Screening of Singing Lovebirds (1939)

The Japan Foundation is delighted to partner with the British Film Institute and Independent Cinema Office in presenting Singing Lovebirds (1939) directed by Masahiro Makino, as part of the Musicals! The Greatest Show on Screen season.

Director Makino was considered the Busby Berkeley of Japan and in this warm-hearted musical about the tangled love lives of the samurai, the influences of Hollywood are clear. Fusing jazz numbers with traditional Japanese joruri provides a very hummable mix of east and west. Fans of Kurosawa might be surprised to see Shimura, star of Seven Samurai, in a singing role.