the book of james michener take reader to faraway place with strange sound name be probably at their most popular in the 1940s and 1950s . his tale of the south pacific become a major blockbuster broadway hit for rodgers and hammerstein . south pacific be direct by joshua logan and he be a natural to do the film adaption of another michener success and sayonara . it be only a decade before that american film during world war ii do not portray the japanese kindly . i be sure it wasn not easy for people who fight the pacific war to change attitude overnight . that and a general no fraternization policy with occupied people in general be at the crux of this story about interracial romance . sayonara be a relevant film today . the military have always butt in to the personal life of it personnel in way no civilian employer could get away with legally . in america at the time sayonara be make there be still miscegenation law on the book in many state . today gay in the military be a big issue . someone may one day do a sayonara like film on that issue . joshua logan be on familiar ground . south pacific also have racism a a component of it plot . with a sure hand and logan assemble a great cast and craft a beautiful story . marlon brando and patricia owen and james garner and kent smith some of the occidental player do a fine job . but the picture be steal by the oriental here . miko taka hit the mark beautifully a brando love interest . but the real star be the two that one both support player oscar and red button and miyoshi umeki . button be your everyman enlist man air force member . he fall passionately in love with katsumi play by miyoshi umeki . they marry and the military cruelly do everything they can to break them up . they presume to know what best for button and umeki . button be a tv comedian and a fair talent and but he never get a part as good a this the rest of his career . and miyoshi umeki oscar be the first one give to an oriental . it get a great deal of attention because at the time of the academy award and miyoshi be star on broadway in flower drum song . i be privilege to see it on broadway and it be the first broadway show i ever saw . i still carry the memory of it . that oscar symbolize something else too . our war with japan be really over and we saw in sayonara a great nation with a proud tradition and culture . ricardo montalban play nakamura and a kabuki theatre actor . if sayonara be do today and logan would never get away with it . but montalban be fine . good location photography and a grand story . this film should be revive more often it have a great moral .