of Colonel Purdy was initially staffed with Louis Calhern, who died suddenly during the filming in Japan. His scenes were reshot with Paul Ford. Ford had already played the role on stage.
Between Brando and Glenn Ford is said to have come during the filming repeatedly disputes, including probably also contributed to Ford's salary against the salary paid Brando been rather modest.
Marlon Brando was barely visible in the film. He was heavily made up, carried her back glued eyelids to feign almond-shaped eyes, had jet-black hair and patchy teeth and was also occupied against its type. Although Brando just life very enjoyed to play in an exaggerated form, he later explained in his memoirs that he was miscast in the role. Compared with Edith Cleveland he should have expressed that " it was a shame " and that he had hoped " that at least a hint of the magic of the piece would come over from the canvas. "
The film and its crew were nominated among others for several Golden Globes, but the criticism responded behave and also the cash receipts fell short of the expectations of the producers. The film also took part in the competition at the International Film Festival of Berlin in 1957, but was not considered for the award.
On 3 December 2012, the film was also released in German on DVD, edited by Crest Movies. The playing time is 123 minutes.
Criticism
" An amusing comedy, with the make, the Americans too smug about their democratization efforts in the Far East funny. " - Encyclopedia of the International film
Bosley Crowther said in the New York Times, Brando WOULD " synthetic, artificially and intentionally nice. His Sakini "is" less a charming rogue as a calculated clown. "
The film magazine Cinema valued highly the film with the highest rating of five thumb, and drew the conclusion: ". Ironically views on America's sense of mission "