Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

treeline1 The story opens in 1935, as an unsophisticated Southern gal(Caroll Baker) meets a suave Japanese diplomat (James Shigeta) at a Washington party. They fall in love and spend the war years in Japan, where he works for peace as she adjusts to a new culture.This movie is based on a wonderful, sensitive memoir and could have been great but, for me, the miscasting of Carroll Baker almost ruins it. She's gauche and unlikable with a shrill, twangy voice and limited acting skills. James Shigeta, on the other hand, is perfect as the handsome and charming diplomat and gives an excellent performance. It is a pleasure to watch him.The movie feels rushed and shallow, never taking the time to explore the couple's feelings in depth. I recommend the book by Gwen Terasaki instead.

dbdumonteil 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

Joaquin Cunanan 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.

cjscott60 In 1965 I watched this movie one night while my husband and newborn baby slept. This movie was the best I have ever seen and has haunted me for more than 40 years. I never realized the plight of the Japanese in the United States and this movie and the wonderful acting made everything so believable. I had never even been interested in any war movies prior to this and still don't but this one made a lifelong lasting impression on me. I have never cried so hard in my life at the end and have constantly checked out old movies to try and find it again. I would very much like to find this movie and keep it forever. I would recommend this movie to everyone from teenagers to seniors. At my tender age of 19, I realized after watching this movie that I had no idea of what real love was between two people. I even had to wake up my husband that night and just have him hold me while I sobbed. If anyone knows how to find this movie please advise.