Gion Bayashi (1953)

 

A seasoned geisha and her apprentice maiko are forced to give in to their clients' sexual advances to survive.

This elegantly photographed tragedy conveys and condemns female exploitation and suppression in Japanese society; the ensemble is excellent and the settings wonderfully detailed.

Maltin***: "Beautiful photography by the great Kazuo Miyagawa complements Mizuguchi's usual biting social critique." 

Nippon konchûki (1963)

 

Life story of a woman born in poverty trying to succeed. Through her many schemes, she faces her ups and downs in a cyclical nature, fueled mostly by self-interest.

The biography of one woman is clearly set as an allegory for the development of Japanese society in the 20th century,  unsparingly showing her many unsuccessful attempts to cope with life and her often shockingly hard downfalls; made in a semi-documentary style, a large cast of good performers and an eventful narrative.

NB: The last scene is a brilliant summary of the film's story:  the woman returns by foot to her mountain village walking or rather stumbling up a stony path wearing a pair of geta (Japanese wooden footwear resembling flip-flops). One of the shoes breaks, so she takes the geta off walks on bare-footed.

 

Yôjinbô (1961)

A crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town.

Highly influential, much copied Kurosawa masterpiece is flawlessly scripted and staged, tough, very violent and witty, and Mifune plays as if he was born for the role.

Halliwell****: "Masterful, beautifully composed, witty movie that inspired the 'spaghetti Western' cycle when it was remade by Sergio Leone as A Fistful of Dollars."

Maltin****: "Superb tongue-in-cheek samurai picture, the plot of which resembles a Western; Mifune is perfection as samurai...Beautiful on all counts..."