The Sweet and the Bitter (1967 film)
The Sweet and the Bitter, also known as Savage Justice, is a 1967 Canadian film directed by James Clavell.[1]
Cast
- Yōko Tani as Mary Ota
- Paul Richards as Rob MacRoy
- Torin Thatcher as Duncan MacRoy
- Jane Mallett as Mrs. MacDonald
- Dale Ishimoto as Dick Kazanami
- Teru Shimada as Tom Hirata
Production
In 1962 Clavell signed a two-picture deal with Panorama, a Canadian company, to produce and direct Circle of Greed in April and The Bitter and the Sweet in June. The former was not made.[2] The film was the first production from a Canadian Company, Commonwealth, established by Oldřich Václavek, a Czech immigrant to Canada. The budget of CA $325,000 was raised from Canadian sources.[3]
Filming started 4 June 1962 in Vancouver at Commonwealth's Hollyburn Studios (later known as Panorama Studios).[4]
"I want to tell a story", said Clavell at the time. "If my story doesn't hold people, doesn't touch their emotions, then it is of no use. I go to the theatre and watch the reactions of the audience to my lines. They are quick to respond if a line is right. If they don't, I know something is wrong. King Rat is my first published novel and to write it I used what I had learned."[5]
Clavell enjoyed Vancouver and bought a house there. It was there he wrote King Rat.[6]
The film was a "production nightmare". The producers and the studio owners wound up in a five-year legal battle that resulted in RCA stripping $350,000 worth of sound equipment from the dubbing stage. The studio would be barely used over the next few years, making only The Trap (1966) and The Littlest Hobo.[7]
Reception
The film was not released until 1967.[8]
References
- Mcilquham, R. (Jul 31, 1975). "Tempo/People-health". Chicago Tribune. ProQuest 169368401.
- "FILMLAND EVENTS: Curtis' 'Playboy' Goes to Columbia". Los Angeles Times. Jan 11, 1962. p. B9.
- "MACLEAN'S REVIEWS". Maclean's (75). Jul 28, 1962. p. 49. ProQuest 1437755567.
- Scheuer, P. K. (Apr 27, 1962). "Roberts to produce his own adaptation". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 168114922.
- Hansen, H. (Aug 12, 1962). "There's a 'thin red line' winding among the pinups". Chicago Daily Tribune. ProQuest 183001142.
- Clark, G. (Sep 8, 1994). "Cancer claims author clavell: Publishing phenomenon and former west van resident dies in europe". The Province. ProQuest 267511380.
- Loynd, R. (Dec 22, 1968). "'Park' a lark in vancouver". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 156152464.
- "SWEET AND THE BITTER, the". Monthly Film Bulletin. 34. 1967. p. 158. ProQuest 1305838748.