The Teahouse Of The August Moon (1965) By now, we've all become familiar with the new pop culture crusade undertaken by the army of Howling Woke Commandos.
Their mission: keep the casting of all films and TV shows to strict politically correct guidelines. No actor should ever dare to assume the role of a character who is outside their own race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.
And the woke commandos won't stand for so much as a fraction of deviation in their frenzy. Steve Spielberg, who bent himself backwards to authentically cast his "West Side Story" remake, still ran afoul of the woke-a-holics......because the actress playing 'Maria' was Columbian and not Puerto Rican.
Which is why we couldn't help chuckling to ourselves at what the woke-ians reaction would be if they ever got a look at this movie, which featured Marlon Brando playing an wily, post World War 2 Okinawan interpreter, You heard me right.....Okinawan.....from Japan.
Yes, I do realize that this could never, ever happen in this day and age.......and that there was was never any shortage of superb, gifted Asian actors who could play the coveted lead role of the witty and wise 'Sakini' in this adaptation of a Pulitzer prize winning play.
But let's remember I'm talking about a high gloss 1950's MGM movie rolling off the Hollywood assembly line......a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. A different age altogether. When big movies demanded big stars, no matter how fit or unfit for whom they portrayed.
So this might come off as un-woke, but I'm going to assess this film and Brando's work in it in as if I went back in time and saw it in 1956.
The verdict? Brando's terrific. And hilarious, by the way. So is the film. And for the first time in his then rocketing young career, Brando took a shot at all-out comedy. He nailed it. And do did his co-star Glenn Ford, who usually played stalwart, steady, solid heroes, but here took on the role of a stuttering, sputtering bumbler.....(the sort of role Jack Lemmon was carving out for himself)
It's 1946 in U.S. occupied Okinawa and the pompous, blustering blowhard Co. Purdy (Paul Ford, repeating the role he played on stage) is determined to bring progress and democracy to the Japanese island's many villages.
To one such village he's assigned the hapless Capt. Fisby (Ford) to organize the residents into building a pentagon-shaped schoolhouse, aided by local interpreter 'Sakini' (Brando, convincingly Asian and opening the film with a lengthy, but razor sharp monologue on the culture clash we're about to see - between the conquered their conquerors)
It's rare that I ever laugh out loud when watching old 1950's comedies.....the humor, forced and obvious, usually never aged well. But "Teahouse" kept me in real stitches with its unerring, knowingly satiric barbs - most aimed at the blind optimism of a triumphant America trying to export its ideals to a foreign culture as far removed from the U.S..A. as another planet.
And how fitting that in the film's final most prescient finale, the Okinawans reveal themselves as far more clever, hard working and industrious than their American occupiers ever gave them credit for.....a preview of coming attractions and decades to come......
So I don't care how much the Howling Woke Commandos might scream today upon catching sight of Brando here. He threw himself into the role and turned the film into one of the era's most funny and still perceptive comedies. And not to be missed by anyone who wants to make sure they've seen all the legendary actor's greatest work. 4 stars (****)..
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