The Teahouse of the August Moon

Cultural impact

Conventionally, the film stands firmly within the genre of official goes native stories such as Local Hero. A stuffy bureaucrat is sent to resolve a perceived problem in a community but becomes socialised into a more permissive way of life. When the official's superiors come to audit him, conflicts in values are exposed with results comic or tragic. Perhaps Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness is the prototype of such tales.

Related Topics:
Local Hero - Socialised - Joseph Conrad - Heart of Darkness

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However, in the occupation of Japan, the US were aiming to nurture democracy, respect for human rights and liberal values in a people with whom, for the years 1931 to 1945, they had been locked in vicious warfare that spilled over into cruelty to non-combatants from both sides. The occupation had seen not only reconstruction but also the trial and execution of those held responsible for war crimes. With the occupation only ended in 1952, the subject ought to feel like an odd one for a light popular comedy. Moreover, the Japanese people are cast in a humane and civilised, if somewhat patronising, light alongside the officious and bureaucratic Americans.

Related Topics:
Japan - Democracy - Human rights - Liberal - 1931 - 1945 - Warfare - Trial - Execution - War crime - 1952

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The film was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Motion Picture Promoting International Understanding but by the 1970s, cultural idiosyncrasies and pronunciation struggles had ceased to be a subject of fun. A 1971 musical version of the play (Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen) flopped.

Related Topics:
Golden Globe Award - 1970s - 1971

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