A GIRL NAMED TAMIKO

US, 1962, 116 minutes, Colour.
Laurence Harvey, France Nuyen, Martha Hyer, Michael Wilding, Myoshi Umeki, Gary Merrill, Steve Brodie.
Directed by John Sturges.

A Girl Named Tamiko is a commercial mixture of romance, message film and wide-screen travelogue of Japan. As romance it is successful enough, mainly because of a characteristically effective portrayal by Laurence Harvey and a charming and dignified portrayal of Tamiko by France Nuyen. (Martha Hyer has the thankless task of playing a most unsympathetic American and her performance is shrill and irksome).

As travelogue, the film has long sequences of Japanese scenery and monuments. It suffers badly on television from this point of view and the film lags at times.

As a message film it is unusual. The racism is that of the Japanese and is quite interesting. Laurence Harvey plays a half-Russian, half-Chinese, embittered by Japan and this gives edge to a film which is potentially soft.

Direction is by John Sturges, a director generally of tough action films - Bad Day at Black Rock, The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, Ice Station Zebra, Marooned, The Eagle Has Landed.

1. Was this merely a sentimental woman's film or did you think it was in some ways a message film?

2. What race issues did the film raise? Did they come across forcefully because they were found in Japan, or did that make them seem somewhat remote?

3. How had Ivan's Chinese and Russian background affected him? Why did he resent the Japanese?

4. Why did Ivan have such great dreams about America? Did they have any basis in reality? Why had he not been able to get out of Japan for twelve years?

5. Why was Ivan a bitter man? Why did he determine to use people? How callous was he?

6. How did he use the Americans - the journalist, Fay Wilson? Did he like them? Did he love Fay at all?

7. What kind of woman was Fay? Was her character well defined in the screenplay - her background, her bitterness, her using of Ivan?

8. What facet of Japan did Tamiko represent (and what aspect did her brother show)? Was she too Americanised? How did she regard traditions?

9. Was Tamiko a strong personality? How was she an influence for good on Ivan?

10. What was the significance of the sub-plot concerning Nigel and Eiko?

11. Did Ivan love Tamiko during their days together? What was the significance of the scene in the baths and Ivan's reckless cycling?

12. Why did Ivan decide to leave Tamiko and go with Fay? Why did he change his mind?

13. Had Ivan changed Fay? was this convincing? Why?

14. At the end, how had Ivan become less bitter? What had he accepted in Japan and in himself?

15. What did this film show of American attitudes towards the Japanese in the early 60's?