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IMDbPro

Yasuzô Masumura(1924-1986)

  • Director
  • Writer
  • Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
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Born in Yamanashi, Japan, Yasuzô Masumura would become known as a maverick director whose main legacy was films portraying and promoting individualism, which was the opposite of the norm in Japanese society. He earned a law degree towards the end of World War II from Tokyo University, yet joined Daiei Studio as an assistant director in 1950. He pursued a second degree at Tokyo University as a literature and philosophy double major. He was the first Japanese to study at Rome, Italy's Centro Sperimentale Di Cinematografia. He returned to Japan in 1953 and worked as assistant to Kenji Mizoguchi and Kon Ichikawa. Masumura's own lead directorial debut came in 1957 with Kuchizuke, which was a commercial success and also won praise from director Oshima Nagisa. Masumura went on to become a prolific director who also continued writing on Japanese cinema. A 1996 ten-day retrospective on Masumura in Rome was attended by Michaelangelo Antonioni who was an admirer.
BornAugust 25, 1924
DiedNovember 23, 1986(62)
BornAugust 25, 1924
DiedNovember 23, 1986(62)
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  • Awards

Known for

Lullaby of the Earth (1976)
Lullaby of the Earth
6.9
  • Director
  • 1976
The Blue Sky Maiden (1957)
The Blue Sky Maiden
7.2
  • Director
  • 1957
Jokyô (1960)
Jokyô
6.7
  • Director(segment Mimi o kamitagaru onna)
  • 1960
The Great Villains (1968)
The Great Villains
7.7
  • Director
  • 1968

Credits

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Director

  • Kuroi fukuin: Shinpu no giwaku
  • Stewardess monogatari (1983)
    Stewardess monogatari
  • Mazakon-keiji no jikenbo
  • Kono ko no nanatsu no oiwai ni (1982)
    Kono ko no nanatsu no oiwai ni
  • Himawari no uta
    • (as Yasuzo Masumura)
  • The Garden of Eden
  • Akai shisen
  • Meiko Kaji in Double Suicide of Sonezaki (1978)
    Double Suicide of Sonezaki
  • Akai gekiryû
    • (as Yasuzo Masumura, episodes 1, 2, 12 and 20)
  • Akai shôgeki
    • (as Yasuzo Masumura, episodes 1 and 10)
  • Lullaby of the Earth (1976)
    Lullaby of the Earth
  • Dômyaku rettô (1975)
    Dômyaku rettô
  • Yoake no keiji
    • (as Yasuzo Masumura)
  • Bad Reputation: Turf Wars (1974)
    Bad Reputation: Turf Wars
  • Shintarô Katsu in Hanzo the Razor: The Snare (1973)
    Hanzo the Razor: The Snare

Writer

  • Stewardess monogatari (1983)
    Stewardess monogatari
  • Kono ko no nanatsu no oiwai ni (1982)
    Kono ko no nanatsu no oiwai ni
  • The Garden of Eden
  • Meiko Kaji in Double Suicide of Sonezaki (1978)
    Double Suicide of Sonezaki
  • Dômyaku rettô (1975)
    Dômyaku rettô
  • Shintarô Katsu in Hanzo the Razor: Who's Got the Gold? (1974)
    Hanzo the Razor: Who's Got the Gold?
  • Shintarô Katsu in Hanzo the Razor: The Snare (1973)
    Hanzo the Razor: The Snare
  • Triple Sôsasen
  • The Music (1972)
    The Music
  • New Hoodlum Soldier Story: Firing Line (1972)
    New Hoodlum Soldier Story: Firing Line
  • Games (1971)
    Games
  • Just for You (1970)
    Just for You
  • The Hot Little Girl (1970)
    The Hot Little Girl
  • Denki kurage (1970)
    Denki kurage
  • Vixen (1969)
    Vixen

Second Unit or Assistant Director

  • The Crowded Streetcar (1957)
    The Crowded Streetcar
  • Bridge of Japan (1956)
    Bridge of Japan
  • Punishment Room (1956)
    Punishment Room
  • Street of Shame (1956)
    Street of Shame
  • Taira Clan Saga (1955)
    Taira Clan Saga
    • (uncredited)
  • Princess Yang Kwei-fei (1955)
    Princess Yang Kwei-fei
  • Kaoru Yachigusa in Madame Butterfly (1954)
    Madame Butterfly
    • (as Yasuzo Masumura)
  • Chiemi Eri, Aiko Mimasu, Jun Usami, and Ayako Wakao in Hahakozuru (1952)
    Hahakozuru

Personal details

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    • August 25, 1924
    • Kofu, Yamanashi, Japan
    • November 23, 1986
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 1 Article

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    In 1950 he traveled to Rome to study film-making at the prestigious Centro Sperimentale Cinematografico.
  • Quotes
    My goal is to create an exaggerated depiction featuring only the ideas and passions of living human beings. In Japanese society, which is essentially regimented, freedom and the individual do not exist. The theme of Japanese film is the emotions of the Japanese people, who have no choice but to live according to the norms of that society . . . After experiencing Europe for two years, I wanted to portray the type of beautifully vital, strong people I came to know there.

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