Summer of the Moonlight Sonata

1993 1h 52m JA

🤯

9.0

MASTERPIECE

★9.0TMDB · 1

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two soon-to-be kamikaze pilots stop by a local school near their base to play the piano one last time, leaving a deep impression on a teacher. Years later, she seeks out the relatives of the pilots when the piano is old and about to be discarded.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Misako Watanabe
Kimiko Yoshioka
Mayumi Wakamura
Kimiko Miyao
Minoru Tanaka
Shinsuke Kazama
Norikatsu Nagano
Mitsuhiko Umino
Yūsuke Takita
Yoshioka
Mako Ishino
Rie Ishida
Tetsuko Kobayashi
Kazama's wife
Takahiro Tamura
Kingo Ishikura

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Seijiro Koyama
Writers: Mori Tsuneyuki
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

33 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

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 Seijiro Koyama, shot by Fuminori Minami. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Yoshio Sugano 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

Misako Watanabe and Mayumi Wakamura and Minoru Tanaka carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0204342 — 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

Seijiro Koyama directs. Fuminori Minami behind the camera. Yoshio Sugano cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

133 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
3Directed by Seijiro Koyama, shot by Fuminori Minami. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Yoshio Sugano shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Misako Watanabe and Mayumi Wakamura and Minoru Tanaka carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0204342 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.