Lord of Steel Heart

1961 1h 32m JA

🙌

7.8

BANGER

★7.8TMDB · 5

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A Tokugawa Daimyo rebels against an his lord after the battle of Sekigahara. Samurai Matabei, a famous spear fighter and warrior, is a vassal of lord Honjo. One of Honjo's most trusted under-lords is Sanzaemon. He has designs on Matabei's fief, and he plots to kill Matabei. He finally convinces Lord Honjo of Matabei's guilt. Now Matabei must fight to survive.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Utaemon Ichikawa
Matabei Goto
Jūshirō Konoe
Tomonobu Mori
Sentarō Fushimi
Saburo Takanashi
Kensaku Hara
Kumakiri
Hiroki Matsukata
Isao Yamagata
Kuroda Sanzaemon
Keiko Okawa
Chiharu
Shingo Yamashiro

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kokichi Uchide
Writers: Hyōgo Suzuki
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

65 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kokichi Uchide, shot by Ko Matsui. 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 Eiichi Yamada. 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 Jūshirō Konoe and Sentarō Fushimi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0186608 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 5 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kokichi Uchide directs. Ko Matsui behind the camera. Eiichi Yamada scores. Shintarō Miyamoto cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

165 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Kokichi Uchide, shot by Ko Matsui. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Eiichi Yamada. 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 Jūshirō Konoe and Sentarō Fushimi carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0186608 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 5 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.