Special Screening at Kabukiza Theatre – Chaplin’s City Lights
This year, the 27th Tokyo International Film Festival will hold a special screening on October 27 for the first time in cooperation with Kabukiza, a hub that conveys Japanese traditional culture to the world. Charles Chaplin,“ the king of comedy,” still attracts people 100 years after his screen debut. Kabukiza opened to the public for the first time in 1889, the year of his birth. Chaplin responded with enthusiasm and excitement to every aspect of Japanese culture, in particular kabuki.
Records state he actually visited Kabukiza when he came to Japan. It is also reported that a Sewamono (a genre of contemporary setting plays in kabuki) titled “Koumori no yasu san” (“Yasu the Bat”) was presented at Kabukiza after kabuki related people returned from the United States, where they were impressed by City Lights, one of Chaplin’s masterpieces.
Considering this relation between Kabukiza and Chaplin, the festival selected City Lights for the special screening at Kabukiza. In this event, many guests invited from Japan and overseas will enjoy a kabuki performance by a Kabuki actor before the special screening of City Lights.
Visit the 27th Tokyo International Film Festival website for more details.
