One of the more desperate and distressing stories I have ever seen, juxtaposed beautifully with absolutely stunning cinematography.

I like dark and depressing movies, and this certainly qualifies, but I can't really love something so heavy-handed, a common trait in allI Mizoguchi's films.

At least now i kind of understand why Ozu is such a huge deal, because compared to him it seems like every other old Japanese film is completely old-fashioned and tedious. This is just as boring as any Kurosawa movie.

painfully boring, i gave up on it after half an hour

It relies on having bad things happen to its characters to develop the audience's sympathies, rather than developing interesting characterization. The protagonist's moods and motivations are always what the plot needs them to be rather than organically developed. The end result is a film that is disheartening but never enlightening.

87

A powerful film about good and evil in an indifferent universe. A very moving film and a model of cinematic perfection. And the conclusion is heartbreaking.

A highly dramatic and moving tale of sorrow and the willing compliancy of a people believing in the authority of birthright over freedom. What easily could have been 'message' overkill is balanced wonderfully with beautiful direction and a deep understanding of the human soul and the trials of the merciful. "Without mercy, man is like a beast. Even if you are hard on yourself, be merciful to others. Men are created equal. Everyone is entitled to their happiness."

Well-done tale of woe.

Pesronagens fortes, lindas fotografias...

A searing indictment of how private interests can corrupt and cripple a society. The ending is one of the most potent mixes of heartbreak and uplift ever captured on film.

Ravishingly beautiful. The way Mizoguchi captures his characters among the nature around them and some of the wonderful images he finds never fails to both impress and create a startlingly vibrant world that you're instantly drawn in to. Mizoguchi never overeggs the tragic elements but presents them with enough compassion and humanity to provoke a very strong reaction (any film which makes me actually say out loud in anguish - "no! no!" - over the character's situation is doing well I'd say).

The message is drilled into your head constantly, but I can forgive that since the end result is one of the more emotionally effective films that I have seen. It's a good showcase of mankind's infinite cruelty and the few who can overcome it to salvage something of a decent life.

#82

This movie doesn't progress - it flows. From shot to shot, scene to scene, year to year. Filled with superbly composed shots, some of which feel almost dream like, the film looks incredible. And the characters flow right along with it, demonstrating human angst and sorrow so naturallistically it's almost hard to watch. Many different angles of human nature are shown here, all with beautiful precision.

Staggeringly beautiful and poignant. Often missed is the subtlety behind the seemingly didactic message-pounding. Zushio essentially avenges his suffering on Sansho, banishing him and his family. How much mercy was truly shown? Instead of drawing a firm line between 'human' and 'beastly' the lines were constantly blurred, and humans seem almost intrinsically brutal. A priest sells them into slavery, a priest help Zushio escape. Beautiful tones of grey everywhere, visually and thematically.

You are well aware at every moment that you are watching something that has been assembled with utmost precision.

Quiet but powerful, I would say that this is Mizoguchi's most solid effort except he makes it look too easy to actually require "effort".

The brutal and gripping story can become depressing at times, but Mizoguchi incorporates beautiful and ethereal imagery that gives this film a lyrical beauty.

This is the most brutal Mizoguchi I've seen so far. The ending is a classic "fake happy ending" in the vein of The 400 Blows, and what comes before it is no cheerier. Harsh stuff.

The semi-happy ending does little to allay the brutality and sorrow of the rest of the film. Punctuated by several long shots that emphasize the characters' isolation, this movie is a real downer, as it consistently dangles hope in front of your face and then snatches it away. I would say it was pretty heavy-handed, but I liked it.

# 89

One of the most despairing films I've ever seen; its grace belies its soul-crushing nature. Though it can get a little heavy-handed here and there, its beauty and tragedy are so affecting that it's an easy flaw to forgive. It also boasts some of the most beautiful B&W cinematography around - gorgeous low-contrast compositions that give the fable-like story a dreamy quality.

It starts off a little abrubtly and the ending is a bit of a let down, but the middle 3/4 is a sublime work of art. The movie does a great job of presenting its case for freedom and equality, and showing the problems that society has encountered along the way. Rather than turning the subject into an epic it focuses on a single stuggle in feudal Japan, following the life of the son of a disgraced governor as he tries to regain his life.

One of the most humanistic films I know, it deals with questions of morality and humanism (and their prices) in a time when, as the opening quotation claims "mankind has not yet evolved into human beings". It kind of picks up where Rashomon's end left but with greater focus. Could've done without such a melodramatic ending, though.

# 78