Sanshô dayû (1954)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Kenji Mizoguchi

Writers:

Ogai Mori (story)
Fuji Yahiro (writer)

Release Date:

1955 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A film of unparalleled beauty by the great Japanese Master Kenji Mizoguchi

Plot:

In mediaeval Japan a compassionate governor is sent into exile. His wife and children try to join him...

Plot Keywords:

Japan | Exile | Governor | Decree | Mercy

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Kinuyo Tanaka	...	Tamaki
Yoshiaki Hanayagi	...	Zushiô
Kyôko Kagawa	...	Anju
Eitarô Shindô	...	Sanshô dayû
Akitake Kôno	...	Taro
Masao Shimizu	...	Masauji Taira
Ken Mitsuda	...	Prime Minister Fujiwara
Kazukimi Okuni	...	Norimura
Yôko Kosono	...	Kohagi
Noriko Tachibana	...	Namiji
Ichirô Sugai	...	Minister of Justice
Teruko Omi	...	Nakagimi
Masahiko Kato	...	Young Zushio
Keiko Enami	...	Young Anju
Bontarô Akemi	...	Kichiji

Also Known As:

Legend of Bailiff Sansho (USA)
Sansho the Bailiff (UK)
The Bailiff (USA)

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | UK:PG (1998) | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-12 | UK:A | Hong Kong:I

Filming Locations:

Japan

Company:

Daiei Studios

Trivia:

'Kenji Mizoguchi' initially intended to center the film around Sansho, the Slavelord. However, the film ended up with the sad story of Zushio and Anju as its narrative, dramatic center.

Quotes:

Taro: [to Zushio] I found that humans have little sympathy for things that don't directly concern them. They're ruthless. Unless those hearts can be changed, the world you dream of cannot come true. If you wish to live honestly with your conscience, keep close to the Buddha.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Aru eiga-kantoku no shogai (1975)

Delicate woodcut prints come to life

"Sansho the Bailiff" (Japanese, 1954): Kenji Mizoguchi made an epic film from what was (apparently) a centuries-old Japanese morality tale. We watch a well-to-do family slowly disintegrate - not from events they cause, but those out of their control. How they each react, how they deal with the passing years and events, and how they find solutions (if any) are powerful, emotional, lessons in life. Can a half-century old Japanese film be useful to a contemporary American audience? Of course it can. Human issues of love, devotion, honor, greed, lust, hate, violence, sadness, and revenge are, if anything, in further need of consideration and dealing. To enhance these thoughts, the musical scoring is superb (I love classical Japanese music), the photography is in gorgeous black/gray/white with artful composing, the pacing is patient and more explanatory than many Japanese films (perhaps Mizoguchi had foreign audiences in mind – which I appreciate!), and I often felt like I was watching delicate woodcut prints come to life.