So Young, So Bright

April 9, 2016
past event image
Film past event

Introduction by Michael Raine, series curator.   

Originally published in and sponsored by the "song and movie entertainment magazine" Heibon, this musical comedy starred three of the most popular young singers in 1950s Japan: Hibari Misora, Chiemi Eri, and Izumi Yukimura. The film makes light of sentimental Japanese melodramas as well as American musicals, featuring Hibari and Chiemi as unlikely high school friends who try to rescue apprentice geisha Izumi from the clutches of a predatory businessman. The most popular film with a modern setting made in 1955, the film’s American melodies with Japanese lyrics established the "three girl" film format as well as the "made-in-Japan teenage pops" that eventually became the J-Pop music we know today.

1955, 92 min., 35mm, color. In Japanese with English subtitles. Directed by Toshio Sugie. With Hibari Misora, Chiemi Eri, Izumi Yukimura, Shinji Yamada, Tatsuyoshi Ehara.

Print courtesy of National Film Center, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.

Tickets: $12/$9 Japan Society members, seniors & students


Part of the 2016 Globus Film Series Japan Sings! The Japanese Musical Film.

Box Office Policy

  • Saturday, April 9, 2016
  • 4:30 pm