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Snow Falling on Cedars
In the 1950s, a Japanese-American fisherman is suspected of killing his neighbour at sea. For Ishmael, a local reporter, the trial strikes a deep emotional chord when he finds his ex-lover is linked to the case. As he investigates the killing, he uncovers some startling clues that lead him to a shocking discovery.
1999 · Directed by Scott Hicks · 127 min · Drama · Romance · Screenplay in the scene database · 6 frames
Tagline
First loves last forever.
Plot
Set on the fictional San Piedro Island in the northern Puget Sound region of the Washington state coast in 1950, the plot revolves around the murder case of Kazuo Miyamoto, a Japanese American accused of killing Carl Heine, a white 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, a World War II veteran who lost an arm fighting the Japanese in the Pacific War. Ishmael struggles with his childhood, and continuing, love for Kazuo's wife, Hatsue, and his conscience, wondering if Kazuo is truly innocent.
Spearheading the prosecution are the town's sheriff, Art Moran, and prosecutor, Alvin Hooks. Leading the defense is the old, experienced attorney Nels Gudmundsson. An underlying theme throughout the trial is prejudice. Several witnesses, including Carl's mother, Etta, accuse Kazuo of murdering Carl for racial and personal reasons. 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 was 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, Zenhichi, eventually approached Carl Sr. about purchasing 7 acres (28,000 m) 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.
Plot summary from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
Crew
- Screenplay: Scott Hicks, Ronald Bass
- Cinematography: Robert Richardson
- Edited by: Hank Corwin
- Music: James Newton Howard
- Production design: Jeannine Oppewall
- Produced by: Ronald Bass, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Harry J. Ufland
Cast
- Ethan Hawke as Ishmael Chambers
- Youki Kudoh as Hatsue Miyamoto
- Reeve Carney as Young Ishmael Chambers
- Anne Suzuki as Young Hatsue Imada
- Rick Yune as Kazuo Miyamoto
- Max von Sydow as Nels Gudmundsson
- James Rebhorn as Alvin Hooks
- James Cromwell as Judge Fielding
- Richard Jenkins as Sheriff Art Moran
- Arija Bareikis as Susan Marie Heine
Production
- Country: United States of America
- Language: German, Japanese, English
- Studios: Universal Pictures, The Kennedy/Marshall Company
- Budget: $35,000,000
- Themes: journalist, wife, fisherman, bias, trial, japanese american, 1950s
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