Tomorrow There Will Be Fine Weather

『明日は日本晴れ』
Asu wa nipponbare

Introduced by Jo Osawa, Curator / Head of Film Collections at the National Film Archive of Japan.

International Premiere; Imported 35mm Print. Lost for over 70 years, Tomorrow There Will Be Fine Weather was rediscovered in 2022 by the National Film Archive of Japan—marking the first time it had screened since 1948. Shimizu’s second postwar film, released the same year as Children of the Beehive, recalls his earlier Mr. Thank You (1936) as he frames the narrative in a familiar setting, tracking an autumnal bus ride through a mountain pass. As the jaunty bus, packed with passengers from all walks of life—from a well-known actress to a conductor in love with her driver—makes its way through the winding roads, it unceremoniously breaks down. Waiting for a pickup, casual conversation erupts among the colorful cast of travelers—one that elicits a bittersweet sadness when old faces emerge from the past. Amid homecomings and unexpected reunions, it becomes increasingly clear that the scars run so very deep; nothing can be what it was before the war. Originally titled “Autumn,” the humorous and deeply melancholic Tomorrow There Will Be Fine Weather forms an indelible portrait of a fractured society, drawn through the mere exchange of words. Shimizu’s lost film is a welcome rediscovery that richly adds to the filmmaker’s vast legacy.

Print courtesy of the National Film Archive of Japan.

Dir. Hiroshi Shimizu, 1948, 65 min., 35mm, b&w, in Japanese with live English subtitles. With Michitaro Mizushima, Sachiko Mitani, Wakako Kunitomo, Shinichi Himori.

Part of the John and Miyoko Davey Classic Film Series
Hiroshi Shimizu – Part II: The Postwar and Independent Years
May 16—June 1, 2024

© 1948 Shochiku Co., Ltd.

Hiroshi Shimizu is co-presented with Museum of the Moving Image, the National Film Archive of Japan, and Japan Foundation, New York.

Hiroshi Shimizu – Part II: The Independent and Postwar Years is generously supported by The John and Miyoko Davey Endowment Fund for Classic Japanese Film.

Japan Society programs are made possible by leadership support from Booth Ferris Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Film programs are generously supported by ORIX Corporation USA, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and Yen Press. Endowment support is provided by the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Endowment Fund and The John and Miyoko Davey Endowment Fund. Additional season support is provided by The Globus Family and Friends of Film. Transportation assistance is provided by Japan Airlines, the official Japanese airline sponsor of Japan Society Film. Housing assistance is provided by the Kitano Hotel, the official hotel sponsor of Japan Society Film.