Set in a remote country high school in the region of Tohoku, SWING GIRLS is the story about the struggle of a group of girls with a passion for jazz that brings laughter and tears. The girls begin practicing music on the pretext of skipping summer make-up lessons. At first, they are not enthusiastic but as they learn little by little to make sounds they become gradually fascinated by jazz. They make up their minds to form a big band by themselves, but they have no instruments, money or places to practice. They then get part-time jobs to finance their band, but nearly all result in failure and they face a crisis of a breakup of band. But with their passion for jazz and their cheerfulness, they manage to stay to together and to take part in a music festival, at which they give a rousing performance in the film last scene. Besides mastering their instruments, the girls also grow mentally and learn to carry out a project to its end.
The director of this movie is Shinobu Yaguchi, director of the hit film WATER BOYS. He seems to like to make this kind of story. The basic theme of both movies is the same: poorly motivated students learn to succeed. As WATER BOYS was the first of its kind, the image of WATER BOYS is apt to go ahead of SWING GIRLS. Even if characters turn from boys to girls and the subject turns from sport to music, SWING GIRLS may be regarded as only imitation of WATER BOYS. However, the praiseworthy thing in Yaguchi movies is that actors and actresses themselves actually perform on screen. In SWING GIRLS, the actresses underwent very hard training for to master their instruments in order to create a powerful and appealing performance.
While I enjoyed this movie very much, there are some unsatisfactory points. The development of story is too forced and too convenient. The process of mastering instruments is especially too sudden. It is hardly possible to acquire such great skills with such halfhearted and short practice. Mastering instruments is never easy and is accompanied by hardships and frustrations. I wanted to see this process and how joyful they are when they learn to play their instruments. It is disappointing that their efforts are not described.
But in the face of the actresses' incredible cheerfulness and energy, arguments about the quality of the story are meaningless. There are many attractions in this movie. Due to their provincial accents and natural ease at portraying students, the actresses make the characters feel familiar and it is easy for us to empathize with them. The rural scenery, such as the railroad running through rice paddies and wide spaces completely covered with snow, creates a rich atmosphere. This movie is a very good entertainment and can serve to encourage us. I like to watch this movie again when I want to be cheered up.
The director of this movie is Shinobu Yaguchi, director of the hit film WATER BOYS. He seems to like to make this kind of story. The basic theme of both movies is the same: poorly motivated students learn to succeed. As WATER BOYS was the first of its kind, the image of WATER BOYS is apt to go ahead of SWING GIRLS. Even if characters turn from boys to girls and the subject turns from sport to music, SWING GIRLS may be regarded as only imitation of WATER BOYS. However, the praiseworthy thing in Yaguchi movies is that actors and actresses themselves actually perform on screen. In SWING GIRLS, the actresses underwent very hard training for to master their instruments in order to create a powerful and appealing performance.
While I enjoyed this movie very much, there are some unsatisfactory points. The development of story is too forced and too convenient. The process of mastering instruments is especially too sudden. It is hardly possible to acquire such great skills with such halfhearted and short practice. Mastering instruments is never easy and is accompanied by hardships and frustrations. I wanted to see this process and how joyful they are when they learn to play their instruments. It is disappointing that their efforts are not described.
But in the face of the actresses' incredible cheerfulness and energy, arguments about the quality of the story are meaningless. There are many attractions in this movie. Due to their provincial accents and natural ease at portraying students, the actresses make the characters feel familiar and it is easy for us to empathize with them. The rural scenery, such as the railroad running through rice paddies and wide spaces completely covered with snow, creates a rich atmosphere. This movie is a very good entertainment and can serve to encourage us. I like to watch this movie again when I want to be cheered up.