Bridge to the Sun (1961)

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

hyped garbage

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

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.

I've heard better sales pitches than one promoting a movie made by a bush league French director with a 99 per cent Japanese cast but the result is surprisingly pleasing. It's our old friend the mixed-race love story and may not have been possible had not the much higher profile Marlon Brando not broken the ground with Sayonara several years previously. Whilst Brando played a genuine bigoted Southerner - possibly in order to intensify his conversion - Carroll Baker plays a seemingly non-racist denizen of Tennessee who on a trip to Washington meets, falls for and marries Japanese diplomat James Shigeta around 1935. They move to Japan but are posted back to Washington shortly before Pearl Harbor and when he is deported she elects to go with him rather than stay in the US. This gives us a chance to see the war from the Japanes point of view almost forty years before Clint Eastwood showed us again and it is an interesting if not even rewarding experience. Baker was never much of an actress but she is well up to the demands made on her here and Shigeta is excellent.

Actress Carroll Baker never really carved out a niche for herself in Hollywood; a devout Method player, the roles she chose didn't always showcase a woman with any particular range. She's quite good here however, playing real-life American Gwen Terasaki who, while visiting Washington, D.C. from Tennessee, met and fell in love with a Japanese politician. Before you can say 'Sayonara!', Gwen is married and living in Japan, where the customs are confusing and the second World War looms ahead. Opens with a sweet, believable romance, becomes compelling drama of emotional choices. James Shigeta is terrific as Gwen's husband and the production is handsome. *** from ****

Bridge to the Sun is a wonderful love story but it is also much more than just a love story. This film shows a unique and different perspective of World War 2 without doing a disservice to the American Servicemen who gave up their lives. It is one of the most unknown stories of WW2 and one worthy of viewing and reading (the book) If you can find it watch it.