Romantic and Crazy

Romantic and Crazy

85 mins | Music | June 1, 1934

Studio P.C.L. was specifically founded to make sound films, and this early musical balances the aesthetics of the sound film with those of the stage revue. The king of Tokyo’s revue stage, comedian Ken’ichi Enomoto (Enoken) had made his name in the capital’s theatrical district of Asakusa. The film employed not only the star, but his entire theatrical troupe, and the narrative was structured around scenes which Enoken had played successfully on stage. Billed as offering 'Japan’s number one comedy actor and Japan’s number one musical comedy,' the film self-consciously borrowed from Hollywood musical comedy; indeed, the original posters carried spoof endorsements by Eddie Cantor and the Marx Brothers! Director Kajiro Yamamoto, making his P.C.L. debut, would become a stalwart of the company and its successor, Toho. He was to have a profound influence on Japanese film history as mentor to Akira Kurosawa, who assisted him on a number of films including Horse (Uma, 1941).

Romantic and Crazy

85 mins | Music | June 1, 1934

Romantic and Crazy
Studio P.C.L. was specifically founded to make sound films, and this early musical balances the aesthetics of the sound film with those of the stage revue. The king of Tokyo’s revue stage, comedian Ken’ichi Enomoto (Enoken) had made his name in the capital’s theatrical district of Asakusa. The film employed not only the star, but his entire theatrical troupe, and the narrative was structured around scenes which Enoken had played successfully on stage. Billed as offering 'Japan’s number one comedy actor and Japan’s number one musical comedy,' the film self-consciously borrowed from Hollywood musical comedy; indeed, the original posters carried spoof endorsements by Eddie Cantor and the Marx Brothers! Director Kajiro Yamamoto, making his P.C.L. debut, would become a stalwart of the company and its successor, Toho. He was to have a profound influence on Japanese film history as mentor to Akira Kurosawa, who assisted him on a number of films including Horse (Uma, 1941).
Producers P.C.L. Eiga Seisaku-jo
Original title エノケンの青春酔虎伝
Directors Kajirō Yamamoto
Writers P.C.L. Bungei-bu, Pierre Brillant

Cast

Kenichi Enomoto

as Enoken

Masako Tsutsumi

as Rirako

Sachiko Chiba

as Machiko

Sadao Maruyama

as Hori

Yuriko Hanabusa

as Enomoto's mother

Teiichi Futamura

as Futamura

Kanta Kisaragi

as Kisaragi

Kenji Mori

as Mori

Teiichi Yanagida

as Enomoto's father

Zeko Nakamura

as Aged clerk

Setsuko Horikoshi

as Toriko

Kiyoko Hanajima

as Enomoto's sister

Akiko Okazaki

as Onabe, maid

Mitsuko Hirokawa

as Woman student who tapped

Kisae Kitamura

as Flower selling girl