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Setsuo Kobayashi

Cinematographer · Died October 22, 2006, aged 86 · Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan

Born
May 3, 1920
Died
October 22, 2006 (aged 86)
From
Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
7 on MovieCove · 64 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 16% in 30 days

What are Setsuo Kobayashi's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Morality.

Genres

Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 79th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 82nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
27%
Morality
26%
Survival
22%
Bonds
14%
Power
11%
Obsession2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 2 · Serious 0 · Dark 5

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 2

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 1 · Intense 5

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 3

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 1 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 4

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 4 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
6
Melancholic
5
Dread
2
Romantic
1
Cold
1
Other
3

How their films linger

Haunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Bittersweet2
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Setsuo Kobayashi's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Criterion Channel (2).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Setsuo Kobayashi's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

64 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page.

  • Princess from the Moon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Cinematographer

  • The Hall of the Crying Deer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Cinematographer

  • The Burmese Harp (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Cinematographer

  • Lullaby of Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Cinematographer

  • Ah! Nomugi Pass — Fresh Green Edition (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Cinematographer

  • Dream, After Dream (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Cinematographer

  • Nomugi Pass (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Cinematographer

  • Double Suicide of Sonezaki (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Cinematographer

  • The Skies of Haruo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Cinematographer

  • Barefoot Gen: Explosion of Tears (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Cinematographer

  • The Tempō Outlaws of the Marsh (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Cinematographer

  • Manhunt(1976)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Solar Eclipse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Cinematographer

  • The Wanderers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Cinematographer

  • Music (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Cinematographer

  • New Hoodlum Soldier Story: Firing Line (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Cinematographer

  • Games (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Cinematographer

  • Just for You (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Cinematographer

  • The Hot Little Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Cinematographer

  • An Ode to Yakuza (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Cinematographer

  • Play It Cool (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Cinematographer

  • Your Favourite (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Cinematographer

  • Vixen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Cinematographer

  • Thousand Cranes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Cinematographer

  • Blind Beast(1969)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Nureta futari(1968)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The House of Wooden Blocks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Cinematographer

  • The Time of Reckoning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Cinematographer

  • The Great Villains (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Cinematographer

  • The Wife of Seishu Hanaoka (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Cinematographer

  • Love for an Idiot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Cinematographer

  • The Bogus Policeman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Cinematographer

  • Shroud of Snow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Cinematographer

  • A Woman's Gamble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Cinematographer

  • The Red Angel(1966)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The School of Spies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Cinematographer

  • A Man Worth the Money (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Cinematographer

  • Trigger Happy Romeo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Cinematographer

  • 牝犬脱走 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Cinematographer

  • Hoodlum Soldier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Cinematographer

  • The Dedicated Gunman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Cinematographer

  • Superexpress (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Cinematographer

  • Swastika(1964)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • A Public Benefactor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Cinematographer

  • Fools at Work (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Cinematographer

  • Sentimental Mobsters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Cinematographer

  • The Red Water (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Cinematographer

  • An Actor's Revenge(1963)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Being Two Isn't Easy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Cinematographer

  • The Whale God (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Cinematographer

  • Stolen Pleasure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Cinematographer

  • The Burdened Sisters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Cinematographer

  • A Wife Confesses (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Cinematographer

  • Ten Women in Black (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Cinematographer

  • Les Mesdemoiselles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Cinematographer

  • Black Sea of Trees (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Cinematographer

  • The Last Betrayal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Cinematographer

  • The Rockabilly Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Cinematographer

  • A Woman's Testament (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Cinematographer

  • Fires on the Plain(1959)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Diary of a Substitute Doctor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Cinematographer

  • Tasogare no Tokyo Tower (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Cinematographer

  • Goodbye, Hello (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Cinematographer

  • Hole in One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 64 titles from 1957 to 1987.

Highest rated

Fires on the Plain (1959)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

Nureta futari (1968)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography64 of 64: 64 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score79th

By decade

1950s5 · crew1960s38 · crew1970s15 · crew1980s6 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Setsuo Kobayashi's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 79th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 78th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

78thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 7 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th1

Shape of the crowd

4 of their 7 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser4

Most divisive · cinematographer

Nureta futari (1968)

75th percentile spread · 25% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Fires on the Plain (1959)

Midcredits 97th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 82/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 84, detractors 71. The element that speaks to their work as a cinematographer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Setsuo Kobayashi work with?

People who share at least 2 of Setsuo Kobayashi's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Tatsuji Nakashizu shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers