Copy of the Original Article.
Eddie and brother-in-law
Takashi “Teek” Kondo
From: The Mainichi Japanese-American newspaper.
Date: April 27, 1956.
Location of a French-Japanese film, “Francais a Tokio,” and an MGM picture, “The Teahouse of the August Moon,” has started recently at Nagasaki and Nara with world-famous stars and staff.
The French film directed by Yves Ciampi stars Danielle Darrieux, sweetheart of the world; Jean Marais, favorite of Jean Cocteau; and Keiko Kishi, Japan’s idol.
“The Teahouse of the August Moon” is directed by Daniel Mann, one of the most renowned stage-movie directors. It stars with Machiko Kyo, Hollywood’s big five stars, i.e., Marlon Brando, Glenn Ford, Louis Calhern, Henry Morgan and Eddie Albert.
Although there have been several foreign pictures or jointly produced films shot in Japan, none of them equals the two new pictures in magnitude.
While “Francais a Tokio” is jointly produced by a French film production, Pathe, and Japan’s Shochiku, “The Teahouse,” an MGM production, is shot with the assistance of Daiei Studio, Shochiku’s rival movie company.
‘Francais A Tokio’
Shooting of the French-Japanese picture was commenced on April 18 at Nagasaki City. The crew get up early every morning and start shooting immediately so as to avoid possible disturbances to be caused by the crowd that is always there wherever the stars and crew go.
Jean Marais and Danielle Darrieux seem to have been surprised at Japanese crowds. They said they could not give reporters impression of Japan because so many people always surrounded them that they could not see Japan. What they have seen so far is the crowd.
Keiko Kishi, who was learning English, having been scheduled to star in a British film, is now busy studying French.
“French is very difficult to learn,” she said. Nevertheless, she seemed quite happy co-starring with the two famous French stars.
‘The Teahouse of the August Moon’
MGM’s film version of a Broadway hit, “The Teahouse of the August Moon,” develops an ironical comedy with an Okinawan village as background. It is being shot at a hamlet seven miles from Nara City, at the foot of Mt. Ikoma.
Producer Jack Cummings and director Daniel Mann chose the village as the location site after inspecting a number of places in Japan. The village and its surroundings meet their three conditions for shooting the film: (1) easy access from Nara Hotel, temporary headquarters of the MGM crew; (2) clear atmosphere and (3) surroundings resembling landscape in Okinawa.
Thatch-roofed farmhouses with palm trees built by Daiei Studio men with Eddie Imazu as art director are effective reminder of an Okinawan village.
At an elevated ground not very far from the village settings stands the teahouse set. Anyone may wonder if the teahouse is real, instead of provisional, as he enters the garden of the teahouse and walks around the pond built especially for the film production.
Most of the scenes of the picture is scheduled to be taken there or in Kyoto. Indoor shooting will be carried out at the Daiei’s Kyoto Studio.
Legend
- Yves Ciampi directing at the Nagasaki Cultural Hall. Jean Marais and Danielle Darrieux are seen on his right.
- Keiko Kishi and Marais.
- Keiko Kishi and Marais.
- Darrieux and Marais taking a rest.
- Shooting at the Cultural Hall. Ciampi is directing Darrieux and Marais
- Machiko Kyo and Glenn Ford at the entrance of the Teahouse of the August Moon.
- Open set of an Okinawan village.
- From left to right: Henry Morgan, Eddie Albert, Daniel Mann, director, Glenn Ford, Eddie Imazu, art director, Machiko Kyo, Louis Calhern, Mitsuko Sawamura, Marlon Brando and Jack Cummings, producer.
- (L. to R.) Ford, Kyo and Brando standing in front of the teahouse.
- Ford and Kyo at a verandah of the teahouse.
- Kyo and Ford on a stone bridge spanning the pond in the teahouse garden.
- Ford and Mann talking at an Okinawa farmhouse set.
