Picture Bride Movie Review 1994

Familiar immigrant saga finds 17-year-old Japanese Riyo (Kudoh) setting off for Hawaii in 1918 as a "picture bride" to a husband she's never met but with whom she's exchanged photos (hence the title). Riyo's shocked to discover her intended, sugar-cane worker Matsuji (Takayama), has deceived her with an out-of-date picture and is at least 25 years older than she. She refuses to consummate the marriage and goes to work in the fields, intending to earn money for her passage home but of course things don't work out quite as Riyo intends. Japanese with subtitles.

Distribution

Buena Vista Home Entertainment, 500 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91521-1120, Toll-free: 800-723-4763, URL: http://www.bvhe.com

Available on VHS
Running time 95 minutes.
Originally from Japanese.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Period Piece: 1910s, Marriage, Hawaii

Screenplay

Kayo Hatta, Mari Hatta, Diane Mark

Cast

Yoko Sugi, Youki Kudoh, Akira Takayama, Tamlyn Tomita, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

Cinematography

Claudio Rocha

Director

Kayo Hatta

Music

Cliff Eidelman

Other

Toshiro Mifune

Producer

Lisa Onodera, Diane Mei Lin Mark, Thousand Cranes Filmworks, Miramax Films

Awards

Sundance 1995: Aud. Award.