Sayonara takes its own sweet time to unfold; in so doing, it permits us to make intimate acquaintance with its characters, so as to better understand their multi-textured motivations. The film is set in Japan during the Korean War. While on leave, pugnacious American soldier Joe Kelly (Red Buttons) falls in love with Japanese maiden Katsumi (Miyoshi Umeki). Given the army’s official policy against interracial marriage, Kelly is courting a court-martial. His best friend, Major Lloyd “Ace” Gruver (Marlon Brando), tries to talk Kelly out of “ruining” his life. Gruver himself is about to marry Eileen Webster (Patricia Owens), the daughter of General Webster (Kent Smith). Fighting back his own prejudices, Gruver agrees to be Kelly’s best man at the latter’s wedding to Katsumi. Later, Gruver himself falls for Hana-Ogi (Miiko Taka), a beautiful lead dancer of the famed Matsubayashi Girls Revue. This sparks an all-out onslaught of racial bigotry from the Army brass, and an official edict sending American soldiers back to the states without their Japanese wives. Kelly cannot bear being parted with Katsumi; as a result, the two commit suicide. The tragedy compels the army to soften its attitudes towards miscegenation. Gruver is reunited with Hana-Ogi, who in a parallel situation has had to ward off the inbred prejudices of her people. Nominated for ten Academy Awards, Sayonara won five, including “Best Supporting Actor” (Red Buttons, whose moribund career was revitalized herein) and “Best Supporting Actress” (Miyoshi Umeki). And yes, that is Ricardo Montalban in Japanese makeup as a Kabuki actor. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi