Kono yo no sotoe - Club Shinchugun

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)