Old Salmon

Old Salmon

2006 · 30 min

A musical film by Takeo Kimura, renowned as one of Japan's foremost art directors, known for his work on Seijun Suzuki’s films. The story unfolds through a chain of abstract imagery and metaphors. An old queen is trapped within the rocks, alongside a woman in black and a white angel, who, like a young girl, governs the red thread of fate. Is the woman in black the queen’s alter ego, her daughter, or her past self? She finds herself drawn to a man playing the violin in a café.

Directed by Takeo Kimura · Written by Takeo Kimura

Your Rating

Make it a double feature

2h 15m together

Old Salmon

The Stairway to the Distant Past

Both from Takeo Kimura.

More from Takeo KimuraSee all →

Willful Murder

Willful Murder · 1981

The president of the Japanese National Railways is found dead during a period in which train service is plagued by numerous layoffs, strikes and shutdowns. The government says that the president was murdered; the police claim it was a suicide. A quizzical reporter follows the case for years, but the basic question remains unanswered: was the victim killed by members of the burgeoning Communist movement in Japan, or was the death stage-managed by the authorities in hopes of discrediting the Communists?

Tampopo

Tampopo · 1985

In this humorous paean to the joys of food, a pair of truck drivers happen onto a decrepit roadside shop selling ramen noodles. The widowed owner, Tampopo, begs them to help her turn her establishment into a paragon of the "art of noodle-soup making". Interspersed are satirical vignettes about the importance of food to different aspects of human life.

Sandakan No. 8

Sandakan No. 8 · 1974

MovieDramaHistory

A young journalist interviews an elderly woman about being forced into prostitution in Borneo at a brothel called Sandakan No. 8.

Branded to Kill

Branded to Kill · 1967

Branded to Kill

MovieThrillerCrime

After botching his latest assignment, a third-ranked Japanese hit man becomes the target of another assassin.

The Stairway to the Distant Past

The Stairway to the Distant Past · 1995

The Stairway to the Distant Past

MovieDramaCrime

Broke, with his vintage Nash convertible repossessed, private eye Mike Hama is reduced to combing the mean streets of the Yokohama waterfront on a borrowed bicycle. But when Lily, a beautiful stripper from out of Hama's past, returns to town, the fuse is lit on a criminal powder keg set to blow the lid off the Yokohama underworld.

Tokyo Drifter

Tokyo Drifter · 1966

MovieThrillerCrime

After yakuza boss Kurata dissolves his own criminal empire, a rival kingpin offers a position to Kurata's top operative, Tetsuya "Phoenix Tetsu" Hondo. When the fiercely loyal Tetsu declines, Otsuka taps unstoppable Tatsuzo the "Viper", a ruthless gun-for-hire, to assassinate him. As the Viper trails his target through the countryside, the agile Phoenix Tetsu grows concerned that one of his former associates has betrayed him.

Attack Squadron

Attack Squadron · 1963

Attack Squadron

MovieActionDrama

Lt. Col. Senda resists the idea of sending Japanese fighter pilots on suicide missions. He believes that what is really necessary for Japan to regain momentum in the war is for the air force to gather its most brilliant pilots into an elite squadron and use the unit to pinpoint attacks on the Americans. Disrespected by the kamikaze pilots who think the "non-suicidal" pilots are afraid, the unit redeems itself by stunning victories. But success leads the military leaders to expect too much of the unit, and new orders portend disaster.

The Moon Has Risen

The Moon Has Risen · 1955

The Moon Has Risen

MovieDramaRomance

Mokichi Asai is a widowed father living in Nara with three daughters—Chizuru, Ayako, and Setsuko. The youngest, Setsuko, plays matchmaker for her older sisters, leading to humorous and awkward romantic entanglements.

The Trap

The Trap · 1996

MovieDramaThriller

When a hooded stranger appears in private eye 'Mike' Hama's office with the cryptic challenge "I want you to look for me," Hama is drawn into a string of bizarre serial murders that have Yokohama's police baffled and the city terrified.

Darkness in the Light

Darkness in the Light · 2001

Darkness in the Light

A middle-aged salaryman with a typical family, living quietly in a provincial city (Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture), wakes up one morning in the summer of 1994 to find himself the prime suspect in the biggest mass-murder case of the decade.

Dogra Magra

Dogra Magra · 1988

MovieHorrorMystery

A young man murders his new bride and goes insane. He wakes in an asylum with no memory, left in the hands of two mysterious doctors who relate his condition with his biological identity.

Story of a Prostitute

Story of a Prostitute · 1965

Story of a Prostitute

MovieDramaRomance

Volunteering as a "comfort woman" on the Manchurian front, where she is expected to service hundreds of soldiers, Harumi is commandeered by the brutal Lieutenant Narita but falls for the sensitive Mikami, Narita's direct subordinate. Seijun Suzuki's Story of a Prostitute is a tragic love story as well as a rule-bending take on a popular Taijiro Tamura novel, challenging military and fraternal codes of honor, as seen through Harumi's eyes.

Gate of Flesh

Gate of Flesh · 1964

MovieDramaCrime

In the shady black markets and bombed-out hovels of post–World War II Tokyo, a tough band of prostitutes eke out a dog-eat-dog existence, maintaining tenuous friendships and a semblance of order in a world of chaos. But when a renegade ex-soldier stumbles into their midst, lusts and loyalties clash, with tragic results. With Gate of Flesh, visionary director Seijun Suzuki delivers a whirlwind of social critique and pulp drama, shot through with brilliant colors and raw emotions.

To Sleep So as to Dream

To Sleep So as to Dream · 1986

To Sleep So as to Dream

MovieFantasyMystery

An aging silent film actress hires a private eye and his wacky but helpful assistant to track down her missing daughter, Bellflower. The two follow a succession of bizarre, obscure clues, until they track down the location of the kidnappers and the daughter.

Zigeunerweisen

Zigeunerweisen · 1980

MovieMysteryDrama

A surreal period film following a university professor and his eerie nomad friend as they go through loose romantic triangles and face death in peculiar ways.

The Long Darkness

The Long Darkness · 1972

The Long Darkness

MovieDramaRomance

The relationship between Tetsuro, a university student from a disgraced, burdened family, and Shino, a waitress supporting her impoverished relatives. The couple decides to marry despite the significant emotional and social hardships each faces, viewing their love as a means to overcome the shame and despair inherited from their pasts.

More Like This

Couldn't load this row right now.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter