Three films, including 'Diary of a Drunkard,' to be broadcast on TV for the first time in April! 'Missing Films: Miraculously Surviving Films Revived' on CS Satellite Theater

The CS broadcast channel "Satellite Theater" will air a special feature titled "Missing Films: Miraculously Surviving Films Revived," presenting the television premiere of three films in April, each of which has parts of its original film negative missing due to damage or other reasons.

These are phantom films that, despite once gracing the silver screen, were thought to be "lost forever" due to war damage, film degradation, and other causes. Miraculously, fragments of these films were discovered and have been revived. We will present 'Diary of a Drunkard,' the second-oldest surviving film from Shochiku; 'Asataro Akagi's Song,' which features the hit theme song "Akagi's Lullaby" by singer Taro Shoji and captures the essence of the wandering gambler genre; and 'The Century Laughs: Digital Restoration Version,' a supreme entertainment drama from the master director Masahiro Makino, which was discovered in Russia. We invite you to watch these three valuable works!

'Diary of a Drunkard' ©1921 Shochiku Co., Ltd.

Diary of a Drunkard

[Broadcast Date] April 1st (Wed) from 8:30 AM, among other times. A television premiere!

1921

[Director] Zamu Kako

[Original Story] Doppo Kunikida

[Screenplay] Daisuke Ito

[Cast] Yukichi Iwata, Utako Suzuki, Yachiyo Shizuka, Shoichi Nodera, Goro Okamoto, Chiyoko Mimura

The second-oldest surviving Shochiku film. An adaptation of Doppo Kunikida's novel of the same name.

Okawa (Iwata), a simple elementary school principal, is devastated when the school's donation money is stolen. At that moment, he finds a bag full of money and hides it at home, intending to use it for the school. His wife, who accidentally discovers the money, takes the blame and commits a double suicide with their child. Despairing, Okawa quits his job and moves to the isolated Oshima island. However, his life there becomes a daily cycle of drinking...

※Of the original runtime of approximately 66 minutes, about 30 minutes survive.

'The Century Laughs: Digital Restoration Version' ©1941 Nikkatsu Corporation

The Century Laughs: Digital Restoration Version

[Broadcast Date] April 3rd (Fri) from 5:45 PM, among other times. A television premiere!

1941

[Director] Masahiro Makino

[Script] Hideo Oguni

[Cast] Kyoji Sugi, Yukiko Todoroki, Hisao Yoshitani, Kanshō Yoshii, Tenshō Shōkyokusai, Torazō Hirosawa, Mantarō Ushio, and others.

A human drama by director Masahiro Makino, starring Kyoji Sugi, Yukiko Todoroki, Torazō Hirosawa (naniwa-bushi recitation), and Tenshō Shōkyokusai (magic).

At the Tsurukame-za theater in a coastal town on the Sea of Japan. While Kansai naniwa-bushi performer Matsunoken Uemon (Konparu) gives a solo performance to a sparse audience, the town's public bath erupts with applause. The performers there are the duo of Taizo Hirota (Hirosawa) and Bonsaku Sugino (Sugi). Their main job is running a Chinese soba noodle shop. Hirota, while on a delivery to the Tsurukame-za, is told by the theater owner (Suzuki) that his naniwa-bushi is the reason for the poor attendance, and he is deeply embarrassed. Unaware of this, Sugino is overjoyed when the owner's daughter, Ofumi, invites him to see a waterfall in the mountains the next day. The following day, Sugino eagerly heads to the mountain, only to be heartbroken when Ofumi unexpectedly confesses her feelings for Taizo...

※Of the original runtime of approximately 103 minutes, about 94 minutes survive.