Why has “Melody” continued to be loved, especially in Japan?

New directions in music and film and their influence

Why has "Melody" become so popular in Japan? 1971 was a turning point in Japan's entertainment industry, with the debut of Saori Minami, Rumiko Koyanagi, and Mari Tenchi (Rumiko Koyanagi made her debut as a singer in 1971, and as an actress the previous year in 1970), and the roots of the idol culture that continues to this day. It can be said that was born. This year, Kenji Sawada also made his solo debut, and the public audition program ``A Star is Born!'' began. Idols are also in demand in the movie world, and it is thought that the cast of ``Melody'' fit right in.

There are other reasons for its popularity, such as the unthinkable setting of two 11-year-olds getting married in Japan at the time, which coincided with their admiration for Western culture, but above all, this ``Melody'' The reason why he had such a rare charm is probably because he inherited the flow of `` The Graduate ,'' which used Simon & Garfunkel's songs four years earlier, and further evolved the style, opening up new possibilities for music and images. Of course, up until then, there had been many works in which music was effectively used, including musicals, but in ``Melody'', songs by Bee Gees and CSN&Y (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) were used in key scenes. is used, but this is the only part where the effect is almost like a music video. Even after rewatching it nearly 50 years later, its charm has not faded at all. `` Melody Fair '' and `` Wakaba no Koro '' were songs that had already been released in 1969 before the movie, but it's amazing how well they match the video, including the lyrics.

“Melody” © Photofest / Getty Images

Perhaps due to the appeal of such music, "Melody" had a great influence on Japanese musicians, and BLANKEY JET CITY and Muscle Girl Belt each released songs with the "manma" title "Melody". Kazuyoshi Saito dedicated his love to movies in ``Melody'' as a motif in multiple songs. The Bee Gees created a huge boom in 1977 when they composed the soundtrack for `` Saturday Night Fever, '' but the beautiful chemistry between their songs and movies had already occurred with ``Melody.''

Japan is the only country where the soundtrack for ``Melody'' was released on CD, so the enthusiasm for the song is outstanding in Japan, but are there any countries other than Japan where it has gained more fans? In fact, there are many. When I asked Mark Lester, who came to Japan for Tokyo Comic Con last year (2017), he said, ``It's popular in Latin American countries such as Venezuela and Argentina, and in Asia, it's popular in the Philippines and Singapore, and a community of fans has been created.'' He revealed the unexpected reaction from the country. It is true that Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu said, ``I saw this movie when I was a child and it had a huge influence on me,'' and Wes Anderson, who directed `` Isle of Dogs '' (2018), also said ``Isle of Dogs'' (2018 ). He has professed to be a fan of ``Melody''.

The friendship between the cast members remained in my memory even though they were still child actors.