In books about classic Japanese cinema, Shimazu Yasujiro is often praised as an important figure in the development of Japanese cinema, the shomin-geki genre in particular. Yet his own personal golden age was in the 1920's, and not many of these films survive. I have seen a bunch of his films from YouTube, all from the 1930's. Though a few of them could be considered being shomin-geki, there is a great variance to the styles of this films. There are melodramas, comedies, a revue film, women's pictures, and this - a Japanese attempt at a screwball comedy.
"Konyaku sanbagarasu" (The Trio's Engagements, 1937) is a very lighthearted romp. So lighthearted in fact, that the three male leads Sano Shuji, Uehera Ken and Saburi Shin play three lads named Shuji, Ken and Shin. That made me smile, though this was not a debut film for any of the young fellas. Saburi had started his film career in 1931, Uehara 1935, and Sano in 1936. Still, they could be considered fresh star potential, and this film also features a stellar Shochiku cast supporting them.
Sano plays a jobless man with a girlfriend (Miyake Kuniko). Things aren't looking good, but eventually Sano gets a job in a big store, simultaneously with Uehara and Saburi. Problems occur, when all three fall in love with Reiko (Takamine Mieko), the daughter of their boss (Saito Tatsuo). The other two guys have girlfriends as well...
This narrative is constructed a bit too lightly for it to keep audiences laughing, but it did make me smile several times. I liked the actors and their personalities, but most of all I liked the modern city scene of 30's Tokyo. There are nice sets, a few outdoor scenes, and at one time, a cool rendition of the song "Chicago" jazzes up the soundtrack. I recommend this for Shochiku fans, though it is by no means a crucial piece of Japanese cinema.
