Spy Sorge
Spy Sorge is a 2003 Japanese film co-written and directed by Masahiro Shinoda, about the World War II-era Soviet spy Richard Sorge. It stars Scottish actor Iain Glen in the title role. Shinoda intended the film, a long and lavish production, to be his final feature. True to his word, the director died 22 years later without having directed another film.
Spy Sorge achieved only modest critical and commercial success. Despite this, the film received multiple nominations at the 2004 Japan Academy Awards.
Plot
The film presents the life of Richard Sorge, a German spy for the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Soviet Army in Japan. Sorge and his contact Hotsumi Ozaki are arrested by the Tokubetsu Kōtō Keisatsu in Tokyo, and Sorge recounts the main events in flashbacks.Cast
Technical details
- Writers: Robert Mandy & Masahiro Shinoda
- Producers: Masato Hara, Masaru Koibuchi & Peter Rawley for Asmik Ace Entertainment & Manfred Durniok Filmproduktion
- Music: Shin’ichirō Ikebe
- Photography: Tatsuo Suzuki
- Length: Japan: 182 min
- Country: Japan / Germany
- Language: Japanese
- Colour: Colour
- Sound: Dolby Digital
Awards and nominations
- Best Art Direction for Hajime Oikawa at the Awards of the Japanese Academy in 2004
- Also nominated at the same ceremony in the following categories:
- *Best Cinematography for Tatsuo Suzuki
- *Best Director for Masahiro Shinoda
- *Best Editing for Hiroshi Okuda
- *Best Film
- *Best Lighting for Hideshi Mikami
- *Best Music Score for Shin’ichirō Ikebe
- *Best Screenplay for Masahiro Shinoda and Robert Mandy
- *Best Sound for Tetsuo Segawa
- Mainichi Film Award for Excellence Film in 2004