Snow Falling on Cedars (film): Difference between revisions

Snow Falling on Cedars
Snow Falling on Cedars
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Scott Hicks
Screenplay by	Ron Bass; Scott Hicks
Produced by	Ron Bass; Kathleen Kennedy; Frank Marshall; Harry J. Ufland
Starring	Ethan Hawke; Youki Kudoh; Reeve Carney; Anne Suzuki; Rick Yune
Cinematography	Robert Richardson
Edited by	Hank Corwin
Music by	James Newton Howard
Production; company	Kennedy/Marshall
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	December 22, 1999;
Running time	127 minutes
Country	Template:Film US
Language	English
Budget	$35 million

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Snow Falling on Cedars is a film directed by Scott Hicks. It is based on David Guterson's novel of the same title. It was released in 1999 and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

Plot

Set on the fictional San Piedro Island in the northern Puget Sound region of the Washington state coast in 1951, the plot revolves around the murder case of Kazuo Miyamoto (Yune), a Japanese American accused of killing Carl Heine, a Caucasian fisherman.suck it bitch hahahahah The trial occurs in the midst of deep anti-Japanese sentiments following World War II. Covering the case is the editor of the town's one-man newspaper, Ishmael Chambers (Hawke), a World War II veteran who lost an arm fighting the Japanese. Ishmael struggles with his love for Kazuo's wife, Hatsue (Kudoh), and his conscience, wondering if Kazuo is truly innocent.

Spearheading the prosecution are the town's sheriff, Art Moran (Jenkins), and prosecutor, Alvin Hooks (Rebhorn). Leading the defense is the old, experienced attorney Nels Gudmundsson (Von Sydow). An underlying theme throughout the trial is prejudice. Several witnesses, including Etta Heine (Weston), Carl's mother, accuse Kazuo of murdering Carl for racial and personal reasons. Etta is a stereotypical anti-Japanese person; she represents the part of America that persecuted Japanese Americans during the Second World War. This stance is not without irony, as Kazuo (a decorated war veteran of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team), experienced prejudice because of his ancestry, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. By the same standard, Etta, a German American, could be blamed for Nazi war crimes.

Also involved in the trial is Ole Jurgensen, an elderly man who sold his strawberry field to Carl. The strawberry field is a contested issue during the trial. The land was originally owned by Carl Heine Sr. The Miyamotos lived in a house on the Heines' land and picked strawberries for Carl Sr. Kazuo and Carl Jr. were close friends as children. Kazuo's father eventually approached Carl Sr. about purchasing 7 acres (28,000 m²) of the farm. Though Etta opposed the sale, Carl Sr. agreed. The payments were to be made over a ten-year period. However, before the last payment was made, war erupted between the U.S. and Japan, and all islanders of Japanese ancestry were forced to relocate to internment camps. In 1944, Carl Sr. died and Etta sold the land to Ole. When Kazuo returned after the war, he was extremely bitter toward Etta for reneging on the land sale. When Ole suffered a stroke and decided to sell the farm, he was approached by Carl Jr., hours before Kazuo arrived, to try to buy the land back. During the trial, the land is presented as a family feud and the motivation behind Carl's murder.

Ishmael's search of the maritime records reveals on the night that Carl Heine died a freighter had passed through the channel where Carl had been fishing at 1:42am, five minutes before his watch had stopped. Ishmael realises that Carl was thrown overboard by the force of the freighter's wake. Despite the bitterness he feels at Hatsue's rejection, Ishmael comes forward with the new information. Further evidence is collected in support of the conclusion that Carl had climbed the boat's mast to cut down a lantern, been knocked from the mast by the freighter's wake, hit his head, then fallen into the sea. The charges against Kazuo are dismissed.

Cast

Ethan Hawke as Ishmael Chambers
Reeve Carney as Young Ishmael Chambers
James Cromwell as Judge Fielding
Richard Jenkins as Sheriff Art Moran
James Rebhorn as Alvin Hooks
Sam Shepard as Arthur Chambers
Max von Sydow as Nels Gudmundsson
Youki Kudoh as Hatsue Miyamoto
Anne Suzuki as Young Hatsue Imada
Rick Yune as Kazuo Miyamoto
Seiji Inouye as Young Kazuo Miyamoto
Celia Weston as Etta Heine

Awards

Academy Awards
- Best Cinematography (nominated)

American Society of Cinematographers, USA
- Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases - Robert Richardson (nominated)

Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
- Best Cinematography - Robert Richardson - WON

Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards
- Best Cinematography - Robert Richardson - WON

Florida Film Critics Circle Awards
- Best Cinematography - Robert Richardson - WON

Golden Trailer Awards
- The Dark and Stormy Night (nominated)

Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards
- Best Cinematography - Robert Richardson - WON

International Press Academy - Satellite Awards
- Best Film - Drama (nominated)
- Best Actress - Drama - Youki Kudoh (nominated)
- Best Director - Scott Hicks (nominated)
- Best Cinematography (nominated)
- Best Original Score (nominated)

Young Artist Awards
- Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actor - Reeve Carney - WON

Young Star Awards
- Best Young Actress/Performance in a Motion Picture Drama - Anne Suzuki (nominated)

External links

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 ==Plot==
-Set on the fictional San Piedro Island in the northern [[Puget Sound]] region of the [[Washington state]] coast in 1951, the plot revolves around the murder case of Kazuo Miyamoto ([[Rick Yune|Yune]]), a [[Japanese American]] accused of killing Carl Heine, a [[Caucasian race|Caucasian]] fisherman. The trial occurs in the midst of deep anti-Japanese sentiments following World War II. Covering the case is the editor of the town's one-man newspaper, Ishmael Chambers ([[Ethan Hawke|Hawke]]), a World War II veteran who lost an arm fighting the Japanese. Ishmael struggles with his love for Kazuo's wife, Hatsue ([[Youki Kudoh|Kudoh]]), and his conscience, wondering if Kazuo is truly innocent.
+Set on the fictional San Piedro Island in the northern [[Puget Sound]] region of the [[Washington state]] coast in 1951, the plot revolves around the murder case of Kazuo Miyamoto ([[Rick Yune|Yune]]), a [[Japanese American]] accused of killing Carl Heine, a [[Caucasian race|Caucasian]] fisherman.suck it bitch hahahahah The trial occurs in the midst of deep anti-Japanese sentiments following World War II. Covering the case is the editor of the town's one-man newspaper, Ishmael Chambers ([[Ethan Hawke|Hawke]]), a World War II veteran who lost an arm fighting the Japanese. Ishmael struggles with his love for Kazuo's wife, Hatsue ([[Youki Kudoh|Kudoh]]), and his conscience, wondering if Kazuo is truly innocent.
 Spearheading the prosecution are the town's sheriff, Art Moran ([[Richard Jenkins|Jenkins]]), and prosecutor, Alvin Hooks ([[James Rebhorn|Rebhorn]]). Leading the defense is the old, experienced attorney Nels Gudmundsson ([[Max von Sydow|Von Sydow]]). An underlying theme throughout the trial is prejudice. Several witnesses, including Etta Heine ([[Celia Weston|Weston]]), Carl's mother, accuse Kazuo of murdering Carl for racial and personal reasons. Etta is a stereotypical anti-Japanese person; she represents the part of America that persecuted Japanese Americans during the Second World War. This stance is not without irony, as Kazuo (a decorated war veteran of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team), experienced prejudice because of his ancestry, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. By the same standard, Etta, a [[German American]], could be blamed for Nazi war crimes.