Rating: 
Summary: Eloquent
Review:
It's ashamed that this little gem hasn't garnered a larger following. Picture Bride is a terrific film that poignantly and accurately hits at the heart of the Japanese immigration to Hawaii in the early 1900's. A young girl, Riyo, apprehensively leaves Japan for Hawaii in order to marry a man she only knows through an aged photograph. Once there, she has to come to grips with the harsh reality that the man she is to marry is much older and the life in front of her is that of manual labor in the sugar cane fields. But through this a life is forged and a new generation is started in the beautiful Hawaiian isles. Having been born and raised in Hawaii, I can't begin to express how on-the-mark this film is. This, in part, is the story of my grandparents and my family.
The Hawaiian backdrop is wonderfully photographed. The performances are authentic and outstanding. Particularly impressive was the performance of Tamlyn Tomita who I had mistaken for a local (Hawaiian born) girl. Her demeanor, speech inflection and use of local dialect were dead-on. Kudos to director Kayo Hatta for creating this masterful and beautifully told tribute to all of those women who made such a journey.
Rating:
Summary: A visual masterpiece
Review: Absolutely stunning cinematography. It also provides a wonderful insight into our human fears of rejection, loneliness, and unrequited love.
Rating:
Summary: A visual masterpiece
Review: Absolutely stunning cinematography. It also provides a wonderful insight into our human fears of rejection, loneliness, and unrequited love.
Rating: 
Summary: Useful study of Japanese Picture Brides
Review: After viewing the video, my 3rd time, I was struck by the difference of today's immigrants experience and those of the Japanese in the early 1920's. Viewing the video for an Asian American studies class, the vivid imagery of the movie along with the touching dialogue, "The Picture Bride," hit home what it really meant to be a picture bride. Marrying a man 20 years your senior, an idea that strikes most of us as digusting, but regardlessly, the movie captures the heart of the era of the Japanese Picture Brides.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent look into the human nature.
Review: Coming from a city life, the main character in this story gradually adopted to the life of a sugar cane farmer in a remote pacific island. She did not like her husband a bit at the beginning and wanted to go back to her city home. But, with time, she gradually discovered the beauty and simple pleasure of this life. This vibrantly colorful biographical depiction of the life of a woman (the 'picture bride') is beautifully pictured too. There are situations when mixing three languages (Japanese, English and Hawaiian) together disturbed the rhythm of the conversation among characters, but that does not hinder one enjoying the rest of it. END
Rating:
Summary: This movie is PRICELESS and WONDERFUL! Now where is the DVD?
Review: I don't understand why Miramax has put out plenty of DVD's already and some not even worth the plastic they are burned into, and has NOT taken the time to release this classic on DVD??? Hey Miramax, if you are listening, please, please, please, please put this movie on DVD!!! Even without special features, it would be worth letting the public watch in DVD-quality!!!
Rating:
Summary: Such a gorgeous film!
Review: Stunning cinematography and an engaging plot make this film a must-see, especially for Japanophiles and social historians. You experience the emotions of a Japanese "picture bride," who must find a way to live with an elderly stranger for a husband, in a place far from home. The circumstances which bring her to Hawaii are also a fascinating education in superstitions and prejudices existing at the turn of the century on both sides of the Pacific. Just beautiful.
Rating:
Summary: "See the real paradise."
Review: The film "Picture Bride" is a simple story of Riyo (Youki Kudoh), a young Japanese girl who travels to Hawaii in the early 1900s to meet her new husband, Matsuji (Akira Takayama). This is an arranged marriage, and both parties are required to show the photographs they have of each other to the authorities as a means of identification. Unfortunately, Matsuji's photo is about 20 years old, and Riyo is shocked when she meets her husband for the first time. While the wedding goes on as planned--Riyo doesn't actually have much choice here--the marriage begins on a very shaky footing. Riyo's frail appearance belies her strong, determined character. From the moment she arrives at the sugar plantation where she is to work as a field labourer, she decides to start saving money to pay back her husband and eventually return to Japan--and this isn't easy earning just pennies a day from back-breaking labour. Riyo meets and befriends Kana (Tamlyn Tomita) who earns extra money by taking in laundry. Riyo soon assists Kana and starts hoarding money for the trip home. Their friendship ameliorates Riyo's loneliness but does little to improve relations with the well-meaning, kind Matsuji. Apparently, more than 20,000 women travelled to Hawaii as 'picture brides.' Riyo's story is just one of many, but no doubt, her experiences mirror the experience of picture brides in general. Conditions in the sugar cane fields were harsh and sometimes hazardous, but the film also emphasizes that a racial hierarchy exists in the sugar plantation--as badly as the Japanese were treated by the European overseers, Filipinos appear to be treated even worse. It seems ironic at best that thousands of people found themselves as dis-enfranchised labourers in a part of the world that is so idyllic. Living in paradise does not bring happiness or even contentment; happiness is an inner state, and the story illustrates this effectively. Fans of Toshiro Mifune will be pleased to note that he makes a brief appearance as a travelling entertainer. The film includes many scenes of breathtaking beauty, but by far the most memorable is the scene in which paper lanterns are placed on the river to remember the dead--displacedhuman.
Rating:
Summary: "See the real paradise."
Review: The film "Picture Bride" is a simple story of Riyo (Youki Kudoh), a young Japanese girl who travels to Hawaii in the early 1900s to meet her new husband, Matsuji (Akira Takayama). This is an arranged marriage, and both parties are required to show the photographs they have of each other to the authorities as a means of identification. Unfortunately, Matsuji's photo is about 20 years old, and Riyo is shocked when she meets her husband for the first time. While the wedding goes on as planned--Riyo doesn't actually have much choice here--the marriage begins on a very shaky footing. Riyo's frail appearance belies her strong, determined character. From the moment she arrives at the sugar plantation where she is to work as a field labourer, she decides to start saving money to pay back her husband and eventually return to Japan--and this isn't easy earning just pennies a day from back-breaking labour. Riyo meets and befriends Kana (Tamlyn Tomita) who earns extra money by taking in laundry. Riyo soon assists Kana and starts hoarding money for the trip home. Their friendship ameliorates Riyo's loneliness but does little to improve relations with the well-meaning, kind Matsuji. Apparently, more than 20,000 women travelled to Hawaii as 'picture brides.' Riyo's story is just one of many, but no doubt, her experiences mirror the experience of picture brides in general. Conditions in the sugar cane fields were harsh and sometimes hazardous, but the film also emphasizes that a racial hierarchy exists in the sugar plantation--as badly as the Japanese were treated by the European overseers, Filipinos appear to be treated even worse. It seems ironic at best that thousands of people found themselves as dis-enfranchised labourers in a part of the world that is so idyllic. Living in paradise does not bring happiness or even contentment; happiness is an inner state, and the story illustrates this effectively. Fans of Toshiro Mifune will be pleased to note that he makes a brief appearance as a travelling entertainer. The film includes many scenes of breathtaking beauty, but by far the most memorable is the scene in which paper lanterns are placed on the river to remember the dead--displacedhuman.
Rating:
Summary: A Gorgeous Piece of Film Tapestry!
Review: This film is an absolute masterpiece of film making and a great tribute to Ms. Kayo Hatta's skill and integrity. This film has finally made it's way to DVD and it is wonderfully divine! The behind the scenes on the DVD make it worth the price alone! The talent in this film is outstanding as well, with the very beautiful Ms. Yuki Kudoh and Ms. Tamlyn Tomita comprising the main characters. A special appearance by Toshiro Mifune is also not to be missed. Haunting, striking, touching and gorgeous, this film is not to be missed. Do yourself a favor and pick up this must-have DVD!!
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