A Wad of Notes

1970 1h 34m JA

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 6

Action

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A lone gambler tries to keep a yakuza family from taking over a festival in Kitakyushu. After away from his hometown for 13 years, Ryuji comes back and saves the town that is becoming run-down from yakuza’s ill deeds.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Koji Tsuruta
Ryuji Kashigawa
Hiroko Sakuramachi
Akiko Kudō
Sen
Kyōsuke Machida
Shinjiro
Bin Amatsu
Asao Uchida
Mojitoku
Eizō Kitamura
Rinichi Yamamoto
Toramatsu

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Shigehiro Ozawa
Writers: Kazuo Kasahara, Seiko Shimura
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

56 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Gambler 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 Shigehiro Ozawa, shot by Kenji Tsukagoshi. 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 Toshiaki Tsushima. 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 Kozo Horiike 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

Koji Tsuruta and Hiroko Sakuramachi and Akiko Kudō carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0225817 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Shigehiro Ozawa directs. Kenji Tsukagoshi behind the camera. Toshiaki Tsushima scores. Kozo Horiike cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

156 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Part of the "Gambler Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Shigehiro Ozawa, shot by Kenji Tsukagoshi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Toshiaki Tsushima. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Kozo Horiike shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Koji Tsuruta and Hiroko Sakuramachi and Akiko Kudō carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0225817 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 6 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Kenji Tsukagoshi
Original score: Toshiaki Tsushima
Editing: Kozo Horiike
Runtime: 94 min · 1h 34m
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: A Wad of Notes (1970)

Part of

Gambler Collection

Gambler (Bakuto) is a series of 10 ninkyo films starring Koji Tsuruta produced by Toei between 1964 and 1971. Not to be confused with Tsuruta and Toei's Gamblers (Bakuchi-uchi) series.