That is one reason so many of the Japanese pictures are not good, they cannot spare all the footage necessary for that bow, which is repeated over and over again.

Meaning of the quote

This quote explains why some Japanese movies are not very good. The actor Sessue Hayakawa says that these movies spend too much time showing the same bow gesture again and again. They use up a lot of the limited film footage just to repeat this one action, instead of using that time to show more of the story and characters. As a result, the movies end up feeling repetitive and not as engaging for the audience.

About Sessue Hayakawa

Sessue Hayakawa was a pioneering Japanese actor who achieved stardom as a leading man in Hollywood during the silent film era. Despite facing racial discrimination, his “broodingly handsome” looks and roles as a sexually dominant villain made him a heartthrob among American women and one of the first male sex symbols of Hollywood.

More about the author