Movielogr

Picture Bride (1995)

Directed by Kayo Hatta

Drama | History | Romance

Overview

Riyo, an orphaned 17-year old, sails from Yokohama to Hawaii in 1918 to marry Matsuji, a man she has never met. Hoping to escape a troubled past and start anew, Riyo is bitterly disappointed upon her arrival: her husband is twice her age. The miserable girl finds solace with her new friend Kana, a young mother who helps Riyo accept her new life.

Rated PG-13 | Length 94 minutes

Actors

Tamlyn Tomita | Toshirō Mifune | Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa | Youki Kudoh | Yôko Sugi | Akira Takayama | Christianne Mays

Viewing History (seen 1 time)

Date ViewedDeviceFormatSourceRating
07/21/2015TVDVDLibrary6.5 stars
 

Viewing Notes

Pretty bleak depiction of post-WWI Japan and the territory of Hawai’i during this time focused on “picture brides” and one in particular. Neat film to see being unaware of this piece of history. Unfortunately the movie dissipates by the end after a nice, steady build-up. I was totally into the story then it just sorta ends as if they ran out of story or didn’t want to carry on. Weird.

Excellent characters esp. Tamlyn Tomita and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa in a smaller part but very good. Both leads are very good. Compelling story that just doesn’t follow through but still worth a watch. Toshire Mifune has a nice role as an elder that travels to each of the compounds to narrate old b&w samurai movies.

Comments

No comments yet. Log in and be the first!