Unending Advance

1937 1h 39m JA

🤯

10.0

MASTERPIECE

★10.0TMDB · 1

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

One of Uchida’s early sound films, Unending Advance is based on a curious story by Yasujiro Ozu, in which an examination of the quotidian problems of a middle-aged salaryman and his family segues into an idyllic dream of an implausible future. The surviving print, although incomplete, offers an essential glimpse into Uchida’s prewar period, when he was associated more with realist dramas than with the period films that dominated his work after the war.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Isamu Kosugi
Hisako Takihana
Yukiko Todoroki
Ureo Egawa
Akihiko Katayama
Yoko Benisawa
Kisao Tobita
Bontarō Miake

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tomu Uchida
Writers: Yasujirō Ozu, Yasutaro Yagi
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

89 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

CRAFT

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tomu Uchida, shot by Michio Midorikawa. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Isamu Kosugi and Hisako Takihana and Yukiko Todoroki carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0406008 — 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

Tomu Uchida directs. Michio Midorikawa behind the camera. Eiichi Yamada scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
3Directed by Tomu Uchida, shot by Michio Midorikawa. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Eiichi Yamada. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Isamu Kosugi and Hisako Takihana and Yukiko Todoroki carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0406008 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.