The Castle of Sand

1974 2h 23m JA

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 61

CrimeMysteryDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two detectives are tasked to investigate the murder of an old man, found bludgeoned to death in a Tokyo rail yard.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Tetsuro Tamba
Detective Eitaro Imanishi
Gō Katō
Eiro Waga
Kensaku Morita
Detective Hiroshi Yoshimura
Yoko Shimada
Reiko Takagi
Karin Yamaguchi
Sachiko Tadakoro
Shin Saburi
Ex-Finance Minister, Shigeki Tadokoro
Yoshi Katō
Chiyokichi Motoura
Kazuhide Haruta
Hideo Motoura

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Yoshitarō Nomura
Writers: Shinobu Hashimoto, Yoji Yamada
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

52 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Yoshitarō Nomura, shot by Takashi Kawamata. 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 Mitsuaki Kanno. 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 Kazuo Ôta 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

Tetsuro Tamba and Gō Katō and Kensaku Morita carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0202604 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 61 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Yoshitarō Nomura directs. Takashi Kawamata behind the camera. Mitsuaki Kanno scores. Kazuo Ôta cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

152 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Yoshitarō Nomura, shot by Takashi Kawamata. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Mitsuaki Kanno. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Kazuo Ôta shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Tetsuro Tamba and Gō Katō and Kensaku Morita carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0202604 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 61 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
8Classified under 16 themes, including "japan", "countryside", "based on novel or book", "composer".