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Yukiko's fiance learns her mother runs a geisha house and ends their engagement. She despises what her mother does until one of her clients shows interest and starts to woo her.
Lesser known Kenji Mizuguchi melodrama nonetheless reveals his mastery for realistic, highly dramatic and heart-felt stories of female fates; superb cast, beautiful cinematography and excellent settings all around.
Maltin**1/2: "Minor Mizuguchi."
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Shinnosuke is introduced to Shizu as a prospective wife, but he falls in love with her widowed sister Oyu. Convention forbids Oyu to marry because she has to raise her son as the head of her husband's family. Oyu convinces Shinnosuke and Shizu to marry so that she can remain close to Shinnosuke.
Heart-wrenching and sad tale of love and sacrifice under harsh traditional rules is told in beautiful, lyrical black-and-white imagery and the cast perform excellently throughout, especially Kinuyo Tanaka in the title role.
A tale of ambition, family, love, and war set in the midst of the Japanese Civil Wars of the sixteenth century.
This Japanese classic by Kenji Mizuguchi is a carefully crafted and photographed fable and morality play seamlessly mixing genres (melodrama, samurai, ghost story), but always focused on its topic of warning about the dangers of seeking wealth and fame for its sake.
Halliwell*: "Unique mixture of action, comedy and the supernatural, with strong, believable characters participating and a delightfully delicate touch in script and direction."
Maltin***1/2: "Eerie ghost story..."
