Bridge to the Sun (1961)

What makes it different from others?

Disappointment for a huge fan!

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I just saw Bridge To The Sun a few moments ago on TMC for the first time. Man, am I impressed! The acting was superb and completely believable, and the direction and overall production was first rate. About a Japanese man who marries a small town southern girl shortly before the outbreak of the second world war. What happens to them and their fight to stay alive and together is nothing short of heartbreakingly sad, all the more so because it is based on a true story. The love of these two is to me the strongest anti-war statement that one could make. A reminder that in the insanity of war, the civilized, the gentle and loving are always the first to die. A great, great film - not to be missed, but be prepared to weep and to curse war.

Etienne Périer is a Belgian director who has made most of his films in France .His favourite genre was the thriller:"Meurtre En 45 tours" which was made just before "bridge" was a Boileau-Narcejac ("Diaboliques" "Vertigo" ) novel and set a pattern for the seventies works "La Main A Couper" "Un Meurtre ESt Un Meurtre " "La Part Du Feu" ;the best was inspired by a true story "Un Si Joli Village"(1978) but it was not a commercial success and it was 1989 before Périer made another movie :another thriller in eighteenth century Venice where Vivaldi met Goldoni.Still with me? "Bridge to the sun" has nothing to do with Périer's French films .When I read his name in the credits ,I could not believe my eyes.Although completely impersonal,it's a valuable pacifist work ,a kind of movie we are desperately in need of in our trouble times.Based on true facts-like the 1978 effort,which would tend to prove that Périer is at his best with them-,it depicts the life of an Japanese ambassador and his American wife.As WW2 was breaking out and Pearl Harbour was around the corner ,the couple and their daughter were going to have a bad time.The best moments,however ,are in the first part of the movie,when Gwenn discovers the Japanese way of life and .....its very macho side!Carroll Baker is gorgeous but as the story stretches over more than ten years it's extraordinary she 's stayed fresh as a rose after all those years,even in the bombing scenes !Ditto for her husband who does not look terminally-ill at all in the final sequences.This is minor quibble :"bridge to the sun" is a heartfelt movie,which proves one more time the absurdity of war.There were Germans who fought against the Nazis,there were French resistant fighters who refused collaboration,there were Japanese men who risked their lives for peace ,even in the most desperate situations. Like this? try these....."Empire of the sun" Spielberg 1987"Sayonara" Joshua Logan 1957

It is on Turner Classic Movies June 19, 2008. It is not available on VHS or DVD.This movie had a profound effect on my wife, who saw it right after its release in 1961 with her sister. They were 11 and 8 at the time. The woman in the movie is from from East Tennessee and we are from West Tennessee. I do not understand why it was never copied and sold. It is a great movie. The historical context is meaningful for anyone interested in Pearl Harbor, World War 2, MacArthur, or the Japanese interment during WW2. It is a classic love story, on the order of Romeo and Juliet, but with world wide implications. This will be the first time my wife has seen it in 45 years !!!

I just saw this at the SF Asian American Film Festival. Apparently, there is only one print in existence and no VHS or DVD releases. I hope that you are as lucky as I was and get an opportunity to see it. The lead, Shigeta, was at the screening and spoke a few words to the audience and answered some questions. He got a standing ovation. I was glad that he is still sharp and articulate.The good: 1) James Shigeta is outstanding. He's handsome and skilled. He plays Terasaki with passion and sophistication.2) It's a view of WW2 from the Japanese side, which is all too rare. 3)It's based on a true story, which makes the film resonate even more.4) The dialogue is wonderful. The opening scene is written and acted with a lot of wit which had the audience laughing. 5) It was produced in 1961. Unlike many Hollywood films of the time, Asians have a reasonably accurate portrayal and not just crude caricature (e.g. "Breakfast at Tiffany's").The bad: 1) The film is set in the 1930s and 40s but the costuming and furnishings are straight out of 1960. I'm a bit of a vintage clothing geek so this was jarring.