Tomu Uchida

Directing·Apr 26, 1898·Okayama, Okayama, Japan

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Uchida started out at the Taikatsu studio in the early 1920s, but came to prominence at Nikkatsu, adapting literary works with the screenwriter Yasutarō Yagi in a realist style. His 1929 film A Living Puppet (Ikeru ningyo) was selected as the fourth best film of the year by the film journal, Kinema Junpo. Many of his 1930s films featured the actor Isamu Kosugi. One such work, Policeman (Keisatsukan), has been called "a tremendously stylish gangster movie about the love-hate relationship between a cop and a criminal, once childhood friends" It is Uchida’s only surviving complete silent film. Uchida borrows from Hollywood gangster films and expressionist techniques in a story of a young policeman tracking down an old friend who is now a criminal. His work from the 1920 and 1930s possess a leftist social commentary and were often some of the most critically acclaimed films of the time. Kinema Junpo selected Jinsei Gekijo as the number two film of 1936, Karininaki Zenshin as the best film of 1937, and Tsuchi as the best film of 1939. The latter was praised for its realistic depiction of the lives of poor Meiji-period tenant farmers. Unfortunately, few of Uchida's prewar works survive in their entirety. In 1941, Uchida quit the Nikkatsu studio, and after failing to start his own production company, in 1943 began to work with the Manchukuo Film Association, although he never completed a film there. In 1945 he was taken prisoner and held in Manchuria until 1954, when he returned to Japan. Upon he return, he joined the Toei studio. His post-war movies reveal a strong genre stylist with no immediately discernible themes, much like many golden-age Hollywood directors. Uchida effortlessly directed chamber dramas, comedies, and samurai epics, often in color, and with a forward-looking dose of irony.

Film	Credit
Miyamoto Musashi VI: Swords of Death1971 · Director	Director
Hishakaku and Kiratsune: A Tale of Two Yakuza1968 · Director	Director
Miyamoto Musashi V: Musashi vs Kojiro1965 · Director, Screenplay	Director, Screenplay
A Fugitive from the Past1965 · Director	Director
Miyamoto Musashi IV: The Duel at Ichijo-ji Temple1964 · Director	Director
Miyamoto Musashi III: Birth of Two Sword Style1963 · Director, Screenplay	Director, Screenplay
Miyamoto Musashi: Showdown at Hannyazaka Heights1962 · Director	Director
The Mad Fox1962 · Director	Director
Miyamoto Musashi1961 · Director	Director
Hero of the Red Light District1960 · Director	Director
The Master Spearman1960 · Director	Director
Chikamatsu's Love in Osaka1959 · Director	Director
Souls in the Moonlight III1959 · Director	Director
The Outsiders1958 · Director	Director
Souls in the Moonlight II1958 · Director	Director
The Eleventh Hour1957 · Director, Screenplay	Director, Screenplay
Souls in the Moonlight1957 · Director	Director
The Horse Boy1957 · Director	Director
Rebellion from Below1956 · Director	Director
The Kuroda Affair1956 · Director	Director
A Hole of My Own Making1955 · Director	Director
Twilight Saloon1955 · Director	Director
Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji1955 · Director	Director
HHistory - Part I1940 · Director	Director
Earth1939 · Director	Director
Unending Advance1937 · Director	Director
TThe Naked Town1937 · Director	Director
The Crown of Life1936 · Director	Director
Theater of Life: Youth Version1936 · Director	Director
Sun over the River1934 · Director	Director
Police Officer1933 · Director	Director
The Revenge Champion1931 · Director	Director
Jean Valjean: Part Two1931 · Director	Director
Jean Valjean: Part One1931 · Director	Director
RReturn to Heaven1930 · Director	Director
Sweat1929 · Director	Director
A Living Puppet1929 · Director	Director
The King of Rowing1927 · Director	Director
CCrab Temple Omen1925 · Director	Director
Tale of a Boy: Noble Heart1925 · Director	Director
KKonishi Junsa1922 · Director	Director