Sayonara (1957)

Marlon Brando and Miiko Taka star in an interracial love story between a white Air Force pilot and a Japanese dancer.  Based on James Michener's novel and directed by Joshua Logan (who would go on to make another Michener-inspired film a year later with the musical South Pacific), this is typical '50s melodrama with Brando giving it a splash of merit.   While there's still a lot of racism in our world, this one is pretty out-of-date, only a few idiots out there still think it taboo for different races to marry but you can bet when this film came out there were many people uncomfortable with the subject.  In historical context one can appreciate it as a film of its time.  Red Buttons costars as Brando's friend who gets married to a Japanese women too.  His performance won him an Oscar and while it's a decent and memorable character I'd have given the award to Sessue Hayakawa for The Bridge On The River Kwai.  Grade: A-