Sansho the Bailiff (1954)

Original title

山椒大夫

Directed by

Kenji Mizoguchi

Genre

drama film, Jidaigeki

Country

Japan

Runtime

2h

Rating

8.1 of 10 from 427 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

Two aristocratic children are sold into slavery and forced to endure harsh conditions. The film follows their separate struggles to survive and find freedom.

melancholicslow-burnvisually lushbleakmeditativetragic

What happens

Sansho the Bailiff (Japanese: 山椒大夫, Hepburn: Sanshō Dayū; known by its Japanese title in the United Kingdom and Ireland) is a 1954 Japanese period film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi based on a 1915 short story of the same name by Mori Ōgai (translated as "Sanshō the Steward" in English), which in turn was based on a sekkyō-bushi (oral lore) appearing in written form in the 17th century. It follows two aristocratic children who are sold into slavery. Sansho the Bailiff bears many of Mizoguchi's hallmarks, such as portrayals of poverty and elaborately choreographed long takes. It is regarded as Mizoguchi’s magnum opus and one of cinema’s greatest films. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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