2.7 The Ginger Tree

This month Andy and Martin review the 1989 adaptation of Oswald
Wynd's novel The Ginger Tree, a 4-million pound co-production with
NHK Tokyo and WGBH Boston. Starring Samantha Bond and Daisuke Ryu,
this 4-part series tells the tale of Mary Mackenzie's experiences
in Manchuria and Japan in the first half of the 20th Century, first
as an unhappy wife and then, effectively, as a concubine to a
Japanese Count. After her son is taken from her Mary finds some
self-worth as a dress designer but the Second World War is about to
change Japan forever... Andy is rather surprised not to get on with
this series despite having watched it on first broadcast and
first-time viewer Martin too has misgivings. They agree that the
subject matter is interesting but also that the way it is presented
is not always compelling despite beautiful cinematography and
several good acting performances, particularly by Samantha Bond.
Still they find more than enough here to encourage discussion of
its key themes: the patriarchy and oppression of women; colonialism
and nationalism; and suicide and death. Yes, not always the
cheeriest series! If you want to find out why its called The Ginger
Tree you like the viewers of the series you have to wait some way
into the podcast, but only you can decide if the wait is worth it.
Next Time: Harry's Game