Kono yo no sotoe - Club Shinchugun

I have not seen this film, but encountered it on IMDb. I was in GHQ in Tokyo from 1947. In 1948 and 1949, as a sergeant, I was in charge of hiring Japanese entertainment acts to perform at enlisted, officers' and U.S. civilian clubs throughout the Tokyo area. This included engaging, providing transportation, and paying. It was a function of GHQ's Special Services organization. My office was a Quonset hut across from the Ernie Pyle Theater; across the other street was the Imperial Hotel. It was near Hibya Park.

It was a very satisfying job because the audiences were pleased, and the entertainers were happy to have a systematic way of getting work. One bad thing was that gangsters sometimes required the bus drivers to pay money to them in order to complete their trips.

The bands played often at the GHQ Enlisted Men's Club that was in a beautiful building. It was so nice that the officers tried to take it over, but Mrs. MacArthur--who was very nice--made sure that didn't happen. The manager's real last name was Shaughnessy (I see that he is represented in the film under s different name). His father was Clark Shaugnessy, an American baseball executive who was commissioner of the minor leagues.

When it was time for me to come back to the U.S. in May 1949 my staff organized a huge going-away party at the EM Club. Among other wonderful things was that they had arranged for a jazz band--6 or 8 players that was made up of the leaders of the most famous bands in Japan. In the U.S. it would have been like having a band made up of Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Harry James (I hope you get the picture).

The guys kept pouring drinks into me and I was smashed when they took me back to my quarters (in the NYK Building across from the Old Kaijo Hotel on one side and the Imperical Palace grounds on the other. It was the greatest party I ever attended and the greatest compliment from my men that I could ever have imagined.

I hope some day to see this film because I lived it.

On August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered and World War II was over, leaving the horizon of ashes which had once been cities, and lines of the starving homeless. On the burned-out ground, U.S. Occupation troops landed with American culture -- chocolate, chewing gum, comics, English language, and jazz. During the war, Japan's military regime had banned to play or listen to the American origin music. People who love jazz must listen to the records in a closet, and most jazz players must change their genre to traditional popular music or marches with a back band or a brass band or a military band, or must stop playing.

Now is two years after the end of the war. The world has been completely changed. Japanese are enjoying freedom under the occupation forces. Freedom always includes freedom to loose a job or to starve to death. Especially in this age in Japan, economy has been reduced to almost zero and people must do anything to live. A lot of musicians have jumped to jazz. Occupation clubs need the most popular music at this time. Even in an enlisted men's club, jazz players earn a good sum of money for one night show -- the sum which is nearly equal to one month salary of an office worker. And they even have a chance to elevate the sum by changing their stage to an NCO club or an officer's club.

The Lucky Strikers, named after a popular brand of American cigarettes, are ones of such Japanese jazz players who have got a chance to play at an enlisted men's club. The members of the quartet are -

Kentaro^ (tenor sax) (HAGIWARA Masato): Jazz is his religion, but he must play the sax with a Japanese Army band in the Pacific islands during the war. He believes he plays jazz not only for money but for love. What he wants now is to restore his years in the army.

Hiroyuki (trumpet) (Mitch): He's from a country band. He's a collapsing genius -- is gifted enough, doesn't talk much and has a habit of stimulant drugs.

Akira (piano) (MURAKAMI Jun): He's from a brass band. His life has been consumed to search for his kid brother since he was missing during the war.

Joe-san (bass) (MATSUOKA Shunsuke): He was a "closet listener" of jazz and played with a Japanese Army band during the war. He's opposed to his brother and his neighbors -- to his brother because he's a communist, and to his neighbors because they bully the brother.

Sho^zo^ (drums) (ODAGIRI Joe): He has once played the Japanese festival drum -- actually he has no music career. He has never touched a jazz drum kit before, but he hangs on to the band to help his life and his family at his hometown. Because he's youngest in the band and cheerful, everybody loves him, but they don't know everything about him, especially that why he doesn't say where he comes from.

The manager of the enlisted men's club is Jim (Peter MULLAN). He knows real jazz and hopes The Lucky Strikers will improve their skill. For all musicians at the club, playing "Danny Boy" is a taboo because he lost his son Danny recently.

Russell (Shea WHIGHAM), a soldier who usually comes to the club, is a gifted tenor sax player. He looks down Japanese jazz players including The Lucky Strikers because their music sense and technique are low and old-fashioned. One night he steps up to the stage where The Lucky Strikers are playing with his tenor sax and plays Kentaro^'s part. His play is amazing. His manner gets Kentaro^ furious, although he must accept that he is no compare with the GI.

The two become strained to the breaking point. There is a reason why Russell hates Japanese. No soldiers of the occupation forces have fought Japanese because they have been transferred from Europe, or are rookies. Russell is not an exception but he has a brother who was killed during a sea battle in the Pacific.

How will the opposition between Kentaro^ and Russell develop? Can the other members of The Lucky Strikers find their solution? And more. One thing casts a shadow over them and all the enlisted men. Another war is breaking out just on the other side of a strait across Japan. (7 out of 10)

Trivia: The leading actor, HAGIWARA Masato plays the Japanese voice role for the Korean sensation, BAE Yong-joon in the TV series, "Winter Sonata".

• USHIRO Satoshi

I have seen the film OUT OF THIS WORLD and was deeply moved by Peter Mullan as Sgt. Jim. I knew who Peter Mullan was, but haven't seen him in the movie. His role seemed very difficult to play. Peter Mullan, however, did a GREAT job. People in Europe as well as America do not know about jazz in Japan. Even before the WWII jazz music was very popular among the urban Japanese in particular. Dancing with jazz had become one of the modern lifestyles in our country. However, after the Pearl Harbor attack people could not enjoy jazz. It was prohibited because it was the music of our enemy. However, some jazz fans kept on listening and learning jazz in the closet for futon. This film tells us how those five young Japanese jazzmen played music, improve themselves, fought against the post-war hard times, and faced unknown American culture, Coca Cola, icecream and to name a few. A great many American soldiers lived in Japan as the Occupation Forces after Japan surrendered. At the end of this story the Korean War broke out and American soldiers left their base in Tokyo for Korea. The war was over; Another war came. Sgt. Jim was always in troubles, such as, racism between white and black, caucasian and Japanese American, and American and Japs. Another foreign actor Shea Whigham was also quite impressive. Mr. Mullan and Mr. Whigham were very, very important roles on this film. If the English edition could be available a few years later, I hope the people in the US as well as UK would be interested in Out of This World and see it. Sorry for my terrible English, but hoping you will understand what I like to say. (Minoru Kanda, Japan)

I saw this movie while going to and coming back from Japan. Actually, I saw this movie quite a few time, if anyone knows how long the ride takes. I was glad they had this movie. It was actually pretty good. I'm interested in all type of history, so this movie kinda opened my eyes. I didn't know that the Japanese called Jazz the enemy's music or that playing Jazz was looked down upon for a while. Not knowing any of the actors, I can't really say how their acting was. But the storyline was very good. They theme song was pretty good. Overall, I would say its both an educating movie, while it's entertaining. It's not a documentary, so don't get me wrong. But it teaches many people the things the Japanese had to go through after WWII just to survive whether it be becoming hookers or playing the enemy's music.

A very good movie, hopefully it will make its way into USA.