Navy Wife

When Gary Merrill, stationed in Japan, sends for his wife Joan Bennett and daughter Judy Nugent, it's not as easy a transition as they expect. Joan gets a terrible reaction to all the vaccines and is bedridden with pneumonia. She doesn't get along well with either the American or Japanese wives, and she doesn't understand (or refuses to accept) that she can't impress her beliefs and practices on others. She teaches women's lib, workers' rights, and relationship equality.

It's a very western take on Japanese culture, if you can call it a take at all. It's really more of a joke. Today, it certainly isn't funny; and frankly, the year before Sayonara was released, I'm not sure it was funny either. It makes fun of the Japanese language, culture, and gender relations. When Joan coaches one of the women to surprise her husband during a business lunch, which would show disrespect on her part and cause humiliation on his, the audience is supposed to laugh when she says, "Hi honey! Surprised to see me?" like an American.

Plain and simple, this just doesn't stand the test of time. Skip this one and stick to The Teahouse of the August Moon, a much funnier flick about the influence of western culture on the Japanese.