Tomu Uchida (内ç"° å 夢, Uchida Tomu, April 26, 1898 â€" August 7,
1970), born TsunejirÅ Uchida on 26 April 1898, was a Japanese film
director. The stage name "Tomu" translates to “spit out
dreams†.Uchida started out at the Taikatsu studio in the early
1920s, but came to prominence at Nikkatsu, adapting literary works
with the screenwriter YasutarÅ 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, Kagirinaki 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.
1970), born TsunejirÅ Uchida on 26 April 1898, was a Japanese film
director. The stage name "Tomu" translates to “spit out
dreams†.Uchida started out at the Taikatsu studio in the early
1920s, but came to prominence at Nikkatsu, adapting literary works
with the screenwriter YasutarÅ 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, Kagirinaki 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.
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