Girls of the White Orchid

Girls of the White Orchid is a 1983 television film directed by Jonathan Kaplan. It was also known as Death Ride to Osaka.[1][2]

Girls of the White Orchid
Also known asDeath Ride to Osaka
Genre
  • Crime
  • Drama
Directed byJonathan Kaplan
Music byBrad Fiedel
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
ProducerClaude Binyon Jr.
Production locationJapan
EditorBrent A. Schoenfeld
Running time98 min.
Production companyHill/Mandelker Films
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseNovember 28, 1983 (1983-11-28)

Premise

An American woman becomes a prostitute in Japan.

Cast

Production

The film was based on a report by ABC's 20/20 show about women who go to Japan to work as entertainers but wind up as prostitutes under the control of the Yakuza. Producer Leonard Hill says NBC pressured him to cast a lead actress from an NBC show - Melinda Culea who was then on The A-Team - but he held out for Jennifer Jason Leigh. "I don't care about The A-Team" said Hill. "I may make a mediocre movie but I'm not going to make a mediocre effort."[3] However Hill did cast two other actors in the cast who were then on NBC shows, Ann Jillian and Thomas Byrd.[4]

The film was shot on location in Japan.[5]

After the initial lack of success of Over the Edge, in 1979, Kaplan encountered difficulties in finding budget for new films, which explains why he sought direct financial support from TV producers.[6]

Reception

One writer called it "the missing link between Kaplan's sensationalistic New World output (Night Call Nurses, The Student Teachers) and the socially conscious prestige dramas like The Accused and Immediate Family that he would make in the late '80s and early '90s."[7]

References
  1. Death Ride to Osaka Blu-ray (Girls of the White Orchid), retrieved 2023-04-24
  2. "American Genre Film Archive DEATH RIDE TO OSAKA". www.americangenrefilm.com. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  3. "Crossing the Line". The Los Angeles Times. 12 September 1983. p. 66.
  4. Miller, Ron (14 August 1983). "Producer's Patience is Short with TV and Movie Snobbery". The Wichita Eagle. p. 141.
  5. Beale, Lewis (20 April 1987). "Chimps Were Champs On the Project X Set". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 54.
  6. "Girls of the White Orchid (Death Ride to Osaka, TV)". They Live By Film. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  7. Hemphill, Jim (15 October 2021). "Death Ride to Osaka, The Equalizer and Escape Room: Tournament of Champions: Jim Hemphill's Home Video Recommendations". Filmmaker.


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