Yasuzo Masumura (増村 保造 Masumura Yasuzō, August 25, 1924 - November 23, 1986) was a Japanese film director. Masumura was born in Kōfu on Honshū. After dropping out of a law course at the University of Tokyo he worked as an assistant director at the Daiei studio, later returning to university to study philosophy; he graduated in 1949. He then won a scholarship allowing him to study film in Italy at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia under Michelangelo Antonioni, Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti. Masumura returned to Japan in 1953 and from 1955 worked as a second-unit director on films directed by Kenji Mizoguchi and Kon Ichikawa, before directing his own first film, Kisses, in 1957. Over the next three decades he directed around 60 films in a variety of genres. His work is noted for his dark satire and fluid style. Notable films include Red Angel, Black Test Car, Giants and Toys, Blind Beast and Hoodlum Soldier.
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Biography from TMDB.
- August 25, 1924
- November 23, 1986 (aged 62)
- Kōfu, Yamanashi, Japan
- Director and writer, also actor
- 11 on MovieCove · 74 credits in all
What are Yasuzō Masumura's films like?
Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Morality.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 2 · Wry 0 · Earnest 8
A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 3 · Dark 4
A split, not a type: Grounded 4 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 4
A split, not a type: Gentle 2 · Charged 2 · Intense 6
A split, not a type: Steady 5 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 3
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 1
Casual 2 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 3
A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 4
A split, not a type: Resolved 6 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 2
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet4
- Tragic3
- Ambiguous2
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 Yasuzō Masumura's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 11 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Fandor (3).
Subscription and free streaming for Yasuzō Masumura'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
74 credits, 11 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
The Setting Sun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Shoujo ni Nani ga Okotta ka (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Shoujo ni Nani ga Okotta ka (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Lullaby of Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
The Garden of Eden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Akai Shisen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Red Storm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
The primary colored butterfly was watching - the smell of death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Double Suicide of Sonezaki (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Akai Shougeki (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Lullaby of the Earth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Main Line to Terror (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Akumyo: Notorious Dragon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Hanzo the Razor: The Snare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Music (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
New Hoodlum Soldier Story: Firing Line (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
シークレット部隊 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Games (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Just for You (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
The Hot Little Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
An Ode to Yakuza (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Play It Cool (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Vixen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Thousand Cranes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Blind Beast(1969)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Nureta futari(1968)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The House of Wooden Blocks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
The Sex Check (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
The Great Villains (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
The Wife of Seishu Hanaoka (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Love for an Idiot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
A Certain Killer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Two Wives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
The Red Angel(1966)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
The School of Spies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
Irezumi(1966)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Seisaku's Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Hoodlum Soldier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Superexpress (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Swastika(1964)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Love and Greed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Fools at Work (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Sentimental Mobsters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
When Women Lie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Black Statement Book(1963)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
A Woman's Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Black Test Car (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Stolen Pleasure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
The Burdened Sisters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
A Wife Confesses (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
A Lustful Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Love and Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
The False Student (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Ashi ni sawatta onna(1960)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Afraid to Die (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
A Woman's Testament (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Across the Darkness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Beauty the Enemy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
The Cast-Off (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
The Most Valuable Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Disobedience (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
The Lowest Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Giants and Toys(1958)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
The Precipice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Warm Current (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
The Blue Sky Maiden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Kisses (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
The Crowded Train (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Bridge of Japan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Punishment Room(1956)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Street of Shame(1956)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Princess Yang Kwei-fei (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Madame Butterfly (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Career shape
A full career of 74 titles from 1954 to 2022.
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 Yasuzō Masumura's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 78th percentile, the median of all 11; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 76th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up6
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
7 of their 11 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser7
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the atmosphere 80/100 and the pacing 54/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
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 Yasuzō Masumura work with?
People who share at least 2 of Yasuzō Masumura's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Tatsuji Nakashizu shares the most, 7.
Writers
- Kaneto ShindōShared titles: Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director (1975), Irezumi (1966), Swastika (1964)See all 3 shared titles with Kaneto Shindō
- Yoshio ShirasakaShared titles: Blind Beast (1969), Giants and Toys (1958)See all 2 shared titles with Yoshio Shirasaka
- Jun'ichirô TanizakiShared titles: Irezumi (1966), Swastika (1964)See all 2 shared titles with Jun'ichirô Tanizaki
Actors
- Ayako WakaoShared titles: Nureta futari (1968), Irezumi (1966), The Red Angel (1966), Swastika (1964)See all 4 shared titles with Ayako Wakao
- Eiji FunakoshiShared titles: Blind Beast (1969), Swastika (1964), Ashi ni sawatta onna (1960)See all 3 shared titles with Eiji Funakoshi
- Machiko KyôShared titles: Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director (1975), Ashi ni sawatta onna (1960)See all 2 shared titles with Machiko Kyô
- Etsushi TakahashiShared titles: Hanzo the Razor: Who's Got the Gold? (1974), Nureta futari (1968)See all 2 shared titles with Etsushi Takahashi
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Tatsuji NakashizuShared titles: Blind Beast (1969), Nureta futari (1968), The Red Angel (1966), Swastika (1964), Black Statement Book (1963), Ashi ni sawatta onna (1960), Giants and Toys (1958)See all 7 shared titles with Tatsuji Nakashizu
- Setsuo KobayashiShared titles: Blind Beast (1969), Nureta futari (1968), The Red Angel (1966), Swastika (1964)See all 4 shared titles with Setsuo Kobayashi
- Hikaru HayashiShared titles: Blind Beast (1969), Nureta futari (1968), Irezumi (1966)See all 3 shared titles with Hikaru Hayashi
- Sei IkenoShared titles: The Red Angel (1966), Black Statement Book (1963)See all 2 shared titles with Sei Ikeno
Producers
- Hiroaki FujiiShared titles: Blind Beast (1969), Irezumi (1966), Black Statement Book (1963), Ashi ni sawatta onna (1960), Giants and Toys (1958)See all 5 shared titles with Hiroaki Fujii
- Masaichi NagataShared titles: Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director (1975), Blind Beast (1969), Ashi ni sawatta onna (1960)See all 3 shared titles with Masaichi Nagata
Mixed roles
- Kazuo MiyagawaShared titles: Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director (1975), Irezumi (1966)See all 2 shared titles with Kazuo Miyagawa
