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Tomu Uchida

Tomu Uchida

Director · Died August 7, 1970, aged 72 · Okayama, Okayama, Japan

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.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 26, 1898
Died
August 7, 1970 (aged 72)
From
Okayama, Okayama, Japan
Works as
Director
Titles
4 on MovieCove · 43 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 37 days to Oct 26Down 24% in 30 days

What are Tomu Uchida's films like?

Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
30%
Society
27%
Bonds
14%
Morality
14%
Survival
9%
Ideas
7%
Purpose2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 4 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 2 · Dark 2

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 2 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 4 · Intense 0

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

Steady 2 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 2 · 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 0 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 2

Ambiguous: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their ambiguous movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 0 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
4
Contemplative
3
Tense
2
Warm
1
Dread
1

How their films linger

Thought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

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 Tomu Uchida's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 1 of their 4 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Tomu Uchida'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

43 credits, 4 with a MovieCove page.

  • Miyamoto Musashi VI: Swords of Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Director

  • Hishakaku and Kiratsune: A Tale of Two Yakuza (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Director

  • Miyamoto Musashi V: Musashi vs Kojiro (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Director · Screenplay

  • A Fugitive from the Past(1965)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Miyamoto Musashi IV: The Duel at Ichijo-ji Temple (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Director · Adaptation

  • Miyamoto Musashi III: Birth of Two Sword Style (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Miyamoto Musashi: Showdown at Hannyazaka Heights (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Director · Adaptation

  • Love, Thy Name Be Sorrow(1962)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Miyamoto Musashi(1961)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Hero of the Red Light District (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Director

  • The Master Spearman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Director

  • Chikamatsu's Love in Osaka (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Director

  • Souls in the Moonlight III (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Director

  • The Outsiders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Director

  • Souls in the Moonlight II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Director

  • The Eleventh Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Souls in the Moonlight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Director

  • The Horse Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Director

  • Rebellion from Below (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Director

  • The Kuroda Affair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Director

  • We Never Let You Go (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Supervising Producer

  • A Hole of My Own Making (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Director

  • Twilight Saloon(1955)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Director

  • Sorcerer’s Orb (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Creator

  • History - Part I (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Director

  • Earth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Director

  • Unending Advance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Director

  • The Naked Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Director

  • The Crown of Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Director

  • Theater of Life: Youth Version (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Director

  • Sun over the River (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Director

  • Police Officer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Director

  • The Revenge Champion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Director

  • Jean Valjean: Part Two (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Director

  • Jean Valjean: Part One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Director

  • Return to Heaven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Director

  • Sweat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Director

  • A Living Puppet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Director

  • The King of Rowing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Director

  • Crab Temple Omen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Director

  • Tale of a Boy: Noble Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Director

  • Konishi Junsa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 43 titles from 1922 to 1971.

Highest rated

A Fugitive from the Past (1965)

Midcredits 96th

Most popular right now

Twilight Saloon (1955)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing42 of 43: 36 only directing, 6 with another roleWriting5 of 43: 0 only writing, 5 with another roleProducing1 of 43: 1 only producing, 0 with another roleOther crew1 of 43: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

43 titles, 6 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 5 of them.

By decade

1920s6 · crew1930s11 · crew1940s1 · crew1950s14 · crew1960s10 · crew1970s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do Tomu Uchida's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 85th percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 86th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

86thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Approval · how many liked their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Reach · how many have seen their films

38thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Midcredits score across 4 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4

Shape of the crowd

2 of their 4 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Mixed1

Most divisive · director

Twilight Saloon (1955)

69th percentile spread · 15% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

A Fugitive from the Past (1965)

Midcredits 96th · 84% liked

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 Tomu Uchida work with?

People who share at least 2 of Tomu Uchida's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Hiroshi Ôkawa shares the most, 3.

Writers

Actors

Editors

Producers