"Melody" Synopsis
Public schools in London. Eleven-year-old Daniel meets Melody, a ballet girl who attends the same school as him. Daniel becomes absorbed in the melody. Eventually, the two become attracted to each other, and eventually even wish to marry each other...
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A movie that was ignored in the UK and America becomes a big hit in Japan.
Fast forward nearly half a century from now to 1971. An unexpected foreign film has been attracting attention in Japan. The title is "Melody". It was a huge hit, earning 200 million yen in distribution revenue in the same year, ranking fifth among foreign films. The top four works are led by 320 million yen `` A Poem of Love ,'' along with `` Elvis on Stage ,' ' ``Le Mans, '' and `` Tchaikovsky .'' By the way, the top Japanese film was `` Otoko wa Tsuraiyo Torajiro Love Song '' with 780 million yen.
Daniel, an 11-year-old student at a public school in London, falls in love with Melody, who is in his grade. This pure love story between a boy and a girl, in which the two get married with their friends without telling their parents and teachers, was not a hit at all in its home country of England (in fact, it was branded as a "bad movie"). Even in the United States, where it was first released, it did not perform well. The reason there was a certain amount of anticipation in the UK and US was because Mark Lester, who played Daniel, and Jack Wilde, who played his friend Tom, were well known. The 1968 musical film `
`Oliver!'' won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Mark plays the main character and Jack plays the second cast member. Jack in particular is a genius child star, and his name is the first to appear in the credits in ``Melody.''
“Melody” © Photofest / Getty Images
However, despite the slump in both countries, ``Melody'' became an unexpected hit in Japan, gaining a passionate following. Over the next few years, the film was revived many times, and when it was aired on TV road shows, it achieved high ratings. Mark Lester and Tracy Hyde, who played the role of Melody, were often featured on the cover of the film magazine Screen, and there was even a program called ``Readers' Tour to Meet Tracy in London.''
Mark Lester gained such popularity that he appeared in commercials in Japan (Morinaga & Co., Ltd.'s ``High Crown'') and was cast as the lead role in the 1973 Japanese film ``Little Adventurer.' ' Naturally, Tracy Hyde also received an offer to star in a Japanese film. Unfortunately it didn't happen...
