Sanshō the Bailiff (1954)

Japan 124m B&W
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi; Cast: Kinuyo Tanaka, Yoshiaki Hanayagi, Kyōko Kagawa, Eitarō Shindō

Sansho the Bailiff is the tragic story of two children who are sold into slavery after their father, a fair and honorable governor, is banished by a war lord and their mother is sold into prostitution. Working as slaves for a decade, the children, now as young adults attempt a daring escape with the hope of reuniting with their parents. A slowly paced, contemplative film, Mizoguchi employs a slow sweeping camera which portrays the beauty of landscapes, while accentuating the long-suffering situations which the characters must endure in this tragic family drama (Klaus Ming April 2015).