[Mini Theater Revisited] No. 16: Recovering from the movie town of Ginza...Part 5: Shante's big hit "Wings of Desire"

Follow newspaper ads

The first day of this work is April 23rd. So I looked back at the newspaper advertisements from that time (Asahi Shimbun). On April 1st, a small black frame was added in the advertisement for the lovely human drama " Sweet Sweet Village " (85, also distributed by France Films), which will be released on the 9th on "Cine 1". There is a copy - "Release date approaching! Wenders' new masterpiece that has received rave reviews all over the world"

A full-fledged advertisement finally appeared on April 8th, but the frame was not large at all, and comments from the media were placed in a narrow space.

“The angel sings a hymn to love, a hymn to the human race” (Nagaharu Yodogawa)

“A touching feeling of immeasurable kindness” (French newspaper Libération)

“The most beautiful love story” (France Premiere)

“A visual fairy tale that touches your heart” (manga action)

"Sublimely beautiful and deeply romantic" (Variety)

“A heartfelt masterpiece of extreme sophistication” (German newspaper Die Welt)

“Miracle movie” (Akira Asada)

By widening the range of nationalities in the comments, including France, Germany, and the United States, it gives the impression that the work has received rave reviews all over the world. There is also a wide selection of comments from celebrities, from national film critic Nagaharu Yodogawa to New Academia scholar Akira Asada. Another comment was added on April 15th.

"Exquisite beauty...The musical effect is also outstanding" (Mayumi Chiwaki - rock singer)

Wenders is known for his love of rock, and there is a scene in the film where Nick Cave, an Australian rocker with a penchant for enthusiasts, gives a powerful performance, so I guess he chose this person on purpose.

On April 22nd, just before the opening day, a copy appeared that emphasized the high quality of the movie, saying, ``Released amidst the enthusiastic response of this year's best movie.'' Finally, the day, the 23rd, arrives.

Then, on the 30th, one week after its release, the copy reads, ``Big hit, full house, long run! A masterpiece of visual poetry of love and lyricism in modern Berlin'', and the words ``Exclusive road show in Tokyo'' were also printed. draw. Compared to Hollywood blockbusters, most of the advertisements are modest in scale, but even though they are small, you can still feel the momentum of the film's release.

Managing Director Takahashi talks about what happened after the release. ``I still don't understand why this movie was a hit.'' Other movies like `` Good Morning Babylon! '' (1987), `` The Heartless City '' (1989), and `` My Life as a Dog '' (1985) I feel like I can understand why the French Film Company's film was a hit, but I don't understand why this film was so popular.

However, Managing Director Takahashi seems to think that the excitement in the media at the time was one of the factors for its success.

``I think one of the reasons why it became a hit is that many media outlets wrote favorable articles about it.In newspapers, not only the movie and culture sections, but also ``Tensei Jingo'' wrote about the movie. So, even if you don't understand it when you watch it, you can't say you don't understand it.There may have been an atmosphere like that.I don't know for sure, but I think there was a feeling that it was a great movie.''

This work appeared in Asahi Shimbun's ``Tensei Jinsei'' on June 20th, about two months after its release. To quote a part...

"(When Damiel, the main character, falls in love and quits being an angel,) the black-and-white screen that had been depicted indifferently through the angel's eyes suddenly changes to color. At that time, the audience realizes that things have colors and smells. You will be made aware of the wonders of the simple fact that there is taste. (omitted) In the hustle and bustle of city life, we have forgotten to be conscious of what we are living on this earth. It's been almost two months since Chantecine 2 in Yurakucho, Tokyo, and the audience has been quietly expanding from young people to older people.''

In the 1980s, it was said that if an article appeared in a major newspaper, there would be a big change in theater attendance. Especially in the case of a mini-theater with about 200 seats, these articles seem to have had quite an impact.

A long run of about 8 months