vincentlynch-moonoi Overall, this movie impresses me, and in fact I think there's even more of a story that could be told in perhaps a longer television miniseries. But then we wouldn't have the really outstanding performance of James Shigeta. And, just for the record, this is a true story.Shigeta stars as the real life Japanese embassy (in Washington) personnel who marries a country girl (Carroll Baker) from the deep South. They return to his Japan where she confronts a totally different societal norm that she must adjust to. At times it's humorous, but it does a good job of portraying the obstacles to miscegenation in both cultures...although if anything, understates it. They return to Washington for his new post, and Shigeta's character attempts to prevent WWII from breaking out, but this aspect of the film is shirted to the point of being confusing...as it that general subplot through the rest of the film. He is deported after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and she insists on returning with him to Japan, where she and their daughter must endure the harsh realities of war time and cultural biases. Again, that is marginalized in the film compared to what it must have been in real life. After the war, he becomes increasingly ill and sends here back home to America before he dies alone in Japan.The main thing to complain about in the plot is that things are seen through rose-colored glasses. The realities in most aspects of the film would have been far more challenging. But, part of the problem is compressing such an expansive story into 113 minutes. As a result, we do not see the characters as courageous as they must have been.James Shigeta was actually born in the Territory of Hawaii, studied drama at New York University, and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War where he became a Staff Sergeant. Nevertheless, he is superb here...not to mention being a real "hunk". I would blame the one flaw of his performance on the director -- he's too Americanized in the early part of the film when working first time around at the embassy in Washington.Carroll Baker -- not an actress I've happened upon often -- does fine as the wife.James Yagi and Hiroshi Tomono turn in pleasing performances in the supporting cast.This is a very pleasing film...perhaps to pleasing. If it were remade today I rather think we would see more bluntness regarding the attitude toward insemination in both the United States and Japan, and more depth in terms of the hardships the characters endured during and after WWII. Nevertheless, it's a fine film for its time, and highly recommended.

klh-9 Saw this by chance last night on TCM. It was very good, although melodramatic at times. My husband and I cried at the end. Highly recommended. This was a very interesting portrayal of Japan during WWII and interracial marriage. The depiction of Japanese life was well done. For example, the young woman who betrays Teri does it for food. She's shown a couple of times stuffing handouts from people in her mouth. I did not know that the Japanese people were starving during WWII, but this made it clear. Carroll Baker did a good job of showing the transformation of her character from a young sheltered woman from the South to an older woman who endured hardships that most of us never will and grew to understand her husband at the end. A real weeper.

larryn1121 It is on Turner Classic Movies June 19, 2008. It is not available on VHS or DVD.This movie had a profound effect on my wife, who saw it right after its release in 1961 with her sister. They were 11 and 8 at the time. The woman in the movie is from from East Tennessee and we are from West Tennessee. I do not understand why it was never copied and sold. It is a great movie. The historical context is meaningful for anyone interested in Pearl Harbor, World War 2, MacArthur, or the Japanese interment during WW2. It is a classic love story, on the order of Romeo and Juliet, but with world wide implications. This will be the first time my wife has seen it in 45 years !!!

moonspinner55 Actress Carroll Baker never really carved out a niche for herself in Hollywood; a devout Method player, the roles she chose didn't always showcase a woman with any particular range. She's quite good here however, playing real-life American Gwen Terasaki who, while visiting Washington, D.C. from Tennessee, met and fell in love with a Japanese politician. Before you can say 'Sayonara!', Gwen is married and living in Japan, where the customs are confusing and the second World War looms ahead. Opens with a sweet, believable romance, becomes compelling drama of emotional choices. James Shigeta is terrific as Gwen's husband and the production is handsome. *** from ****