Shining Love (かがやく愛) 93 years old

Created by Shochiku’s cultural film department on behalf of the Ministry of Education, this film tells an ironic anecdote juxtaposing the fate of a cooper’s son with that of the son of a middle-class salaried worker, and championing the virtues of honest poverty and diligence. An educational film preaching a fable-like message, it is however filled with humorous scenes that offset the film’s didacticism. Original director Yoshio Nishio fell ill and was replaced halfway through the shooting by the admired filmmaker Hiroshi Shimizu; though finished in May 1931, the film was shelved and never given a general release. Shot as a silent film, this version of the film features musical accompaniment, sound effects, and a spoken commentary track by a benshi narrator, thus bearing witness to the variety of forms taken by sound film during this transitional period.

Credits

Shining Love Cast

Name Character
Teruyo Hayami
Shoichi Kofujita He was 14, now 107 years old

Shining Love Crew

Name Department
Hiroshi Shimizu as Director. He was 28 (63) years old when He died Directing
Shining Love (93 years)

  • Release day: Thursday, May 07, 1931
  • Runtime: 38 minutes