Yoshitaro Nomura, Director of Japanese Film Noir
NY Times
TOKYO, April 8 (AP) - The director Yoshitaro Nomura, whose 1974 suspense thriller “Castle of Sand” has been ranked by critics as one of Japan’s best films, died here on Friday. He was 85.
The cause was pneumonia, his son, Yoshiki, said.
Mr. Nomura was one of Japan’s most prolific and celebrated post-World War II directors, making numerous films in a variety of genres - including samurai dramas, musicals and crime stories - over more than three decades.
Born in 1919, Mr. Nomura joined Shochiku, a major Japanese film studio, when he was 22. Twelve years later he made his directorial debut with “Hato” (”Pigeon”). Mr. Nomura, son of the director Hotei Nomura, showed he could skillfully weave tales that were both social commentaries and thrillers, and was a pioneer of Japanese film noir, collaborating with the best-selling mystery writer Seicho Matsumoto. They made eight films, including “The Chase” in 1957, “Castle of Sand” in 1974 and “The Demon” in 1978.
His other adaptations include Ellery Queen’s “Calamity Town” (”Three Undelivered Letters,” 1979) and Agatha Christie’s “The Hollow” (”Dangerous Women,” 1985).
Many Japanese critics consider “Castle of Sand” Mr. Nomura’s most compelling work. The thriller follows two detectives as they investigate the killing of a police officer and uncover a link to the jarring, hidden past of a young composer. It received accolades from Kinema Junpo, one of Japan’s most prestigious movie contests, and won the special jury’s prize at the Moscow International Film Festival in 1975.
Even after directing his last movie, Mr. Nomura continued to work as a producer, and mentored directors, including Yoji Yamada (”Twilight Samurai,” 2002).
Besides his son, Yoshiki, he is survived by a daughter, Kaori.
