The School of Spies

1966 1h 36m JA

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 5

DramaWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Nakano Institution is the so-called ‘Spy School’ where many young men are trained to be excellent spies. They erase their names, families, even lovers to bury themselves in training. Jiro, one of the cadets, successfully seize the secret code of English army to pass the final exam. However, he reaches the crossroad when his fiancee Yukiko turns out to be a spy of the enemy.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Raizō Ichikawa
Jiro Shiina
Mayumi Ogawa
Yukiko
Kyōsuke Machida
Captain Maeda
E.H. Eric
Oscar Davidson
Daisuke Katō
Lieutenant Kusanagi
Yūzō Hayakawa
Colonel Iwakura
Manabu Morita
Sho Natsuki

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Yasuzō Masumura
Writers: Seiji Hoshikawa
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

ERA

Did you know

60 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Nakano School Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

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 Yasuzō Masumura, shot by Setsuo Kobayashi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Tadashi Yamanouchi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Raizō Ichikawa and Mayumi Ogawa and Kyōsuke Machida carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0192531 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Yasuzō Masumura directs. Setsuo Kobayashi behind the camera. Tadashi Yamanouchi scores. Tatsuji Nakashizu cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

160 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Part of the "Nakano School Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Yasuzō Masumura, shot by Setsuo Kobayashi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Tadashi Yamanouchi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Tatsuji Nakashizu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Raizō Ichikawa and Mayumi Ogawa and Kyōsuke Machida carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0192531 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 5 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.