Out of Focus

Hollywood has long been fascinated with Japan, and its perspective has evolved through the decades. Japanese went from being wartime enemies to victims of American racism, ’70s swingers and relentless economic animals. A sample of Hollywood’s multiple takes on Japan:

THE PURPLE HEART (1944) An American bomber crew is tortured and tried by the Japanese as war criminals

JAPANESE WAR BRIDE (1952) King Vidor directs a story of prejudice against the Japanese wife (Yoshiko Yamaguchi) of an American serviceman

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S (1961) All-out caricature: Mickey Rooney plays Holly Golightly’s buck-toothed Japanese neighbor

MY GEISHA (1962) Shirley MacLaine disguises herself as a geisha to fool Yves Montand into casting her as Madame Butterfly

WHAT’S UP TIGER LILY? (1966) Japan as a joke: Woody Allen redubs a Japanese detective movie

YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967) James Bond (Sean Connery) marries Kissy Suzuki and has his eyes altered to look Asian.

TORA! TORA! TORA! (1970) The first big U.S.-Japan co-production showed the attack on Pearl Harbor from both sides. The New York Times’ verdict: Tora-ble! Tora-ble! Tora-ble!

SEVEN NIGHTS IN JAPAN (1976) Party time! The Prince of Wales (Michael York) finds a week of freedom in Yokohama

SHOGUN (1980) Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune in feudal Japan

RISING SUN (1993) Michael Crichton’s tale of Japan’s insidious influence

LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003) The Americans were dazed and confused, the Japanese downright loony

THE LAST SAMURAI (2003) The Emperor Meiji is selling out Japan’s soul to modernize. Can the sensitive samurai Tom Cruise stop him? (Plot spoiler: no)