The Elder Sister

1969 1h 28m JA

🤯

9.0

MASTERPIECE

★9.0TMDB · 1

CrimeDramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Follows the struggles of a yakuza wife after his husband gets hurt in a knife fight.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Hiroko Ogi
Ai Konno
Akira Kobayashi
Goro Fujikawa
Shinjirō Ehara
Junichi Konno
Eiji Gō
Ryōhei Uchida
Jiro Okazaki
Ryōji Hayama
Masao Shimizu

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Buichi Saitō
Writers: Norio Osada, Goro Fujita
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

57 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Buichi Saitō, shot by Kenji Hagiwara. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Mitsuo Kondō shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Hiroko Ogi and Akira Kobayashi and Shinjirō Ehara carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0439441 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Buichi Saitō directs. Kenji Hagiwara behind the camera. Mitsuo Kondō cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
257 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Buichi Saitō, shot by Kenji Hagiwara. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Mitsuo Kondō shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Hiroko Ogi and Akira Kobayashi and Shinjirō Ehara carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0439441 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.