Oshidori utagassen

In fact I hated musical. It's unnatural that actors should suddenly begin to sing, isn't it? I was really stupefied, however, when I saw this film for the first time. 69 minutes are filled with pleasure! I thought Japanese couldn't make musicals, for their behavior is utterly different from that of Western people. Should they be able to imitate Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire to the life it would make nothing but ugliness.

This musical is truly based on Japanese behavior. The actors don't dance ostentatiously nor do they make excessive smile. They are just natural. Actually their singing is unskilled but it doesn't undermine its excellence. It seems that they are sincerely happy to sing (Dick Mine's stupid lord, Takeshi Shimura's antique crazy, Chiezo Kataoka's easygoing hero... all are terrific). I don't know any other movie than this which makes me so happy. Seeing this musical we can realize how delightful singing is. Stunning Movie!

Anyone who ever wondered if Japanese films in general and samurai pictures in particular are ever capable of lightening up have probably already had their minds set at rest by the delightful tap-dancing finale of Kateshi Kitano's 'Zatoichi' (2003). But if they have further need of convincing here comes this Hollywood-style frolic described by Alex Jacoby as a "samurai musical" dashed off during a two-week break in another production with the same cast, crew and sets.

Fluidly shot by master cameraman Kazuo Miyagawa, it's fast-moving and full of lively cinematic effects such as a sword fight accompanied by asynchronous music. Playing an umbrella manufacturer with a ruinously expensive penchant for antiques, the 34 year-old Takeshi Shimura was already playing fathers even then, and - along with most of the rest of the cast - sings too!

I wasn't sure what to expect with this film. It is certainly different. A Japanese musical. However, the cultural differences, whilst interesting, couldn't ultimately draw me in and engage me. The story was a little boring, the location is static - it doesn't have many scenery changes - and all the women look the same. Add to this the lunatic songs and the overall result isn't very positive. It is occasionally funny to watch - the singing when an uptempo song about a teacup kicks in, or the choreographed fight set in time to music in which no-one makes contact with anyone but plenty of people go down. It just gets a little tiresome. There is a lot of singing.

The things that I remember are singing stupid songs, a teacup and a shop that sells umbrellas. Interesting to note that whilst we use umbrellas to keep off the rain, the Japanese use them as a status symbol to shelter from the sun. A spot of rain and all the umbrellas get gathered inside the shop from the display outside. After all, who on earth heard of an umbrella giving shelter from the rain?! Totally different and fascinating cultural differences. Unfortunately, I'm just not familiar with the psyche or Japanese history which, I assume, would be helpful in contextualizing this film. I did do a year-long module on Japanese economic development for my degree course but this film pre-dates anything I am familiar with. Perhaps this could be a new topic to educate myself with.

One of the most delightful Japanese films ever made. Yes, the Japanese do make musicals--in fact, quite a lot of them--but most are "kayo eiga" which have only a few inserted songs instead of whole musical numbers that interrupt or at time advance the plot. Oshidori utagassen (roughly translated as "Song Competition Between Lovebirds" (or mandarin ducks, if you are being literal)) is more like a "pure" American musical even though it is set in medieval times. It reveals the influence both of 1930s PCL/Toho musicals like Horoyoi jinsei (1933), based in the contemporary stage revues, and the "bright" jidaigeki of Chiezo Productions. But it also evinces the genius of Makino Masahiro, one of Japan's great directors, who, like Okamoto Kihachi after him, always had a superb flair for tempo and rhythm (witness his brilliant Awa no odoriko (1941) and the end to Ketto Takadanobaba (1937)--less a sword fight than a dance number!). A must-see, and not just for the sight of Shimura Takashi singing! But also check out the other great musicals: the Tanuki goten films, Sannin musume series, the Group Sounds movies, and one of my favorites: Kimi mo shusse ga dekiru (1964).