Shadow Over Fuji

1957 1h 44m JA

🙌

8.0

BANGER

★8.0TMDB · 1

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The year is 1805. Napoleon ruled Europe. Ienari is the 11th Tokugawa Shogun. An incident, which was an open official secret, took place on the foothills of Mt. Fuji. Fearing attacks from within and without, the Shogunate planned to build a training castle utilizing the most advanced techniques. Two master castle architects, Sato Kikutaro and Kumai Hakuten, were selected to compete for the honor of building this castle. Lord Mizuno Dewa has even ordered the townspeople to assist both sides with their land surveys and preparations. This leads to fear on the part of farmers that their land will be taken away from them, and sets off a series of events which rock the nation to its very roots. With an all-star cast, this is an important story with relevance to current times. One of Ichikawa Utaemon's finest performances, a true classic!

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Utaemon Ichikawa
Sato
Eitarō Shindō
Hakuten
Kōtarō Satomi
Bunroku
Kinya Kitaoji
Yumiko Hasegawa
Denjirō Ōkōchi
Eitarō Shindō
Isao Yamagata

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Yasushi Sasaki
Writers: Tadashi Ogawa
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 / 7

ERA

Did you know

69 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Yasushi Sasaki, shot by Takeo Itō. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Utaemon Ichikawa and Eitarō Shindō and Kōtarō Satomi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0215783 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Yasushi Sasaki directs. Takeo Itō behind the camera. Tadashi Manjome scores. Shintarō Miyamoto cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

169 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Yasushi Sasaki, shot by Takeo Itō. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Tadashi Manjome. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Shintarō Miyamoto shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Utaemon Ichikawa and Eitarō Shindō and Kōtarō Satomi carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0215783 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.