After watching the Sakura Program of “Sonezaki Shinju Monogatari” at Minamiza, I hurried over to MOVIX Kyoto. It was stop number two of the day: the premiere screening of Cinema Kabuki “Sonezaki Shinju.” This was my fourth Sonezaki Shinju this month, with Tojuro and Ganjiro on screen. As always, the best day ever.
What is Cinema Kabuki?
“Cinema Kabuki” lets audiences watch filmed kabuki performances on a movie-theater screen. Recordings from venues such as Kabukiza are presented with clear visuals and sound. I like how it lets me meet productions I missed, as well as stages I can no longer see live, right at the cinema. The screenings are short, so it is easy to miss them.
This time it was the premiere screening of “Sonezaki Shinju” (recorded in 2009), starring Sakata Tojuro and Nakamura Ganjiro, opening April 10 (Fri). With Tojuro as Ohatsu and Ganjiro as Tokubei, it’s a truly precious recording now.
From Minamiza to MOVIX Kyoto is about a 15-minute walk. The Sakura Program ended at 5:30 pm, and Cinema Kabuki started at 6:40 pm, so I had plenty of time to spare. I actually strolled over at a leisurely pace — though in my heart I was sprinting (laugh).
The Premiere Screening: Ganjiro’s Words
The premiere screening came with a stage greeting before the film by Nakamura Ganjiro and Nakamura Kazutaro — father and son standing side by side.
One thing Ganjiro said about his father Tojuro’s Ohatsu has stayed with me ever since: “The one before your eyes is, without a doubt, Ohatsu herself.” He spoke about how his father had become Ohatsu completely — and watching the son describe his father that way, I just melted a little inside.
He also said this Cinema Kabuki recording was used as study footage for the movie “Kokuho.” So Yoshizawa-san and Yokohama-san watched it too! They were probably working hard while they watched, unlike me happily going “awww ❤️” from the audience. (←No doubt about that, lol.)
After the stage greeting came the press photo time, and then the audience photo session. That moment when everyone’s smartphones go up all at once has a unique buzz to it. And of course, I’m right there snapping away too 📸
“My” Ohatsu is Tojuro
And then, the film itself. This is in which I met Tojuro’s Ohatsu.
This month I’d seen Kazutaro’s Ohatsu in the Sakura Program, Ukon’s Ohatsu in the Matsu Program, and then Kazutaro’s Ohatsu again in my second Sakura Program viewing. Each one a different Ohatsu, and I loved them all. And then the moment I saw Tojuro’s Ohatsu, it hit me: “This — this is the Ohatsu I picture in my mind!”
Tojuro’s Ohatsu is, how do I put it, a bit of a tomboy. Innocent, full of life, a little bold. Even though the story heads toward a love suicide, you can feel the radiance of Ohatsu’s life right before that — it rises up vividly. And that’s exactly why the sorrow of the final scene struck me from a whole different direction.
I want to see it one more time.
The Joys Unique to Cinema Kabuki
Every time I watch Cinema Kabuki, I’m reminded that this is a different kind of pleasure from live theater.
First, the view is consistent no matter in which you sit. Because it’s a movie theater, everyone watches it the same way — you can see the whole stage in a wide shot, then zoom right into the actors’ expressions, enjoying viewpoints you don’t get at the theater. The sound comes through with that movie-theater clarity too, so every line of dialogue is crisp. Oh, and the seats are super fluffy.
In exchange, there’s no trembling of the air, no rustle of the audience, none of that thing that’s unique to a live stage. But there’s a kind of power that comes precisely from watching on a big screen, as if the actors were right in front of you. So yes — live theater is live theater, and Cinema Kabuki is Cinema Kabuki, and there’s room to enjoy both. I love them both.
Wrapping Up
And then the end credits. A photo of Tojuro’s Ohatsu from his younger days suddenly appeared, and oh — the visual was just adorable. That first photo carried my heart away completely, so I can’t even remember how many others there were. (Maybe there just weren’t any — I simply don’t recall, lol.)
A Minamiza → Cinema Kabuki double bill, my fourth Sonezaki Shinju this month. It was the first time I’d ever seen the same piece so many times over, but strangely, far from getting bored, I found something new each time, met a different Ohatsu each time. What a happy month.
Tojuro’s Ohatsu — this is one I’d want to go meet while you still can, at the cinema.
The Whole Sonezaki Shinju Monogatari Series
This post is part of my Sonezaki Shinju Monogatari viewing series.
- Pre-show excitement notes: The jitters right after I scored my tickets
- Sakura Pro, 1st viewing: Opening day Sakura Pro, with a gorgeous bento too
- Matsu Pro: Kazutaro-san as the male lead – what a shock
- Sakura Pro, 3rd viewing: A Sonezaki Shinju double-header & a surprise Terajima Shinobu
- Cinema Kabuki ← you're reading this one
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