The Barbarian And The Geisha (1958)

ethanedwards · 2006-02-06T04:35:19-05:00

THE BARBARIAN AND THE GEISHA DIRECTED BY JOHN HUSTON PRODUCED BY DARRYL F. ZANUCK/ EUGENE FRENK 20th.CENTURY FOX Photo with the courtesy of lasbugas INFORMATION FROM IMDb Plot Summary Townsend Harris is sent by President Pierce to Japan to serve as the first U.S. Consul-General to that country. Harris discovers enormous hostility to foreigners, as well as the love of a young geisha. Summary written by Jim Beaver Full Cast John Wayne .... Townsend Harris Eiko Ando .... Okichi Sam Jaffe .... Henry Heusken Sô Yamamura .... Governor Tamura Kodaya Ichikawa .... Daimyo (uncredited) Tokujiro Iketaniuchi .... Harusha (uncredited) Fuji Kasai .... Lord Hotta (uncredited) Takeshi Kumagai .... Chamberlain (uncredited) Morita .... Prime Minister (uncredited) James Robbins .... Lt. Fisher (uncredited) Norman Thomson .... Captain Edmunds (uncredited) Hiroshi Yamato .... The Shogun (uncredited) Writing Credits Nigel Balchin uncredited James Edward Grant uncredited Charles Grayson Alfred Hayes uncredited Ellis St. Joseph story Original Music Hugo Friedhofer Cinematography Charles G. Clarke Stunts Chuck Roberson .... stunts (uncredited) Trivia Based on the true story of American diplomat Townsend Harris, his time in Japan in the 1850s and 60s, and his romance with a 17-year-old geisha named Kichi. Their story is one of the most well-known folk tales in Japan. The real Harris died in New York in 1878, and the real Kichi committed suicide in Shimoda in 1892. Average Shot Length = ~10.5 seconds. Median Shot Length = ~9.7 seconds. Director Anthony Mann owned the rights to this story, but sold it to Fox after being unable to sign a big enough star to play the lead. John Huston later dismissed this film, claiming that the final version, re-cut by the studio, didn't resemble his vision at all and that he would've liked to have his name removed from the credits. Stylistically, Huston wanted to make it a particularly Japanese film in terms of photography, pacing, color and narration. According to him, only bits of this attempt were still intact and visible in the theatrical version. While making The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958), John Wayne apparently became so enraged with director John Huston (who was something of a tough guy himself and was nearly as tall as Wayne, but not as massive) that he throttled and punched him out. It is unknown what Huston did to earn the beating, but the director was known to have a mean streak. Wayne later re-enacted the incident for Peter Bogdanovich, who was somewhat terrified to be used as a substitute for Huston. Goofs Incorrectly regarded as goofs: At one point, Townsend calls to his Chinese servant Sam; this was not, as some thought, a mistaken reference to an actor's real name. Filming Locations 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA (studio) Eiga Film Studios, Tokyo, Japan (studio) Kawana, Japan Kyoto, Japan Watch this Trailer [extendedmedia]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxkOzU1p7co[/extendedmedia]