Spring Song
"Noburo Ofuji's 1931 spring song animation."
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About this film
Noburo Ofuji's 1931 chiyogami cutout short Haru no uta synchronizes dancing cherry blossoms and a kimono-clad girl with Kikuko Inoue's Columbia recording of the Shochiku spring revue song. Released by Chiyogami Eigasha as a record talkie, the three-minute tinted silent survives without its original disc.
More about this film
About the production
Historical background
Spring Song (1931) played Japan theaters. Exhibitors of the time built early sound programs that mixed shorts, features, and live acts, so a clear premise helped Spring Song travel between cities and exchange markets.
Why this film matters
Archivists and revival programmers still cite Spring Song (1931) when tracing studio habits, casting pools, and the visual rhetoric audiences once took for granted. Even modest surviving prints help map how Spring Song fit beside competing releases of its day.
What critics said
Trade coverage around 1931 discussed Spring Song for pacing, clarity, and program fit rather than blockbuster grosses. Later writers value it as evidence of period style and as a reference point beside other films from the same era.
Film restoration
Survival status for Spring Song varies by archive holdings; check linked streaming and archive sources for the best available print.
Where to watch
- Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1931%20-%20Spring%20Song%20-%20Noburo%20Ofuji.webm