A Majority of One (film)

A Majority of One is a 1961 American comedy film directed by Mervyn LeRoy, starring Rosalind Russell and Alec Guinness. It was adapted from the play of the same name by Leonard Spigelgass, which was a Broadway hit in the 1959-1960 season, starring Gertrude Berg and Cedric Hardwicke.

Meaning of the Title
The title comes from a quote from Henry David Thoreau: "Any man more right than his neighbors, constitutes a majority of one already." Thoreau believed that the one person who is on the right side of the question counts for more than all the people who are on the wrong side.

Plot Summary
Bertha Jacoby, a Jewish widow, is convinced by her daughter Alice Black to move from Brooklyn, New York to Tokyo to be closer to her and her husband Jerry Black, now stationed at the US Embassy in Tokyo. Visiting Bertha with the news of the impending move to Japan, Alice and Jerry, who consider themselves liberal, are condescendingly polite to Bertha’s friend Essie, who expresses concern that their neighborhood is being compromised by ethnic minorities. Bertha overlooks the otherwise good-natured Essie’s prejudice, which she does not share, advocating generally for tolerance all around. Nevertheless, Bertha has difficulty overcoming her resentment toward the Japanese, “the people who killed her son” during WWII, which will loom large if she is to live in Japan.

Aboard the ship to Tokyo, Bertha meets Koichi Asano, an affable millionaire Japanese Buddhist businessman who is important to Jerry’s diplomatic mission negotiating between Japanese and US business interests. While Asano is unfailingly gracious to Bertha, picking up her dropped magazine and attending to her during a safety drill, Bertha always thanks him coolly. Noting her coldness, Asano asks her directly whether he has offended her or whether she harbors resentment for the Japanese, and she responds emotionally that her resentment is due to “your” being responsible for “my” son’s death. Asano gently informs her that he lost a son whose ship was destroyed by a dive bomber and a daughter who was a nurse in Hiroshima, both killed in a war over which he had no control.

Gaining perspective, Bertha begins to return Asano’s politeness and consideration, passing the time onboard sharing details of their families, cultural differences, and faiths while developing a friendship. Bertha describes her travels on a ship at age 12, emigrating alone from Russia to the US. They both lost spouses within the past 4 years. Bertha and her husband ran a small artificial flower business. Jerry is pleased that Bertha is socializing with the prominent Asano until he sees Bertha and Asano dancing together at the farewell party the last evening onboard. Alice then warns Bertha not to get too friendly with someone who may use her to influence Jerry’s diplomatic role, also reminding Bertha that “Asano is a Japanese.” Bertha points out her hypocrisy but makes an excuse to Asano to retire early for the evening. Although Asano has sensed her renewed distance, on disembarking he presents Bertha with his card and offers to be of service to her in any way during her stay in Japan.

The Japanese and Western diplomatic worlds are very formal and separate. The US diplomats make little effort to learn the Japanese language or customs. When Jerry has an exchange with Asano at a business meeting, he inadvertently insults Asano by bowing too deeply—which Asano takes as a mockery of the custom—and by coughing during Asano’s speech—also mistaken for mockery of the point discussed. Asano calls off diplomatic negotiations, citing Jerry’s “offensive” behavior to the Ambassador.

Wishing to patch up relations with Asano, Bertha takes a taxi to visit him at his home. Delighted to see her, Asano introduces her to his daughter-in-law and showers her with lavish gifts and hospitality. He asks permission to formally court her by taking her to “plays, concerts, and national events.” Astonished but pleased, she promises to think it over, since there are many serious factors to consider. When Bertha informs her daughter and son-in-law of Asano's courtship, they object to the idea of an interracial marriage. Bertha reminds them of their criticisms of Essie’s prejudice and points out the hypocrisy. When Asano returns her call, Bertha turns down his proposal by asserting that it is too soon for courtship; they are both just lonely, still mourning their dead spouses. Bertha intends to return to New York, but they agree to continue to see each other as friends on his frequent trips.

Sometime later, in Bertha’s New York apartment, Asano is briefly presented to Essie, who greets him graciously before leaving. Bertha and Asano sit down to dinner together and agree that enough time has passed where they can now attend “plays, concerts, and national events,” since he has accepted a post at the United Nations in New York.

Cast

 * Rosalind Russell as Bertha Jacoby
 * Alec Guinness as Koichi Asano
 * Ray Danton as Jerry Black
 * Madlyn Rhue as Alice Black
 * Mae Questel (credited as Mae Questal) as Essie Rubin
 * Marc Marno as Eddie
 * Gary Vinson as Mr. McMillan
 * Sharon Hugueny as Bride
 * Frank Wilcox as Noah Putnam
 * Francis De Sales as American embassy representative
 * Yuki Shimoda as Mr. Asano's Secretary
 * Harriet MacGibbon as Lily Putnam
 * Alan Mowbray as Captain Norcross (This was Mowbray's final film role. )
 * George Takei as Mr. Asano's majordomo
 * Maria Tsien as Mr. Asano's Maid (uncredited)

Production
Guinness went to Japan days prior to the start of production to study the culture, the people and their customs. He went under heavy makeup to play the role. Russell had misgivings about the role due to her believing that Berg deserved the part (though studio head Jack Warner refused due to doubts over Berg's viability), but she decided to portray the role after hearing that she could co-star with Guinness.The two called each other and agreed mutually to do it. Both actors were Catholic, different from what they portrayed in the film.

Reception
When it premiered at the Radio City Music Hall, A. H. Weiler, film critic for The New York Times, called the film a "truly heartwarming and entertaining affair," and opined that it was a "truthful, satisfying work largely because the combination of funny and apt dialogue and the dedicated cast give it dignity," largely due to Russell's convincing performance as a "self-sufficient Brooklyn dowager," although he thought that "Mr. Guinness still appears to be closer to London than to Tokyo."

A review in the trade magazine Variety declared "Leonard Spigelgass’ brew of schmaltz and sukiyaki is an outstanding film...Russell’s Yiddish hex-cent, though at times it sounds like what it is – a Christian imitating a Jew – is close enough to the genuine article. Guinness becomes Japanese through physical suggestion and masterful elocution."

However, in his 1994 autobiography, George Takei, a Japanese-American actor who later found fame playing Mr. Sulu in the original Star Trek, recalls that while playing a minor role in A Majority of One, he was "shocked" at the "grotesquely offensive" latex make-up applied to Guinness's eyes, and by the "incomprehensible gibberish" of his Japanese lines, producing a disappointing and "disastrous" performance.

In February 2016, Andrea Passafiume, reviewing the film for Turner Classic Movies, wrote: "A Majority of One is a true hidden gem with warmth, humor and a message of tolerance and compassion that remains just as relevant today as it was in 1961."