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Asian on celluloid: Ricardo Montalban

I have always liked Ricardo Montalban, the only individual on this planet capable of doing justice to Kahn.  He was so good as Kahn that “Star Trek: Wrath of Kahn” became one of my favorite Trek movies.  I sort of liked him in Fantasy Island because my father loved to imitate him.

I understand that roles for him were not easy to come by, with the accent, coloring and that suave Latin-y persona that made it near impossible for him to play a television father or something.  So while I can give him a free pass for playing a Japanese Kabuki guy in “Sayonara,” I do not forgive Hollywood for its continued habit of casting non-Asians in roles intended purely for Asians.  At least Montalban gives his role as Nakamura plenty of grace and dignity while peering through heavy eyelids that make it appear as if he is going to fall asleep at the wheel and crash into a telephone pole.

“Sayonara” is a bit of a message film, a true reflection of the era in which the film was produced.  American GIs were marrying Japanese girls by the busload, and laws were being rushed through to discourage these practices.  The end result of such marriages, however, resulted in plenty of childhood to high school year half Japanese friends whose parents all seemed to meet at a military dance.

This film also introduces the Western audience to Takarazuka, the all-female musical revue that is still popular in Japan.  I saw Takarazuka as a small child and can only compare it to the most ornate hair and makeup drag show extravaganza I once watched near the old Hot and Hunky Burger in San Francisco.

Published inEntertainmentFilm ReviewJapanMovies

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