Picture Bride

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Picture Bride

PG-13

Released Apr 28, 1994

1h 38m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

82%

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11 Reviews

79%

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1,000+ Ratings

After the father of Riyo (Yûki Kudô) dies, she becomes the arranged wife of Matsuji (Akira Takayama), a migrant worker in Hawaii. Riyo travels from Japan to the United States, but finds it difficult adapting to the hard life working on a sugar plantation and living with Matsuji. Riyo becomes friends with another woman, Kana (Tamlyn Tomita), who came over as a bride as well. Riyo begins saving money to return to Japan, but tragic events make her evaluate where she belongs.

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Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: B+

Sep 7, 2011

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Picture Bride is one of several recent films about how we gathered from all over the globe to call ourselves Americans.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Alison Macor

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 4.5/5

Jan 1, 2000

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

The film is poorly directed, but it deals with a rare issue, picture brides circa 1918, and is made by an insider, an Asian-American, which is a plus.

Rated: B-

Jun 12, 2007

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Dan Lybarger

Nitrate Online

Has a nifty swan song by the great Toshiro Mifune, but the rest of the film is pretty, underwritten snooze.

Rated: 2/5

Dec 29, 2003

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Carol Cling

Las Vegas Review-Journal

Rated: 3/5

Nov 7, 2003

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andy h

It's a rather simple telling of a controversial subculture within time, but it's still enjoyable for the chemistry between the female leads and the Hawaiian scenery.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Japanese worker in suger plantation in Hawaii

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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Audience Member

This foreign film was cute for the initial 15 minutes, then boring to the point of falling asleep several times for the remainder of the movie. What I needed to learn about the Japanese picture brides pursuing the American dream just to become victims of a transaction full of lies, trapped in an almost slaving farm job, depressed and unable to cope with marital deception, quiet rebelling against fate and ultimately accepting destiny was so brief and superficial that watching the trailer would have accomplished the task.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The film is poorly directed, but it deals with a rare issue, picture brides circa 1918, and is made by an insider, an Asian-American, which is a plus.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

On Thursday night the Lahaina Restoration Foundation played this movie outside under the smokestack at the Plantation Days Festival. For a moving, authentic, and gripping depiction of the plantation era 100 years ago weaved into a love story, this Japanese film earns top marks. See it!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

maria c

Beautiful and moving film. Good direction! Good acting! Good Production!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Kayo Hatta

Director

Yûki Kudô

Riyo

Akira Takayama

Matsuji

Tamlyn Tomita

Kana

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

Kanzaki

Toshiro Mifune

The Benshi

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Synopsis

After the father of Riyo (Yûki Kudô) dies, she becomes the arranged wife of Matsuji (Akira Takayama), a migrant worker in Hawaii. Riyo travels from Japan to the United States, but finds it difficult adapting to the hard life working on a sugar plantation and living with Matsuji. Riyo becomes friends with another woman, Kana (Tamlyn Tomita), who came over as a bride as well. Riyo begins saving money to return to Japan, but tragic events make her evaluate where she belongs.

Director: Kayo Hatta
Producer: Diane Mei Lin Mark, Lisa Onodera
Screenwriter: Kayo Hatta, Mari Hatta
Distributor: Miramax Home Entertainment [us], Miramax Films
Production Co: Miramax
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 28, 1994, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 14, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $531.1K
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Surround

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