Even on Valentine's Day, when the fragrance of roses and the sweet aroma of chocolate are overflowing, Tonight at the Romantic Theater (Tonight, ロマンス Theater で) is still not so exciting. However, compared with another bowl of "cold rice" in the same slot, this one is worthy of being the best choice for this year's Valentine's Day slot.
In fact, in terms of the story itself, "Tonight in the Romantic Theater" can not be regarded as very old-fashioned, and the plot setting of "Woody Allen's "Cairo Purple Rose" + Midorikawa's "Forest of Fireworks" is enough to be imaginative. In the form of flashbacks, the film unfolds a fantasy page in the life of Mr. Kenji Makino, a lonely old man who is bedridden. As an assistant director in a film studio as a young man, he was obsessed with an old black-and-white movie that had long been forgotten by most people, and whenever he closed the theater, he turned out discarded copies and sat alone in the audience, staring intently at the film's protagonist, the wayward princess Miyuki. On a stormy night, Miyuki on the screen actually came to the real world where Makino was. As in the movie, she still has only black and white on her body, and she still has a hot temper, not only treating Kenji as a servant, but also strictly forbidding him to go near her. Through makeup, Miyuki not only has "color", but also shines, but when she first arrived, she turned the studio upside down and let Makino carry the black pot. Fortunately, under Makino's care, Miyuki gradually came to know this colorful world, and she became the inspiration for Makino's script creation. Just as the two are getting better, a secret on Miyuki's body lays a hidden danger for their separation. However, the subsequent development broke the routine of such settings...
Such a sweet and sadistic story, but not able to see many pink bubbles, the biggest problem is that between Kentaro Sakaguchi, who plays Makino, and Haruka Ayase, who plays Miyuki, there is almost no spark, not even a little spark. Although the difference between the two is six years old, plus Sakaguchi Kentaro is a childlike face, Ayase Haruka's outfit in the film is somewhat old, feeling that the age difference between the two has widened, but in the Japanese film and television circle that is popular in the next year, such a combination is far from violating. Moreover, in the Reference Japanese drama "Tokyo Daydream", Kentaro Sakaguchi and Yuriko Yoshitaka are also under the year, but the two have to call a lot. In the final analysis, the flaw in "Tonight in the Romantic Theater" is in the character setting. Makino with the "loyal dog" persona is actually fine, but Miyuki, played by Haruka Ayase, has not been able to balance arrogance and cuteness, and has been holding the princess's shelf, and it is really impossible not to feel her love for Makino.
Although I don't feel much romance from "Tonight in the Romantic Theater", from another point of view, this movie is soaked with an obsession with another kind of love. Stripped of the cloak of a romance film, "Tonight in the Theater of Romance" can be said to be a movie about movies. Just like Yukiki Mitani's "Magic Moment", under the surface of comedy, it is a tribute to the green leaf actors, and "Tonight in the Romantic Theater" is an ode dedicated to the unknown filmmakers.
The Seventh Goddess of Art is extremely seductive and extremely harsh and cold. Like the Snow Princess in the film, it is far away and close at hand. Very few people can get on the stage of the award ceremony, and even fewer can become the focus of the spotlight chase, and the vast majority of them cannot escape the fate of martyrs. They may have been the name on the lengthy credits after the film was over, a name that only they themselves would have struggled to find, and were destined to disappear into history along with the films they had dedicated. Just like Makino in the film, although he has the name of an assistant director on the set, he actually does chores; he has also tried to become a proper director, and finally missed the opportunity due to chance; even if he has to leave the favorite set, he is still unwilling to completely leave the movie for his livelihood; until the moment when his life comes to an end, it disappears with his obsession.
In addition to the strong love accident of the movie, the showa unique era atmosphere in the film is also worth playing. Watching one era after another go back in reality, but on the screen it can be repeated and immortalized. This may be the reason why the god of cinema, no matter how cruel and ruthless, will still attract so many people to put out the fire. And for the audience in front of the curtain, even if there is no dream lover jumping out of the big screen, it is not a kind of romance to cry or laugh or laugh or joy or sorrow in the theater.