Come See the Paradise

Come See the Paradise
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Name	Come See the Paradise
Director	Alan Pakula
Producer	Scott Rudin
Writer	Ron Nyswaner
Starring	Dennis Quaid, Tamlyn Tomita, Joan Plowright
Music	Michael Convertino
Cinematography	Michael Seresin
Editing	Sam O'Steen
Studio	Roth Films
Distributor	Columbia Pictures
Released	1990
Runtime	114 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English, Japanese

Come See the Paradise is a 1990 American historical drama film directed by Alan Pakula and written by Ron Nyswaner. The film stars Dennis Quaid, Tamlyn Tomita, and Joan Plowright and dramatizes the impact of the Japanese American internment during World War II on a mixed-race family. It interweaves personal narratives with events such as the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the issuance of Executive Order 9066, and wartime civil liberties controversies.

Plot

The narrative follows Jack McGurn (played by Dennis Quaid), an Irish-American actor and labor organizer, and Yuri Tsumura (played by Tamlyn Tomita), a Japanese-American seamstress, whose romance unfolds amid 1930s and 1940s events including the Great Depression, the rise of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs, and escalating tensions leading to the Attack on Pearl Harbor. After Pearl Harbor, federal authorities implement Executive Order 9066, leading to forced relocation to assembly centers like those at Santa Anita Racetrack and incarceration at concentration camps such as Manzanar War Relocation Center and Tule Lake Segregation Center. The plot depicts encounters with FBI surveillance, loyalty questionnaires tied to the Renunciation Act of 1944, and the challenges of resettlement under wartime restrictions. Subplots invoke unions and labor leaders associated with the Congress of Industrial Organizations and community responses involving figures like Korematsu v. United States plaintiffs and activists connected with later redress movements.

Cast

The principal cast includes Dennis Quaid as Jack McGurn, Tamlyn Tomita as Yuri Tsumura, and Joan Plowright as Jack's mother. Supporting performers feature actors affiliated with projects by Alan Pakula collaborators and American film in the late 20th century. Ensemble members had careers intersecting with notable productions such as The Right Stuff, The Big Chill, The Joy Luck Club, and films distributed by Columbia Pictures. The casting choices drew responses from advocacy groups including the Japanese American Citizens League and critics referencing portrayals alongside performances honored by institutions like the National Board of Review and events such as the Sundance Film Festival.

Production

Development occurred after screenwriter Ron Nyswaner researched wartime policies, archival records from the National Archives and Records Administration, and oral histories collected by the Densho Project and the Japanese American National Museum. Director Alan Pakula collaborated with producer Scott Rudin and cinematographer Michael Seresin to evoke locations from Los Angeles to desert landscapes resembling the Owens Valley. Sets and costuming referenced period pieces like Casablanca and designs by studios including Roth Films and crews who previously worked on films such as All the President's Men and Sophie's Choice. Principal photography involved consultants from Manzanar National Historic Site and former incarcerees who had interacted with scholars at Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and the Library of Congress. Editing by Sam O'Steen shaped a chronology that juxtaposed private scenes with public policy milestones including actions by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and judicial decisions like Korematsu v. United States.

Historical context and themes

The film situates personal drama within events including the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the passage of Executive Order 9066, and broader wartime legislation. Themes address civil liberties debates reminiscent of cases argued before the United States Supreme Court and echo activism from the Redress Movement culminating in the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. It examines identity and assimilation against backdrops involving institutions such as Wartime Relocation Authority and community organizations like the JACL. Thematically, the film dialogued with artistic works about displacement including novels by John Okada, films like Shoeshine and The Last Samurai in aspects of cultural collision, and scholarly studies produced by historians at UCLA, Columbia University, and Harvard University addressing race, citizenship, and constitutional law.

Release and reception

Released by Columbia Pictures in 1990, the film screened at festivals such as Telluride Film Festival and was reviewed in outlets tied to critics from The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post. Responses ranged from praise for performances to critique from historians and organizations including the Japanese American Citizens League for perceived historical compressions. Academic commentary appeared in journals hosted by American Historical Association affiliates and cultural criticism in periodicals linked to The Atlantic and The New Yorker. The film's box office performance was modest compared with contemporaneous releases like Dances with Wolves and Goodfellas, while award season attention intersected with honors from bodies such as the National Society of Film Critics.

Soundtrack

The musical score was composed by Michael Convertino and performed with arrangements reminiscent of period Hollywood scores, drawing comparisons to work by composers like Max Steiner, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and contemporaries such as John Williams. The soundtrack incorporated motifs from traditional Japanese folk songs and American popular standards of the 1930s–1940s era, echoing recordings archived by institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress music division. Sound design referenced ambient recordings from sites including Manzanar to heighten authenticity.

Legacy and cultural impact

The film contributed to public awareness of wartime incarceration and fed into broader dialogues about redress and memory that influenced projects at the Japanese American National Museum, curricula at universities like UCLA and Stanford University, and documentary work by filmmakers associated with the National Film Registry. Its portrayal of mixed-race relationships and civil liberties has been cited in legal and cultural studies alongside landmark events such as the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and the Korematsu v. United States legacy. The film continues to be referenced in retrospectives organized by institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences film preservation programs, and community screenings sponsored by the Japanese American Citizens League and academic centers studying race and citizenship.

Category:1990 films Category:Films directed by Alan Pakula Category:American historical drama films