One of the few Kurosawa films never to have played theatrically in the U.S., One Wonderful Sunday is called by David Owens of the Japan Society "about the closest Kurosawa came to musical comedy in his own career...a film full of youthful hope and vigor, an inspiring entertainment." When it opened the Public Cinema's Summer in Japan series in New York last summer, Owens wrote: "Kurosawa's One Wonderful Sunday is an undiscovered masterpiece about a young couple strolling through Tokyo together on a rainy Sunday, trying to enjoy themselves in spite of their poverty. They go to the zoo, play baseball with some poor children, and attempt to see a performance of Schubert's 'Unfinished' Symphony. When the lovers take shelter from the rain after their day together has turned to night, the tones of the story reach a memorable climax as the two reaffirm their love to the sounds of Schubert's masterwork. One Wonderful Sunday is a remarkable portrait of postwar Japan and shows the strong influence of Murnau's Sunrise on the early works of Kurosawa. The presentation of this virtually unknown film by one of the world's most esteemed directors coincides with the 35th anniversary of its original opening in Tokyo."