Love Letter

1959 0h 40m JA

🤯

9.0

MASTERPIECE

★9.0TMDB · 6

RomanceDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A nightclub manager is in love with his pianist. However, she has a ranger boyfriend who's been permanently stationed in the mountain wilderness. Their only communication is by letter. As time passes the correspondence slows to a trickle. Then nothing. The manager persuades the girl to visit the boy. She does, but she's totally unprepared for her bizarre discovery.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Hisako Tsukuba
Kozue
Frank Nagai
Ryota Fukui
Kyōsuke Machida
Ryuji Murakami (Masao)
Keisuke Yukioka
Shukichi

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Seijun Suzuki
Writers: Kenrō Matsuura, Kiichi Ishii
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

Tight 40-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

67 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 Seijun Suzuki, shot by Isamu Kakita. 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 Michio Mamiya. 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 Akira Suzuki 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

Hisako Tsukuba and Frank Nagai and Kyōsuke Machida carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0053020 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Seijun Suzuki directs. Isamu Kakita behind the camera. Michio Mamiya scores. Akira Suzuki cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 40-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
267 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Seijun Suzuki, shot by Isamu Kakita. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Michio Mamiya. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Akira Suzuki shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Hisako Tsukuba and Frank Nagai and Kyōsuke Machida carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0053020 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 6 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.