Yoko Tani Movies

Koroshi combined the final two episodes of the Patrick McGoohan series Secret Agent (aka Danger Man), "Koroshi" and "Shindo Shiba," into one feature-length film that was released theatrically into overseas markets. They were also the only two episodes of the series filmed in color, and even the original "Koroshi" episode had slightly different credits from the rest of the series and featured two credited directors: Michael Truman and Peter Yates. John Drake (McGoohan) arrives in Tokyo to investigate the death of a British agent (Yoko Tani). He doesn't for a moment believe that the death was from natural causes, and follows up on the origins of a distinctive amulet photographed near the body. He finds that the image is the emblem of an ancient Japanese murder cult that, as far as anyone knew, was wiped out hundreds of years earlier. Following the trail, he discover a young woman now living in the dead agent's home; she becomes his link to Mr. Sanders (Ronald Howard), who displays a morbid fixation on what he calls "the poetry of death," as depicted in Kabuki theater. The cult is, in turn, connected to events on the remote island of Shindo Shiba ("Murdered Island"), whose inhabitants have been driven off by a series of unexplained deaths. Drake crosses paths with an unexpected ally who nearly gets him killed, and is forced to mount a direct assault on the stronghold from an unexpected quarter. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Cary Grant made his last film appearance before retiring from the screen in this agreeable piece of fluff based on the 1943 comedy The More the Merrier, which dealt with the romantic complications inherent in the housing shortage in Washington D.C. during World War II. In Walk, Don't Run, the story is updated to a housing shortage in Tokyo during the Olympic Games of 1964. British industrialist Sir William Rutland (Cary Grant) arrives in Tokyo two days before the start of the games and cannot find any suitable accommodations. As a result, he answers an ad for an "apartment to share" and convinces the occupant, Christine Easton (Samantha Eggar), to rent a room to him. The next day he meets the handsome Steve Davis (Jim Hutton), a member of the United States Olympic walking team. Steve also needs a room and convinces Christine to take him on as a second tenant. After meeting Christine's pompous fiancé, Julius D. Haversack (John Standing), Rutland begins to ply his matchmaking skills in an effort to get Christine and Steve to fall in love with each other. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Listed in many sources as an American film, Agent Z55-Desperate Mission was actually shot in Italy. It is another in a long line of 1960s James Bonds wannabes, complete with dinner-jacketed hero (Gianni Rizzo) and a bevy of exotic females. The titular mission involves-what else?--preventing a megalomaniac villain from laying waste to the free world. The only truly recognizable name in the cast list is Yoko Tani, leading lady of many an adventure and sci-fi endeavor. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This romantic adult comedy finds psychiatrist Jason Steel (Dean Martin) the leader of a women's group therapy session. Jill St. John, Elizabeth Frazier, Macha Meril, Yoko Tani and Diane Foster all seek the advice of the handsome doctor, while husbands Louis Nye, Jack Soo, Richard Conte, and Martin Balsam ignore them in their usual poker game every Wednesday night. Jason plays doctor with pretty fiance Melissa (Elizabeth Montgomery) and Carol Burnette is his scatter brained secretary who does a hilarious striptease when she and Melissa can't pay for their dinner at a local nightclub after being stuck with the bill. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

In this epic, a medieval adventurer heads to China and winds up saving the Grand Khan's daughter from bandits. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this romantic comedy, a popular actress disguises herself as a Japanese geisha to land a part in a film directed by her husband. Shirley MacLaine stars as Lucy Dell, a comic actress married to equally successful director Paul Robaix (Yves Montand). Though Paul has found success creating comic vehicles for Lucy, he wants to expand his range by making a lavish adaptation of Madame Butterfly on location in Japan, using a local actress as the star. Lucy feels she can play the part just as well as any Japanese woman, and, with the help of the film's producer (Edward G. Robinson), she hatches a plot to prove it. She poses as Yoko Mori, an innocent young geisha on her way to joining a convent, and her husband is immediately determined to cast her. Of course, the masquerade proves more difficult than imagined, and things become especially complicated when Lucy's Hollywood playboy co-star (Robert Cummings) falls in love with her demure Yoko persona. Opting for mild, character-driven humor over farce, My Geisha provides a few knowing jibes at Hollywood and comfortable performances from MacLaine and Montand, but the film's treatment of Japanese culture will likely seem dated to modern audiences. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

In this drama, based on a story by Edgar Wallace, a movie mogul and a beautiful Asian actress set up a major swindle. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Anthony Quinn added Eskimo to the many ethnic types he portrayed on film with this drama about a clash of cultures from director Nicholas Ray. Inuk (Quinn) is a typical Eskimo hunter, living proudly as his ancestors did, eking out an existence on the frozen Canadian tundra. When Inuk takes his wife and mother-in-law to a trading post to exchange furs, the family meets a friendly priest (Marco Guglielmi). In time-honored Eskimo custom, Inuk offers the missionary his wife's sexual favors. Offended by the man's rejection, Inuk kills him. Having broken Western law, Inuk is pursued by two Mounties (Peter O'Toole and Carlo Giustini). Slowed down by his wife's elderly mother, he sends the woman out on the ice to perish, another of his people's ancient traditions. The police capture Inuk, but the lawmen and their prisoner encounter severe weather. The Savage Innocents (1959) was the feature debut of actor O'Toole, who objected to the overdubbing of his voice in the finished film. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

The Wind Cannot Read is a tearful British star crossed romance effort set against the backdrop of World War II. RAF officer Dirk Bogarde is assigned to learn Japanese in order to interrogate prisoners. His language instructor is the lovely Yoko Tani, daughter of an anti-Tojo businessman. Bogarde and Tani fall in love and secretly marry. Not long afterward, Borgarde is captured and tortured by the Japanese. While listening to the POW camp radio loudspeaker, he hears the voice of Tani, broadcasting anti-British propaganda. At first heartbroken, Bogarde vows to be reunited with Tani when he discovers that she is dying from brain disease. Escaping from the camp, Bogarde finally makes his way to the hospitalized Tani, where they share a tender moment before death enshrouds her. Richard Mason based his script for The Wind Cannot Read on his own novel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Fernandel is the somewhat over-aged Ali Baba in this astonishingly expensive Arabian Nights escapade. In this filmization of the old "Arabian Knights" tale, Ali Baba is a slave who is sent to fetch his master's latest wife (Samia Gamal). The horse-faced family retainer falls in love with the girl himself, and spends the rest of the film trying to be worthy of her. The last shot shows Ali Baba and a "few intimate friends" converging on the cave of the 40 thieves. In an incredible long shot, we discover that Ali's friends number in the tens of thousands! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi