Starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, The Karate Kid (1984) is where it all started. As the first installment in the franchise, the film acted as the first step in a domino effect, effectively changing cinema with its release. Not only did it result in a few more films and a couple of television shows, but it also helped in popularizing karate in the United States.
Apart from commercial and critical success, The Karate Kid also refreshed the career of Pat Morita who played the role of Daniel LaRusso’s mentor, Mr. Miyagi. The film also holds the record for being the first ever mainstream movie for showing the story of internment camps and a non-American soldier – a role that got Pat Morita his first and only nomination at the Academy Awards.
The Karate Kid and Mr. Miyagi
The Karate Kid isn’t your average sports film. Sure, it revolves around it but the themes are so intricate and deep that they will leave you absolutely speechless.
The 1984 film was praised for its action, writing, performances, and of course, its themes. Not only was it one of the highest-grossing films of the year, but it also touched on a sensitive subject no film had before, thanks to Pat Morita’s character.
Morita played the role of Mr. Miyagi, a soldier who served in the U.S. Army as a part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a unit composed almost entirely of soldiers with Japanese ancestry.
This was the first time in the history of American cinema that a mainstream movie told the story of such a soldier and touched on the subject of interment camps as well.
During Mr. Miyagi and Daniel LaRusso’s (Ralph Macchio) time together, the kid learns about his mentor’s heartbreaking past including the loss of his wife and child in the Manzanar internment camp.
Ralph Macchio Talks about Pat Morita’s Character
A few years ago, Ralph Macchio appeared at the 2018 Niagara Falls Comic Con where he discussed his iconic movie from the past. During the conversation, Macchio touched on the topic of Mr. Miyagi and how The Karate Kid set the above-mentioned record in American cinema.
Talking about the scene where his character, Daniel, stumbles upon a drunk Mr. Miyagi celebrating his anniversary with the photo of his late wife, Macchio stated,
That scene was an important scene to the legacy of the film and even American cinema. It was the first time ever that a mainstream Hollywood movie ever recognized the interment camps in the World War II. The whole 442nd, all that stuff. Pat Morita, in a brilliant performance as we all know, really took his time and so did the director John Avildsen. We ran that scene a bunch of times. Pat built his emotion level as he went through the takes.
He then talked about how Daniel put his drunk mentor to bed after listening to his story and bowed at him before leaving the room. For Macchio, it signified the passing of the torch between the two characters. He could watch the scene countless times and it will still give him goosebumps.
One of my favorite moments in that film, for Daniel LaRusso, is the end of that scene when he puts Miyagi to bed and it’s sort of like, the passing of the baton. He goes to leave and he turns around and he bows to his master before he leaves. And that moment, still to this day, sends the hair up on my arms…
…I could listen to it [background music] any day and watch that scene. It’s a special one and we knew it was special but little did we know that it would help get an Academy Award nomination for Pat Morita. Well deserved.
Not only was Morita nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars, but he also received a nomination at the Golden Globes for the same category. Unfortunately, he lost both the awards to Haring S. Ngor (The Killing Fields).
The Karate Kid is available to watch on Netflix.
