is a 1974 Japanese

police procedural The police procedural, police show, or police crime drama is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasises the investigative procedure of police officers, police detectives, or law enforcement agency, law enforcement agencies ...

film directed by

Yoshitarō Nomura was a prolific Japanese film director, film producer, and screenwriter. His first accredited film, , was released in 1952; his last, , in 1985. He received several awards during his career, including the Japanese Academy Award for "Best Direc ...

, based on the novel '' Suna no Utsuwa'' by Seicho Matsumoto.

Plot

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.

Cast

* Tetsuro Tamba – Detective Eitaro Imanishi * Go Kato – Eiryo Waga/Hideo Motoura * Kensaku Morita – Detective Hiroshi Yoshimura * Yoko Shimada – Rieko Takagi * Karin Yamaguchi – Sachiko Tadokoro *

Ken Ogata , better known by his stage name , was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 50 movies and 25 television series. For his merits and contribution to arts in 2000 received Japan's Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon. Among many movie awards an ...

– Kenichi Miki * Seiji Matsuyama – Shokichi Miki * Yoshi Katō – Chiyokichi Motoura *

Chishū Ryū was a Japanese actor who, in a career lasting 65 years, appeared in over 160 films and about 70 television productions. Early life Ryū was born in Tamamizu Village, Tamana, Kumamoto, Tamana County, a rural area of Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu ...

– Kojuro Kirihara * Taketoshi Naito * Yoshio Inaba * Shin Saburi – Shigeyoshi Tadokoro * Kinzō Shin

Awards

*1975 Kinema Junpo AwardIMDB award listing
**''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 The 9th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 10 to 23 July 1975. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Polish film '' The Promised Land'' directed by Andrzej Wajda, the Soviet-Japanese film '' Dersu Uzala'' directed by Akira Kurosawa ...

**''Diploma'' (Yoshitaro Nomura) **Nominated for ''Golden Prize'' (Yoshitaro Nomura).

References

External links

* 1974 crime thriller films 1970s Japanese films 1970s Japanese-language films 1970s mystery films 1974 films Films based on Japanese novels Films directed by Yoshitaro Nomura Films set in 1971 Films set in Ishikawa Prefecture Films set in Tokyo Films set in Akita Prefecture Films set in Yamanashi Prefecture Films set in Osaka Films set in Shimane Prefecture Films with screenplays by Shinobu Hashimoto Films with screenplays by Yôji Yamada Procedural films Shochiku films Works about leprosy Works originally published in Japanese newspapers Films scored by Yasushi Akutagawa Films based on works by Seichō Matsumoto {{crime-thriller-film-stub