Mizoguchi and his doomed women are always good for a tragic love story. Some things feel a little too fated but the characters and situations are engaging enough that for the most part it's easy to forget and get drawn in to their plight. Overall it's a strong representation of Mizoguchi's oeuvre.

Slow moving and a little too coincidental, but from a technical point of view this is a masterpiece.

882

#883

yonetmen feodoal agalari yikmak icin bir ask hikayesinden yola cikmis. yetenekli zanaatkar mohei, aganin karisina yardimci olmak isterken zalim aga, adaletsiz kanunlar, iktidar hesaplari, zinanin 17yy da hala suc olmasi gibi trajik durumlarla karsilasirlar. aga hizmetciye, zanaatkar aganin karisina, hizmetci zanaatkara denkleminde kazanan devlet olur.

Another excellent work by Mizoguchi, much in the same vein in his other work but it's still distinct enough to stand out. The story is engaging and moves swiftly, with compelling performances by Hasegawa and Kagawa. Really great use of traditional music as well. Just one thing bugs me: the deck is stacked against the protagonists by the outdated laws and mores of their period. This story is sad, but it's not as powerful to a modern audience because it simply couldn't happen that way anymore.

My first exposure to Ozu (Late Autumn) did little for me at the time. I've since come to appreciate Ozu more, and it's possible that I would enjoy that film more if I revisisted it now. However, this film, which was my first exposure to Mizoguchi, is still my favorite of his. And conversely, it's possible that if I revisited it now I would see that it isn't really any better than the other Mizoguchis I've seen. Then again, maybe not. First impressions are strange things.

969

It's a suberbly crafted film, everything I have come to expect from Mizoguchi, but the story seemed to move slowly, even for him.