Tokyo File 212

Tokyo File 212
Directed by Dorrell McGowan
Stuart E. McGowan
Produced by Melvin Belli (executive producer)
George P. Breakston (producer)
Dorrell McGowan (producer)
C. Ray Stahl (associate producer)
Written by George P. Breakston (story)
Dorrell McGowan
Stuart E. McGowan
Starring See below
Music by Albert Glasser
Cinematography Ichirô Hoshijima
Herman Schopp
Edited by Martin G. Cohn
Distributed by RKO (United States)
Release dates
  • May 5, 1951 (United States)[1]
Running time
 84 minutes
Country USA
Japan
Language English

Tokyo File 212 is a 1951 American film directed by Dorrell McGowan and Stuart E. McGowan. It was credited as Hollywood's first feature film to be shot entirely in Japan.[1]

Plot

U.S. intelligence agent Jim Cater is sent to Japan as a journalist to find Taro Matsudo who is helping the Communists there. Matsudo happens to be Carter's college friend. In his hotel, Carter meets Steffi Novak who agrees to help him in his mission. He comes to know that Matsudo aspired to be kamikaze pilot but when Japan surrendered during World War II he sided with the Communists. Oyama is revealed to be the leader of the communists. After completing his mission Carter returns to the United States.

Cast

Production

The film was shot on real locations in Japan instead of sets as commonly done by former American films that featured Japan. It was co-produced by Breakston–McGowan Productions and Tonichi Kogyo.[3] Paris-born George Paul Breakston, who had appeared in It Happened One Night (1934) and The Grapes of Wrath (1940) as a child actor, worked in the Signal Corps during World War II and also visited Tokyo. When the war ended, Breakston shifted his focus towards films and directed Urubu: The Story of Vulture People (1948) and Jungle Stampede (1950). It was during this time that he drafted Tokyo File 212 and met Hollywood studio executives and producers with the script. Screenwriters Dorrell and Stewart McGowan agreed to back the production and for this venture Breakston–McGowan Productions, Inc. was established.[4] Lawyer Melvin Belli also invested in the project.[5] The production company joined hands with Suzuki Ikuzo's Tonichi Enterprises Company. The latter agreed to provide half of the budget and Japanese actors and crew members in return for half of the earnings in both the Japan and the United States.[6] The cast included Robert Peyton, Florence Marly, Saito Tatsuo, Matsui Suisei, Nakamura Tetsu, Haida Katsuhiko and Otani Reiko.[6] Real military generals and detectives were cast for the roles.[7]

American actors and crew members reached Japan on July 21, 1950. Principal photography was completed in 36 days and the final version was prepared in 2 months. Japanese priemere was held on January 24, 1951 and it was released in the United States on May 5.[8]

For the film's U.S. premiere, geishas were brought from Japan to perform at Republic Theater.[9]

Soundtrack

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Tokyo File 212: Detail View". American Film Institute. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  2. ↑ King 2012, pp. 87–88.
  3. ↑ Kitamura 2009, p. 505.
  4. ↑ Kitamura 2009, p. 507.
  5. ↑ Roan 2010, p. 162.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Kitamura 2009, p. 508.
  7. ↑ Kitamura 2009, p. 510.
  8. ↑ Kitamura 2009, p. 509.
  9. ↑ "Geisha Girls on Stage". Washington Afro-American (Washington, D.C.). May 1, 1951. p. 4. Retrieved April 15, 2015 – via Google News Archive.

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tokyo File 212.