Set in medieval Japan, this tale follows the children of a nobleman through their fall from nobility. Despite great hardships and cruelty they remain true to their father's message to have mercy for all.
Despite this being a plot-driven film, Mizoguchi lets the camera slowly pan across and linger on the forest, water, and villages. Scenes are expertly crafted--in a scene of violence, the act is captured only through sound and by seeing the faces of the horrified witnesses.
Unfortunately, the character development leaves something be desired. The motivations of the main characters is mostly clear. However, the characters are all either saints or devils, with no nuance. There's only a single case of character development in the entire film.
Despite this, I grew to appreciate this film more after reading the IMDB review by rooprect, which points out how women are the strongest characters in the film, a narrative which goes against the times in which this film was set and those in which Mizoguchi was doing his work.
Despite this being a plot-driven film, Mizoguchi lets the camera slowly pan across and linger on the forest, water, and villages. Scenes are expertly crafted--in a scene of violence, the act is captured only through sound and by seeing the faces of the horrified witnesses.
Unfortunately, the character development leaves something be desired. The motivations of the main characters is mostly clear. However, the characters are all either saints or devils, with no nuance. There's only a single case of character development in the entire film.
Despite this, I grew to appreciate this film more after reading the IMDB review by rooprect, which points out how women are the strongest characters in the film, a narrative which goes against the times in which this film was set and those in which Mizoguchi was doing his work.