The Cold War’s geopolitical tension repositioned Japan from the US’s former enemy and occupied country to its strategic junior partner. This shift can be read in Samuel Fuller’s CinemaScope film noir House of Bamboo (1955), celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2025, where US paternal superiority is cast over Japan’s feminised subordination.
Sessue Hayakawa’s modest appearance as Inspector Kita - a mere shadow of the sex symbol he once was - metaphorically indicates the loss of masculine agency. The interracial romance between Eddie (Robert Stack) and his kimono girl Mariko (Shirley Yamaguchi) instigates conflicts over gender, power, and national identity. Yet the film eschews superficial typecasting by depicting Mariko as culturally resilient, and Chinese-born Japanese star Yamaguchi’s transnational identities complicate simplistic interpretations of her character.
This screening is presented in collaboration with Film Noir UK curated by Yuriko Hamaguchi as part of Transnational Japan in Hollywood (Pitch to Park Circus 2024 winner).
With an intro by co-curator Yuriko Hamaguchi.
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