
The Castle of Sand (1974)
Suna no utsuwa (original title)Reference View | Change View
- 2h 23min
- Crime, Drama
- 10 Oct 1975 (USA)
- Movie
- 7 wins & 1 nomination.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast
Tetsurô Tanba | ... |
Eitaro Imanishi
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Gô Katô | ... |
Eiryo Waga
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Kensaku Morita | ... |
Hiroshi Yoshimura
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Yôko Shimada | ... |
Reiko Takagi
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Karin Yamaguchi | ... |
Sachiko Tadokoro
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Yoshi Katô | ... |
Chiyokichi Motoura
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Kazuhide Haruta | ... |
Hideo Motoura
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Chishû Ryû | ... |
Kirihara
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Junko Natsu | ... |
Akiko
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Seiji Matsuyama | ... |
Miki's Son
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Taketoshi Naitô | ... |
Search Section Chief
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Masumi Harukawa | ... |
Naka Sumie
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Yoshio Inaba | ... |
Search Chief Clerk
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Tokue Hanazawa | ... |
Miki's Colleague in Flashback
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Taiji Tonoyama | ... |
Publican at Ebisu
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Kinzô Shin | ... |
Professor Kuwabara
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Kappei Matsumoto | ... |
Mimori Police Chief
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Jun Hamamura | ... |
Patrolman
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Takanobu Hozumi | ... |
Matsuzaki
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Hatsuo Yamaya | ... |
Iwagi Police Chief
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Asaya Fujita | ... |
Forensic Technician
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Kin Sugai | ... |
Yamashita
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Akiko Nomura | ... |
Old Woman at Wakaba Apartment
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Kazuko Imai | ... |
Miki's Wife
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Mitsuyo Inomata | ... |
Waitress at Bar Ron
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Yôkichi Gotô | ... |
Tsutsui
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Sanpeita Mori | ... |
Detective at Iwagi Station
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Hisashi Imabashi | ... |
Asahi Shop Owner
(as Go Imabashi)
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Ken'ichi Katô | ... |
Policeman Driving Jeep
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Tatsuo Sakurabe | ... |
Surgeon at Setagaya
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Akira Sera | ... |
Fan Shop Owner
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Akira Kubo | ... |
Patrolman at Setagaya
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Junko Yoshida | ... |
Clerk at Naniwa Yakusho
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Mitsuzô Nakamura | ... |
Policeman at Ebisu
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Akira Matsuda | ... |
Clerk in Charge at Naniwa Yakusho
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Kibaji Tankobo | ... |
West Kamata Detective
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Takashi Tabata |
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Tatsuki Bessho | ... |
Bartender at Bar Ron
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Yuri Takase | ... |
Waitress at Bar Ron
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Teishiro Nishijima | ... |
West Kamata Police Chief
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Kyôsuke Matsunami |
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Mitsuru Yamazaki | ... |
West Kamata Detective
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Shin Kitayama | ... |
West Kamata Detective
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Ura Shintarô | ... |
West Kamata Detective
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Takuo Senga | ... |
West Kamata Detective
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Kunji Harada |
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Yûtarô Ôsugi | ... |
(as Yuji Osugi)
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Shintarô Mishima | ... |
(as Shintaro Mishima)
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Yuichi Kikuchi | ... |
Waga's Friend
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Tatsuo Ito |
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Hiroshi Takahashi | ... |
West Kamata Detective
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Yukihide Yamamoto | ... |
Metropolitan Police HQ Detective
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Noriyuki Watanabe | ... |
West Kamata Detective
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Kentarô Imai | ... |
Metropolitan Police HQ Detective
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Hideaki Komori | ... |
Metropolitan Police HQ Detective
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Keiji Tsuchida | ... |
West Kamata Chief Detective
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Hideto Nakagawa |
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Shûichi Oki | ... |
(as Shuichi Oki)
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Nobuo Takagi |
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Jun Kajima |
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Taeko Sakata |
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Kiyo Murakami | ... |
Oku
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Yumiko Higashitani |
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Ryôko Mizuki | ... |
Farmer at Kamedake
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Yoshiko Togawa | ... |
Staff in Charge at Jikoen Nursing Home
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Shin Saburi | ... |
Shigeka Tadokoro
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Ken Ogata | ... |
Kenichi Miki
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Kiyoshi Atsumi | ... |
Movie Theater Manager
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Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Eiko Muramatsu | ... |
Mama at Ginza Club (uncredited)
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Directed by
Yoshitarô Nomura |
Written by
Seichô Matsumoto | ... | (based on the novel by) |
Shinobu Hashimoto | ... | (screenplay by) & |
Yôji Yamada | ... | (screenplay by) |
Yoshitarô Nomura | ... | () |
Produced by
Shinobu Hashimoto | ... | producer (produced by) |
Yoshiharu Mishima | ... | producer (produced by) |
Masayuki Satô | ... | producer (produced by) |
Shigemi Sugisaki | ... | associate producer |
Music by
Yasushi Akutagawa |
Cinematography by
Takashi Kawamata |
Editing by
Kazuo Ôta |
Production Design by
Kaneo Kawanabe |
Art Direction by
Kyôhei Morita |
Set Decoration by
Noboru Isozaki |
Production Management
Yûji Nagashima | ... | production supervisor |
Hiroshi Yoshioka | ... | executive in charge of production |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Isao Kumagai | ... | assistant director |
Art Department
Rokurô Wakabayashi | ... | set designer |
Sound Department
Yukio Fukushima | ... | sound effects editor |
Ryûji Matsumoto | ... | sound editor |
Tadahiko Yamamoto | ... | sound recordist |
Shôtarô Yoshida | ... | sound mixer |
Camera and Electrical Department
Matsutaro Kobayashi | ... | gaffer |
Music Department
Mitsuaki Kanno | ... | pianist |
Hiroshi Kumagai | ... | musical director |
Production Companies
Distributors
- NHK-BS2 (1992) (Japan) (tv)
- Shochiku Films of America (1975) (United States) (subtitled)
- Shochiku (Japan)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Fukushima Sound (sound effects)
- Okayama Film Commission (film commission)
Storyline
Plot Summary |
Two concurrent stories that eventually do intersect are told. The primary story concerns a murder investigation of a bludgeoned John Doe, estimated to be in his early- to mid-sixties, the body discovered at the Kamata Rail Yard in Tokyo and moved there post-mortem to make it look like he died by being hit by a train. The investigative team includes experienced Inspector Eitaro Imanishi and novice Detective Hiroshi Yoshimura. The slim leads they have in even discovering the identity of the John Doe, let alone the murderer, stem from an overheard conversation at a local bar between the victim and the perpetrator, the men unknown to anyone in the bar, the keys to the conversation being one speaking in an accent specific to the Tohoku region, and both men often mentioning the proper name "Kameda". In the ebbs and flows of the investigation, and Yoshimura being taken off the case in a lull to focus on other more active cases, both investigators nonetheless end up with a dogged determination which takes mostly Imanishi to various places throughout Japan in following leads, some on his own dime in being unofficial. The investigation only becomes more confusing in discovering the identity of the victim, what the investigators are told by those that knew him being his general benevolence in all aspects of his life, and that he had no business in Tokyo. The secondary story concerns renowned up and coming composer/conductor Eiryo Waga, his fame which means that he is often surrounded by an entourage. His general sullenness may be attributed to a childhood denied, that denial of which he is the only person who knows, or so he believes. Written by Huggo |
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Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Did You Know?
Trivia | Seichô Matsumoto once said he preferred this movie, based on his novel, over said novel. See more » |
Movie Connections | Referenced in Sayonara eiga no furusato: Ofuna satsueijo (2000). See more » |