"The Ginger Tree" spans nearly half a century of history in Japan and tells the story of a woman from Scotland who marries in China and then spends most of her life in Japan. It is a story of love set in a time when women had few rights in Japan and, yet, this woman persevered and excelled. All the drama takes place during a time in history little known by Westerners and the film drama serves to open one's eyes to life in a different culture and different time. There are many sub-themes and one can get a feel for Japan during those crucial pre-WWII years that has not been portrayed in any other film I've seen. It is a shame this film is not available and it has been 10 years since it was first shown. The acting is superb and sensitive in this story of courage and adventure of a woman who was truly 'before her time.' At present, all attempts to locate a copy of this film have been to no avail. Hopefully, some organization will realize how important a drama this is and market it for general viewing.
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jwhsfo18 April 1999
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k.m.bunting18 December 2016This series is now available in the UK. When it was originally transmitted I had no means of recording and only managed to see the last two episodes, but I was very impressed and had always wanted to watch the whole thing.
The background detail of life in early twentieth-century Japan is most interesting and the drama extremely moving. Mary's family circumstances and her reasons for marrying on such a brief acquaintance are very much left to the imagination. Presumably she was afraid of being left 'on the shelf' with no career to occupy her mind.
When Armand tells her about the ginkgo tree I wondered if a misunderstanding of this was the reason for the title, but no, it is all explained in the last episode. -
This film has had the greatest impact on me of any film that I have ever seen. It was mesmerizing. It revealed dimensions of Asia-Pacific history hitherto unbeknownst to me--it sent me flying to the library to look up further details on that period (1894-1941). Not much there. I did learn, however, that many well-educated Japanese noblemen committed suicide rather than participate in a war they did not believe in. To see this film is to begin to understand the background of the war in the Pacific. To top it off, the story, the actors, and direction are of the highest caliber. Why has PBS never shown it again? Why is it not available on home video?? This film haunts me
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I have been searching for a video copy of The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd for many years. Of all the series I have viewed on PBS over the years, this particularly beautiful and bittersweet love story that bridges two very different cultures had the most profound effect on me. Though I have read the book several times, it just makes me more eager to experience the film again. I have contacted representatives from WETA in Alexandria, VA, but they don't believe that they will ever purchase the rights to even air it again. What a disappointment! Is there no way to contact the producers directly? One can hardly believe that it is lost to potential purchasers.
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emuir-119 February 2005Why is is that these really superb BBC/PBS productions never seem to be available to those who wish to view them again? This would be perfect for the home or the public library. I saw this program on PBS many years ago and have never forgotten it. It needs to be shown again or issued on DVD. I agree with the other reviewers that it is an engrossing tale set in a little known period of Japanese history. Please PBS or BBC America take note!
Synopsis may contain spoiler:
The story concerns a young Scotswoman who joins her rather indifferent husband in China and falls in love with a Japanse nobleman, resulting in a child. After her husband rejects her and her child is taken away from her to be raised by a "suitable Japanese family", she has to earn her own living in Japan making western clothing for a department store. She must cope with a different society, language, customs and social structure.
Although the romance is the plot device, the real story is clash of cultures as the Japanese attempt to modernize and learn English and English ways. The rejection of the graceful kimono for the hideous corseted fashions of Edwardian Britain is a perfect metaphor for Japan's entry into the modern world. -
gaylemw10 October 2006This is a compelling, beautifully composed story of cross cultures, race, gender roles, and stereotypes. The acting was superb and the characters well developed. It also demonstrates how love can endure, even through difficult choices and sacrifices. Set in the same era as Puccini's Madama Butterfly, it shows us a time and place that was once exotic during a time when class and family customs trumped personal choice.
Oswald Wynd's book of the same name, and from which this series was created, is a good read, but this visually stunning mini-series is worth seeing again and again. PBS no longer has the rights to show it, so, for the moment, it is lost to all of us. I have been looking for this to come out, first on VHS, and now on DVD to no avail. -
raymund-livesey20 January 2006I saw this when it was originally transmitted in UK in 1990. It is a brilliant portrayal of life in a culture which is very different from Western Europe and America and also it contains interesting historical information which all appears to have been accurately researched. It is the story of a young girl who went out to Manchuria in 1903 to marry an English Officer and all that happened to her subsequently. It is so detailed and thought provoking that it is very hard to imagine that this work is entirely fictional, even though it was written by an Englishman who was brought up in Japan and was bilingual. Having read the original novel and listened to the BBC audio book version since the serial was transmitted I do wonder why some of the truncation was undertaken - it could have been even more interesting. I have tried everywhere to get the UK version on video or DVD but have been unable to do so. I have seen the US version, which is not exactly the same as the UK version but would dearly like to view the whole of the UK transmission again. It must have cost an enormous amount of money to make so it is difficult to imagine why it was never made available in video format. Does anyone out there have a UK copy?
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Like other reviewers here, I saw the original in the UK when it came out. That was the first time I saw Samantha Bond who has gone on to become a very popular actress. At the time I was living in London and had something of a fascination for Japanese culture so for me this series was spell binding.
The love story is beautiful done; we feel for the woman who loves not just another man, but a man from another culture during a time when this was an absolute "no". Then to have her child taken from her, our heart strings are pulled in the extreme. A good movie or series starts with superb writing and this was certainly that.
The Japanese man who played the lead was excellent, as was Samantha Bond. The sets, the production captured the essence of the Japanese way of life and feel of the setting in Japan.
I too would love to be able to see this series, in its original entirety, once again. Let's hope somehow that happens.