Yoshitaro Nomura
Encyclopedia
Yoshitarō Nomura was a prolific Japan
ese film director
, film producer
, and screenwriter
. His first accredited film was released in 1953; his last in 1985. He has accumulated several awards during his career, including the prestigious Japanese Academy Award for "Best Director" (for his 1978 film ).
at the Shochiku
film studio. Nomura entered Keio University
to study art in 1936, graduated in 1941, and then promptly joined the Shochiku
studios as well. He was first hired as an assistant director
but before being assigned any projects he was drafted into the army before being discharged in July 1946. In the fall of the same year, he returned to Shochiku
and spent his entire film career working there.
During his years as an assistant director, he worked under the helm of such legendary film directors as Keisuke Sasaki, Yuzo Kawashima, and Akira Kurosawa
, whom he worked with in 1951 on the filming of "The Idiot", based on the novel
by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. In 1952, Nomura was promoted to director and made his directorial debut in 1953 with the film , which was such a success that the studio gave him five more films to direct the following year.
He is considered as one of the pioneers of Japanese film noir
and frequently collaborated with mystery writer Seicho Matsumoto
, with whom he made eight films. Nomura directed 89 films in total. He worked in several different genres, including musical
s and jidaigeki
(period dramas), but was considered most proficient within the thriller genre. Nomura's films frequently contain veiled criticism on Japanese society. His 1974 thriller , for which he won the coveted jury prize of the Moscow Film Festival in 1975, is considered by many critics as his best work. Nomura retired from directing in 1985, after which he worked as a TV producer and as consultant to other Japanese directors. In 1995, he was decorated by the Japanese Government with the Order of the Rising Sun
, the second highest order of Japan.
He died of pneumonia on 8 April 2005 in Shinjuku, Tokyo
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. His first accredited film was released in 1953; his last in 1985. He has accumulated several awards during his career, including the prestigious Japanese Academy Award for "Best Director" (for his 1978 film ).
Biography
He was the son of Hotei Nomura, a contract film directorFilm director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
at the Shochiku
Shochiku
is a Japanese movie studio and production company for kabuki. It also produces and distributes anime films. Its best remembered directors include Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Keisuke Kinoshita and Yōji Yamada...
film studio. Nomura entered Keio University
Keio University
,abbreviated as Keio or Keidai , is a Japanese university located in Minato, Tokyo. It is known as the oldest institute of higher education in Japan. Founder Fukuzawa Yukichi originally established it as a school for Western studies in 1858 in Edo . It has eleven campuses in Tokyo and Kanagawa...
to study art in 1936, graduated in 1941, and then promptly joined the Shochiku
Shochiku
is a Japanese movie studio and production company for kabuki. It also produces and distributes anime films. Its best remembered directors include Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Keisuke Kinoshita and Yōji Yamada...
studios as well. He was first hired as an assistant director
Assistant director
The role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
but before being assigned any projects he was drafted into the army before being discharged in July 1946. In the fall of the same year, he returned to Shochiku
Shochiku
is a Japanese movie studio and production company for kabuki. It also produces and distributes anime films. Its best remembered directors include Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Keisuke Kinoshita and Yōji Yamada...
and spent his entire film career working there.
During his years as an assistant director, he worked under the helm of such legendary film directors as Keisuke Sasaki, Yuzo Kawashima, and Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
, whom he worked with in 1951 on the filming of "The Idiot", based on the novel
The Idiot (novel)
The Idiot is a novel written by 19th century Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It was first published serially in The Russian Messenger between 1868 and 1869. The Idiot is ranked beside some of Dostoyevsky's other works as one of the most brilliant literary achievements of the "Golden Age" of...
by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. In 1952, Nomura was promoted to director and made his directorial debut in 1953 with the film , which was such a success that the studio gave him five more films to direct the following year.
He is considered as one of the pioneers of Japanese film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
and frequently collaborated with mystery writer Seicho Matsumoto
Seicho Matsumoto
was a Japanese writer.Seichō's works created new tradition of Japanese mystery / detective fiction. Dispensing with formulaic plot devices such as puzzles, Seichō incorporated elements of human psychology and ordinary life. In particular, his works often reflect a wider social context and postwar...
, with whom he made eight films. Nomura directed 89 films in total. He worked in several different genres, including musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
s and jidaigeki
Jidaigeki
is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. The name means "period drama" and is usually the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian period—and the early Meiji era is also a popular...
(period dramas), but was considered most proficient within the thriller genre. Nomura's films frequently contain veiled criticism on Japanese society. His 1974 thriller , for which he won the coveted jury prize of the Moscow Film Festival in 1975, is considered by many critics as his best work. Nomura retired from directing in 1985, after which he worked as a TV producer and as consultant to other Japanese directors. In 1995, he was decorated by the Japanese Government with the Order of the Rising Sun
Order of the Rising Sun
The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...
, the second highest order of Japan.
He died of pneumonia on 8 April 2005 in Shinjuku, Tokyo
Shinjuku, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the busiest train station in the world and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration center for the government of Tokyo.As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population...
.
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(1970) (1970) (1970) (1970) (1970) (1971) (1971) (1971) (1972) (1973) (1973) (1974) (1974) (1975) (1977) (1978) (1978) (1979) based on a novel by Ellery QueenEllery Queen
Ellery Queen is both a fictional character and a pseudonym used by two American cousins from Brooklyn, New York: Daniel Nathan, alias Frederic Dannay and Manford Lepofsky, alias Manfred Bennington Lee , to write, edit, and anthologize detective fiction.The fictional Ellery Queen created by...