MovieChat Forums > Sayonara (1957) Discussion > Oscar for Umeki???

Oscar for Umeki???

posted 19 years ago by MountainMan
19 replies | jump to latest

Of the two Japanese actresses (assuming either of them should even get nominated), I would have given Miiko Taka the oscar over Miyoshi Umeki, although neither deserved it. I truly believe that academy voting becomes unfairly influenced toward a movie that is extremely popular, especially if it conveys controversial subject matter. Even though Miyoshi Umeki was on-screen for such a short time, her nomination for supporting actress was a shoe-in after the suicide scene with Buttons.

Mountain Man

[–] olivivien 19 years ago

I think Miiko Taka is considered as a leading role. And the wining of Miyoshi Umeki is because US wanted to say sorry to Japan after the ... you know.

[–] MountainMan 19 years ago

Good answer Olivivien, and I am sure you are right on!!
Mountain Man

[–] eddyskiva 19 years ago

You're right... And... Umeki was around in other popular culture in the late '50s, and had a Broadway hit going at the same time. American audiences loved her. She was good, sweet, perfect for what the part called for, and became one of those Oscar winners, awarded for wider appeal than just the minimal performance. Her win has more to do with this, than with any real awareness on the part of the voters to 'forgive' the Japanese.
For me, she shouldn't have even been nominated, and you can find equally odd Oscar wins all over (Gloria Graham in 1952).

[–] liscarkat (18541) 3 years ago

"And the wining of Miyoshi Umeki is because US wanted to say sorry to Japan after the ... you know."

In the U.S. we're still waiting for Japan to say sorry to us for the...you know. Never gonna happen.

[–] Liza-19 19 years ago

Personally, I think Umeki's win was one of the better decisions the Academy ever made. She was definately the dark horse in the race, but she did a beautiful job with her small role. Despite her very thick accent, she is a surprisingly good actress (watch Flower Drum Song). I think Miiko Taka is just annoying, and not a very good actress. She had a good part but put next to no emotion in any of her lines. I didn't believe for a second that she was in love with Marlon Brando. I believed everything Umecki said whole-heartedly.

I don't care about money. I just want to be wonderful. - Marilyn Monroe

[–] [email protected] 19 years ago

Really? I thought Miiko Taka was pretty believable as a woman in love for the first time under the circumstances of the plot. Especially in two scenes: the scene where she's explaining about the rocks getting married and the Tanabata (fireworks) scene.

[–] jostienyu1 18 years ago

Actually I thought the movie was pretty so-so in general, I agree that neither actress deserved the Oscar, but as an Asian we are continuously prejudiced against especially in the Entertainment field. Who do we have anyway....Lucy Liu, Jet-Li, Ziyi Zhang, Jacky Chan....those who would never get Oscar Consideration
Anyway, there are so many people that are robbed of Oscars as was mentioned earlier and others that receive Oscars who don't deserve it.

One example of Each:

Didn't Deserve Oscar: Mira Sorvino
Deserved Oscar: Angela Lansbury (especially for MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE)

[–] justoldbill 18 years ago

Yes, an Oscar for Umeki! And why not? An apology for WWII indeed! She won in her US film debut for the same reason Audrey Hepburn and Julie Andrews did in theirs', the unique and revelatory nature of their performances.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] Liza-19 18 years ago

Honestly, I really didn't see any depth in any of her scenes. She seems a very cold actress (maybe she got more comfortable later on, this is the only thing I've seen her in). But to be fair, Brando was in most of her scenes and his southern accent was one of the biggest mistakes the filmmakers made. A great actor, sure, but with his voice a southern drawl should never have been attempted. It's possible I'm partly blaming her for his annoying voice.

Miyoshi on the other hand, is just so genuine. Look at how she acts from the very start, she's a complete kitten. She's small and quiet and very sweet. But when you don't expect it, she proves she can act. Look at the scene where Red Buttons finds out she wants to get her eyes cut. I think it's one of the strongest scenes for both of them, and it's undoubtedly a very disturbing one.

BTW, I think the real reason Miyoshi won (although I'm the first to defend her performance) was the fact that there were two actresses from Peyton Place nomintated in that category. I'll bet that split the vote. Like when Judy Holliday beat Anne Baxter & Bette Davis in All About Eve.

I don't care about money. I just want to be wonderful. - Marilyn Monroe

[–] johnyzero_2000 18 years ago

I sort of agree. When I saw Sayonara I watched it for Miyoshi Umeki and I was dissaponted how small her role was I think if you add up her screen time it was only 10 minutes and her speaking time was only 4 minutes. Not to knock her performance because she was very charming, I'm just dissapointed that she wasn't given more to do than simply be the submissive Japanese wife. She needed at least a few more lines and at least one monologue then she would have stole the film completely. I prefer her later movies and tv appearences because she is just shining through and you can't take your eyes off her. It's unfortunate that she didn't have a career of like Anna May Wong (an American Asian who broke through and became a superstar in the 30's).

[–] sitboy23 16 years ago

"Never Happen". The way she says this alone is Oscar worthy. The best line of the film!

[–] ChiefBrody_6 16 years ago

Actually, it was James Garner's girl Fumiko-san who said that to Marlon Brando when Brando was talking to her about getting a date with Hana-ogi.

[–] intuitsteve 12 years ago

She was fine but nothing special.

[–] ScreenwriterVA 12 years ago

I have to disagree. She entered your heart during the film so much, that when she dies we are truly horrified, as is Marlon Brando. We feel that we know her, and she (and Kelly) have so much to live for. Outstanding performance.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] don-lockwood 10 years ago

Miiko Taka was very flat, and her dialogue was one-note anyway. Buttons and Umeki are definitely the more affecting pair in the film, but I didn't think either were Oscar-worthy. Miyoshi was surely the Lupita of her day. Though I must say she was wonderful and award-worthy in Flower Drum Song. Here, she just didn't have enough to do. But at least she has a crying scene. Buttons has a lot more screentime, but again, I don't think this is an award-worthy role. And Best Supporting Actor that year could have been stacked with the 12 Angry Men.

Lee J. Cobb and Kay Thompson (Funny Face) would have been my singular winners that year.

[–] FANatic-10 10 years ago

I really don't see that either Miyoshi Umeki or Red Buttons deserved their awards based strictly on their performances, not on outside considerations. I can only think that since each category contained two nominees each from "Peyton Place", somehow the voting was skewed towards "Sayonara". Red Buttons gave a decent performance, but it wasn't outstanding or even very memorable. He was better in 1969's "They Shoot Horses, Don't They". Sessue Hayakawa should have won for his work in the film of the year, "The Bridge on the River Kwai". Umeki's role is quite tiny, and she has very little to actually do in it - the scene where Buttons berates her for the operation she almost gets is pretty much the only "heavy lifting" she has as an actress here, and its not enough. Veteran actress Elsa Lanchester, who pretty much stole every movie she was ever in, would have richly deserved an Oscar for her hilarious nurse to hubby Charles Laughton in "Witness for the Prosecution". Still, I'd say both were better than Marlon Brando here, with his inexplicable and unwarranted accent that came right out of a road company performance of "Tobacco Road", rather than anything approximating that of a son of a four-star general.

[–] rudeboymurray (3279) 5 years ago

One of the most inexplicable Oscar wins for acting ever. Umeki really has next to nothing to do in the film. I agree that Taka would have been a more logical choice, but as already mentioned she was possibly submitted as lead (back then the studious determined category placements).

Sayonara isn't a very good film - the pacing is sluggish, although it's handsomely produced and must have seen an important production at the time. I can understand why it was such a big hit but, in retrospect, it's strong showing at the Oscars oversold its limited merits considerably.