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Satsuo Yamamoto

Satsuo Yamamoto

Director · Died August 11, 1983, aged 73 · 日本, 鹿儿岛县

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Satsuo Yamamoto (July 15, 1910 - August 11, 1983) was a Japanese film director. Yamamoto was born in Kagoshima Prefecture on July 15, 1910. He dropped out of Waseda University to join Shochiku, where he worked as an assistant director to Mikio Naruse and others. He followed Naruse when he moved to PCL, and became a director in his own right after the company was reborn as Toho. During WWII he directed several pro-war propaganda films for them despite being a fervent member of the Japanese Communist Party (JCP), and after the war he rallied against the company as a driving force behind the union during the 1948 Toho labour dispute (in which the JCP was heavily involved), after which was ultimately fired. He subsequently worked on independent films and made numerous intensely rebellious and substantial socially conscious works. From the 1960s onward, he directed a succession of major films including the Toyoko Yamasaki adaptations “The Ivory Tower” and “The Perfect Family”, the “Men and War” trilogy, and “Kotei no inai Hachigatsu”. This body of epic works led to him being dubbed “the Red Cecil B. DeMille”. Three of his films, Shiroi Kyotō, Fumō Chitai and Ah! Nomugi Toge won the Mainichi Film Award for Best Film. He died of pancreatic cancer on August 11, 1983 at the age of 73. Description above from the Wikipedia article Satsuo Yamamoto, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 15, 1910
Died
August 11, 1983 (aged 73)
From
日本, 鹿儿岛县
Works as
Director
Titles
3 on MovieCove · 62 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 3% in 30 days

What are Satsuo Yamamoto's films like?

Across a limited sample of 3 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Power
32%
Self
30%
Morality
19%
Society
19%

What they feel like to watch

their average across 3 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 0 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 1 · Intense 2

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

Steady 1 · 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 1 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 1 · 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 1

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

Resolved 2 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
2
Dread
1
Melancholic
2
Contemplative
1
Romantic
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Bittersweet2 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 Satsuo Yamamoto's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 3 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Subscription and free streaming for Satsuo Yamamoto'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

62 credits, 3 with a MovieCove page.

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

    Director

  • Auto Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Director

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

    Director

  • August Without Emperor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director · Screenplay

  • United Vietnam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Director

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

    Director

  • The Corporation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Director

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

    Director

  • The Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Director

  • Men and War III: The Final Chapter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Director

  • Men and War II: Land of Love and Sorrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Director

  • Men and War I: Prelude to Destiny (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Director

  • Okinawa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Producer

  • Blood End (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Director

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

    Director · Editor

  • The Bride from Hades(1968)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Slave Factory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Director

  • Zatoichi the Outlaw(1967)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

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

    Director

  • Shiroi Kyotô(1966)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Freezing Point (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Director

  • The Spy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Director

  • The Witness' Chair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Director

  • Tale of Japanese Burglars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Director

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

    Director

  • Shinobi no Mono 2: Vengeance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Director

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

    Director · Screenplay

  • Ninja, A Band of Assassins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Director

  • Farm Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Director

  • The Matsukawa Incident (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Director

  • The War Without Weapons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Director

  • The Human Wall (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Director

  • The Song of the Cart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Director

  • His Scarlet Cloak (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Director

  • Typhoon Furor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Director

  • Avalanche (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Director

  • Floating Weeds Diary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Director

  • If Indeed One Loves (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Director

  • The Street Without Sun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Director

  • The End of a Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Director

  • Vacuum Zone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Director

  • The Stand in Hakone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Town of Violence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Director

  • Utako's Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Director

  • War and Peace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Director

  • Searing Wind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    Director

  • Wings of Victory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Director

  • It's Paradise When One Sings (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Director

  • The Sisters' Agreement (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Director

  • A Gentle Breeze With Father (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Director

  • Madam with a Ribbon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Director

  • The Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Director

  • Beautiful Departure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Director · Screenplay

  • The New Tange Sazen: The Chapter of the Two-Armed Swordsman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Director

  • Family Diary Part II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Director

  • Family Diary Part I (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Director

  • Pastoral Symphony (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Director

  • Young Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Director

  • Mother's Melody (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Director

  • The Responsibility of Kissing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Assistant Director

  • Street Without End (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Assistant Director

  • Sports (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 62 titles from 1932 to 1982.

Highest rated

The Bride from Hades (1968)

Midcredits 83rd

Most popular right now

Shiroi Kyotô (1966)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing59 of 62: 54 only directing, 5 with another roleWriting4 of 62: 0 only writing, 4 with another roleProducing1 of 62: 1 only producing, 0 with another roleEditing1 of 62: 0 only editing, 1 with another roleOther crew2 of 62: 2 only other crew, 0 with another role

62 titles, 5 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

1930s12 · crew1940s7 · crew1950s12 · crew1960s18 · crew1970s11 · crew1980s2 · crew

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

How do Satsuo Yamamoto's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 83rd percentile, the median of all 3; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 82nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

82ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Approval · how many liked their films

82ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Reach · how many have seen their films

44thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Midcredits score across 3 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3

Shape of the crowd

None of their 3 titles divides audiences: 3 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Crowd Pleaser3

Most loved · director

Shiroi Kyotô (1966)

Midcredits 90th · 77% 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 Satsuo Yamamoto work with?

People who share at least 2 of Satsuo Yamamoto's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Sei Ikeno shares the most, 3.

Actors

Composers

Producers