Sansho the Bailiff (1954) [Film Review]

Sansho the Bailiff; or, The Measure of a Man
     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.
Rarely one encounters deeply depressing and gut-wrenching movies which do not resort to showing explicit violence. Without a doubt, Kenji Mizoguchi’s Sansho the Bailiff is such a film. I heard about it years ago, but it was this month when I finally gave it a go because of my research into the career of actress Kyoko Kagawa. Well, the movie made such an impression on me that I started writing this review immediately after having watched it.

Release Info

Directed by: Kenji Mizoguchi Starring: Yoshiaki Hanayagi, Kyoko Kagawa, Kinuyo Tanaka

Language: Japanese Original Title: 山椒大夫 Runtime: 125 min

Synopsis
Inspired by an ancient folk tale, the movie tells the story of Zushio (Yoshiaki Hanayagi) and Anju (Kyoko Kagawa). Their father, a merciful governor, is banished by a feudal lord to a distant province. The governor orders his wife, Tamaki (Kinuyo Tanaka), to take their children to her brother. Several years later, the mother and two children journey back to the father’s province. However, they are attacked by bandits and separated. Tamaki ends up as a courtesan on  Sado Island, whereas Zushio and Anju are sold as slaves to Sansho the Bailiff, a ruthless government official who runs his private mansion. Children wait till adulthood in order to attempt escape…

Eternal Suffering
Interestingly, the movie’s title does not refer to the main protagonists, but to the main villain. In Sansho the Bailiff, Kenji Mizoguchi explores the shortcomings of human nature. The world is not inherently evil but, indeed, it is a dark and dangerous place. However, every kind of darkness is defeated by the light coming from one righteous individual, as Zushio’s father states: “Without mercy, man is like a beast. Even if you are hard on yourself, be merciful to others.”

To be honest, Sansho the Bailiff is a tough movie to watch. Even though there is no black magic as in Mizoguchi’s previous film Ugetsu Monogatari (1953), I was really scared when watching the journey of young Zushio and Anju. Their arduous stay at Sansho’s mansion was scary for completely other reasons. Nevertheless, long takes and wonderful forest setting really enhance the aesthetic level of the movie.

Out of all the great pictures directed by Mizoguchi, including The Life of Oharu (1952) and The Crucified Lovers (1954), I place Sansho the Bailiff at the very top of the director’s achievements. Heart-warming characters and their tragedy invest you emotionally into the story. It is all the more rewarding seeing Sansho getting his comeuppance (no spoilers), but the price of justice is just too high.

With regard to performances, Yoshiaki Hanayagi, Kyoko Kagawa, and Kinuyo Tanaka are just marvellous in their roles. I appreciate the degree of theatricality the actors brought to their characters. Consequently, the film feels like a top notch stage play.

Interestingly, there was an American stage adaptation on the basis of Sansho the Bailiff in the 1990s, starring the famous Bai Ling. Another fact which has to be mentioned is that the movie was hard to come by in the West until 2007 when Criterion released their DVD version.

Recommendations
All things considered, I highly recommend Sansho the Bailiff to any fan of Japanese movies. Watching this film is quite an experience, and it is an excellent insight into the darkness of human nature. The message of the film lives on and resonates even today.
Overall score: 9/10

«Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us»

The Story of Osaka Castle (1961) [Film Review]

The Story of Osaka Castle; or, The Longest Day

     Although we lost to the Eastern army at the Battle of Sekigahara, it's an insult they should treat our 650,000 koku family like an ordinary daimyo and tell us to make a trip to Kyoto for greetings. Send back the messenger now. I, Yodo, cannot accept such an order. Never!

Being in the mood for a period picture, I decided to search for a film I have not seen yet. Therefore, I picked Hiroshi Inagaki’s The Story of Osaka Castle, a 1961 colour production with Toshiro Mifune and Kyoko Kagawa in the leading roles.

Release Info

Directed by: Hiroshi Inagaki Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Kyoko Kagawa, Danko Ichikawa

Language: Japanese Original Title: 大阪城物語 Runtime: 95 min

 

Synopsis

10 years after the famous Battle of Sekigahara, the Toyotomi clan initiates a conspiracy in order to stop Lord Ieyasu Tokugawa’s political activities to take over Japan. A wandering samurai called Mohei (Toshiro Mifune) arrives at Osaka and immediately gets entangled in a maze of intrigues together with a servant Ai (Kyoko Kagawa) and a ninja spy Saizo Kirigakure (Danko Ichikawa). The protagonists eventually discover a betrayal of the clan and they rush to Osaka castle to stop the bloodshed.

 

Black Ships, Damsels, and Samurai

I did not have any expectations for The Story of Osaka Castle, but I have to honestly say that the first act left me disappointed. The exposition is very chaotic and lots of characters are not helping in figuring out what the story is about. Nevertheless, when Toshiro Mifune steps into action, the viewers instantly know that he is the main protagonist.

 

Boring first act ends with Mifune’s character sent on a stealth mission, which he miserably fails. From this point on, the action picks up and the story itself becomes much clearer. I particularly liked that the Portuguese colonisers play a small part in the conspiracy. I love this part of Japanese history when the country was open to Western influences, and it is a real shame that the only major production that focuses on this aspect is the TV series Shogun from 1980, based on James Clavell’s popular novel.

 

When the third act started, I found myself thoroughly enjoying the film. It went from a boring flick to sheer epicness, as if straight from The Guns of Navarone (1961). It’s a blast seeing Mifune riding at a breakneck pace through the middle of a battlefield! The Osaka Castle looks really beautiful, indeed. The crew evidently shot a lot of footage on location and I hope that someday I will be able to see this famous landmark with my own eyes. Additionally, the magnificent music score by Akira Ifukube cannot go unnoticed.

 

With regard to performances, Toshiro Mifune is as great as in many other period pieces he did. Kyoko Kagawa has a great role as his love interest, but unfortunately, she disappears from the film’s finale. The amazing Akihiko Hirata has a small part as Mifune’s relative/foe (it’s complicated). Danko Ichikawa steals every scene as the happy-go-lucky warrior, similar to Robin Hood.

Recommendations

If you want to experience some traditional Japanese story, then check out The Story of Osaka Castle. The first third of the film is an exercise in patience, but the story significantly improves later. It may not be Hiroshi Inagaki’s wonderful Samurai Trilogy (1954–1956), but The Story of Osaka’s Castle definitely deserves attention nowadays.

Overall score: 7/10

High and Low (1963) [Film Review]

High and Low; or, CSI: Japan

Instead of jumping into the deep end with firstly reviewing prominent films of Japanese cinema (like Seven Samurai (1965), Tokyo Story (1953), and Harakiri (1962), all of which can be described in simple terms as epic), I decided to go for something classic but often unnoticed in the modern day. Needless to say, the movie I want to talk about is an exciting crime story made by Akira Kurosawa called High and Low.

Release Info

Directed by: Akira Kurosawa Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyōko Kagawa 
Language: Japanese Original Title: Tengoku to jikogu Runtime: 140 min

Plot

The film centres on a wealthy businessman called Gondo (Toshiro Mifune) who is an executive in a shoe-making company. One day, his associates meet up with him and offer Gondo to participate in a conspiracy to buy out the company for themselves. Gondo, nevertheless, refuses to do so, because he has already gathered enough money to do the takeover on his own. Yet, shortly after the departure of his colleagues, Gondo receives a phone call during which the mysterious voice at the other side of the line tells him that his son, Jun, has been kidnapped. However, shortly after this confusing conversation, Gondo’s son enters the room. It turns out that the kidnapper (Tsutomu Yamazaki) accidentally abducted not Jun but the chauffer’s child, Shinichi…

American Crime Story- Made in Japan

On the basis of the provided plot it may seem that the movie will be some silly comedy of mistakes or a failed adaptation of Agatha Christie, however it’s none of these. In fact, Kurosawa loosely relied on the plot from the book entitled King’s Ransom by the American crime fiction writer Ed McBain. Whereas the beginning of High and Low quite closely follows the events from the book, the further the movie goes, the more it becomes Kurosawa’s own story.

Actually, the movie contains two separate stories. The first is the story of Gondo. A prosperous entrepreneur who finds himself between a rock and a hard place. After mortgaging everything he owns, all he has left is 30 million yen that he can now use either to complete the buyout of the company or to pay the ransom for the kidnapped boy. Obviously, if it had been for his son, he would have not hesitated a second, but in this case… the man may lose his whole wealth and save a child, or become richer and have blood on his hands. With this dilemma Kurosawa presents to us his own critique of capitalism, to what extent it can deprive a human being of morality and conscience. Gondo is the paragon of capitalist success but due to the situation he has found himself in, he undergoes a purifying change. He eventually decides to pay the ransom and after the return of the child he becomes a hero of the public, completely broke, but still a hero.

The second story, starting halfway through the film, is about Detective Tokura’s (Tatsuya Nakadai) pursuit after the kidnapper. Police officers, astonished by Gondo’s ultimate sacrifice, resolve to do anything they can in order to find the culprit and reclaim the ransom. From this point on, a thorough investigation ensues with numerous threads being uncovered that may lead to the kidnapper. The viewers feel as if they are part of the investigation team by participating in elaborate briefings, during which every detail is discussed, and also in the field, with the officers searching on the streets. All in all, we know that the bad guy is eventually tracked down, yet is he really so bad as he seems? Kurosawa blurs the binary oppositions for us. However, the righteous cops apparently have no doubts because they don’t want the guy to serve only 15 years in jail for the kidnap, but instead get a death sentence. In order to do this, they cleverly lure him to re-enact his crime.

Between Heaven and Hell

Although, the film is called High and Low, its direct translation from Japanese should be Heaven and Hell; and indeed, this is the movie about Heaven (Gondo’s life) and Hell (the kidnapper’s life). Gondo lives high above other people both literally and figuratively, whereas the kidnapper lives a pitiful existence that eventually leads him to his own damnation. The two characters confront each other in the film’s final scene, and apart from feeling sorry for the two characters, we can infer Kurosawa’s message to us: that humility in life is salvation.

 

Recommendations

I recommend this particular movie to anyone who is into crime stories, likes Kurosawa, or would simply like to see something interesting and highly engaging. In my opinion, High and Low is definitely one of the best crime movies ever made, with excellent acting and a brilliant script. Give it a go and you surely won’t regret it.

Overall score: 9/10