Well-photographed, with gorgeous, ominous shadows, ably directed, competently edited, and filled with understanding and compassion for the plight of its heroine. The reasons for her fall, however, are too stereotypically noble and her family too callous and unsympathetic to raise this much above the level of melodrama. (I liked seeing Takahashi Shimura in a small role as one of the cops.)

It's hard to sympathize with Ayako when she makes wrong decision after wrong decision and then becomes indignant about it, but the story is almost flawlessly done and Mizoguchi already has a firm grasp of his style.

Solid, but perhaps not great. It almost feels like social commentary--specifically on the Japanese notion of an ideal woman. There's just a hint of bitterness and resentment at the end--mixed with a bit of defiance, perhaps (when Ayako looks into the camera). Well, I felt a little resentful towards Ayako's family, anyway. Like many great Japanese filmmakers, the compositions are impeccable--almost to the point where the perfection is oppressive, too square.

Doesn't have the straightforward, gut-wrenching emotional power of Sansho the Bailiff or Ugetsu, but it's still a wonderful film and perhaps an even sharper study of its characters. No one uses composition and distance to express the relationships between characters quite like Mizoguchi.

Even in '36, Mizoguchi's technique is quite apparent. His feminine sensibilities are very sympathetic, especially against the backdrop of a society that has very certain expectations of women. Even so, those depicted here are not presented as flawless, and that ratchets the believability and sympathy up another notch. Lots of long takes and elegant pans give it a somber tone.

Five years ago I was head over heels for Mizoguchi, and lately I've become somewhat indifferent towards him. Maybe it's because I saw all the "major" films first and now I'm just getting into the "lesser" works. Having said that, there's nothing terribly wrong with this movie. Ayako's descent is well-charted and believable given her circumstances, and the story's dramatic elements hold up well. The cinematography is quite fine with long perspective shots and Mizoguchi's signature dolly moves.

It's not terrible but try as I might, I just couldn't get into it that much.

Notable for its early Takashi Shimura role and the ending which has obvious similarities to a certain well known Italian movie.