The Wind Cannot Read

Another wonderful example of Western Cinema's "Samurais and butterflies" approach to Japanese culture, helped along greatly by a charming performance from Yoko Tani, f... more >

Another wonderful example of Western Cinema's "Samurais and butterflies" approach to Japanese culture, helped along greatly by a charming performance from Yoko Tani, following a long line of fictional Japanese girls who cannot sleep with a Western man, (generally in the military), and live. Like Madame Butterfly herself, Mariko in "Shogun", James Bond's Asian friend in "You only live twice" etc, by sleeping with Dirk Bogarde's British Officer, poor old Yoko might as well be signing her own death warrant. While Yoko flutters in summery, English dresses and smiles when her race is described as "The most hated on the planet" by an English officer in India, (representing a "good" Imperial power), Japanese soldiers are portrayed as fanatic, suicidal sadists a la Errol Flynn's "Objective Burma". As well as being a fascinating, post-colonial text however, this is also a lovely film, especially if you like bitter sweet romance and a good cry. The colour is gorgeous and some of the location photography in India is quite breath-taking. As an gaikokujin who did marry a Tokyo girl, I have something of a soft spot for this movie, as an academic I could get a whole chapter out of it. Also recommend Yoko Tani in "Invasion", (UK, 1966), a similarly ethnocentric work of science fiction starring Edward Judd. Enjoy. < less

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Film Details

Cast

Dirk Bogarde, Yoko Tani

Technical Details