
Tomu Uchida
Biography
Uchida started out at the Taikatsu studio in the early 1920s, but came to prominence at Nikkatsu, adapting literary works with the screenwriter Yasutarō Yagi in a realist style. His 1929 film A Living Puppet (Ikeru ningyo) was selected as the fourth best film of the year by the film journal, Kinema Junpo. Many of his 1930s films featured the actor Isamu Kosugi. One such work, Policeman (Keisatsukan), has been called "a tremendously stylish gangster movie about the love-hate relationship between a cop and a criminal, once childhood friends" It is Uchida’s only surviving complete silent film. Uchida borrows from Hollywood gangster films and expressionist techniques in a story of a young policeman tracking down an old friend who is now a criminal. His work from the 1920 and 1930s possess a leftist social commentary and were often some of the most critically acclaimed films of the time. Kinema Junpo selected Jinsei Gekijo as the number two film of 1936, Karininaki Zenshin as the best film of 1937, and Tsuchi as the best film of 1939. The latter was praised for its realistic depiction of the lives of poor Meiji-period tenant farmers. Unfortunately, few of Uchida's prewar works survive in their entirety.
In 1941, Uchida quit the Nikkatsu studio, and after failing to start his own production company, in 1943 began to work with the Manchukuo Film Association, although he never completed a film there. In 1945 he was taken prisoner and held in Manchuria until 1954, when he returned to Japan.
Upon he return, he joined the Toei studio. His post-war movies reveal a strong genre stylist with no immediately discernible themes, much like many golden-age Hollywood directors. Uchida effortlessly directed chamber dramas, comedies, and samurai epics, often in color, and with a forward-looking dose of irony.
Directing (41 movies)
History - Part I
1940

Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji
1955

Souls in the Moonlight
1957

Earth
1939

Miyamoto Musashi
1961

Miyamoto Musashi: Showdown at Hannyazaka Heights
1962

Miyamoto Musashi: Birth of Two Sword Style
1963

Miyamoto Musashi: The Duel at Ichijo Temple
1964

Miyamoto Musashi VI: Swords of Death
1971

Miyamoto Musashi V: Musashi vs Kojiro
1965

Twilight Saloon
1955

Chikamatsu's Love in Osaka
1959

A Fugitive from the Past
1965

The Crown of Life
1936

Hero of the Red Light District
1960

Police Officer
1933

Souls in the Moonlight III
1959

Souls in the Moonlight II
1958

The Mad Fox
1962

The Revenge Champion
1931

A Hole of My Own Making
1955

Jean Valjean: Part One
1931

Unending Advance
1937

The Outsiders
1958

Jean Valjean: Part Two
1931
Crab Temple Omen
1925

Sweat
1929

The Eleventh Hour
1957

The Horse Boy
1957

The Master Spearman
1960

The Kuroda Affair
1956

Hishakaku and Kiratsune: A Tale of Two Yakuza
1968

Sun over the River
1934

Tale of a Boy: Noble Heart
1925

Theater of Life: Youth Version
1936

Rebellion from Below
1956
Return to Heaven
1930
Konishi Junsa
1922

A Living Puppet
1929
The Naked Town
1937

The King of Rowing
1927
| Title | Year | Job |
|---|---|---|
| The Eleventh Hour | 1957 | Screenplay |
| Miyamoto Musashi: Birth of Two Sword Style | 1963 | Screenplay |
| Miyamoto Musashi V: Musashi vs Kojiro | 1965 | Screenplay |