Castle of Sand (砂の器, Suna no utsuwa) is a 1974 Japanese police procedural film directed by Yoshitarō Nomura, based on the novel Suna no Utsuwa by Seicho Matsumoto.[1][2]

Castle of Sand
Original Japanese poster art
Directed byYoshitarō Nomura
Written byYoshitarō Nomura
Shinobu Hashimoto
Yōji Yamada
Based onSuna no Utsuwa
by Seicho Matsumoto
Produced byShinobu Hashimoto
Yoshihara Mishima
Masayuki Sato
StarringTetsuro Tamba
Go Kato
Kensaku Morita
Yoko Shimada
Karin Yamaguchi
Shin Saburi
Ken Ogata
Kiyoshi Atsumi
CinematographyTakashi Kawamata
Edited byKazuo Ôta
Music byYasushi Akutagawa
Distributed byShochiku
Release date
  • October 19, 1974 (1974-10-19)
Running time
143 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Plot

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The film tells the tale of two detectives, Imanishi (Tetsuro Tamba) and Yoshimura (Kensaku Morita), tasked with tracking down the murderer of an old man, found bludgeoned to death in a rail yard. When the identity of the old man can't be determined, the investigation focuses on the only other clue: a scrap of conversation overheard at a bar between the old man and a younger one. A witness recalls the cryptic phrases "Kameda did this" and "Kameda doesn't change."

This sets off a wide-ranging investigation that covers vast swaths of geography, changing social mores, and time. The investigation ends with an emotional and heartbreaking conclusion, all the more shattering because the reason for the crime no longer exists in the world.[3]

Cast

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Awards

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  • 1975 Kinema Junpo Award[4]
    • Best Screenplay (Shinobu Hashimoto and Yōji Yamada)
  • Readers' Choice Award
    • Best Japanese Film Director (Yoshitaro Nomura)
  • 1975 Mainichi Film Concours
    • Best Director (Yoshitaro Nomura)
    • Best Film (Yoshitaro Nomura)
    • Best Film Score (Kosuke Sugano )
    • Best Screenplay (Shinobu Hashimoto and Yōji Yamada)
  • 9th Moscow International Film Festival[5]
    • Diploma (Yoshitaro Nomura)
    • Nominated for Golden Prize (Yoshitaro Nomura).

References

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  1. ^ "砂の器とは". kotobank デジタル辞書 kotobank. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  2. ^ "橋本忍と加藤剛。巨星が語った最高の日本映画!――春日太一の木曜邦画劇場". 週刊文春オンライン. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  3. ^ "砂の器". Kinema Junpo. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  4. ^ IMDB award listing.
  5. ^ "9th Moscow International Film Festival (1975)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2013-01-06.
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