| Notes | Criterion Collection Blu-ray edition
When an idealistic governor disobeys the reigning feudal lord, he is cast into exile, his wife and children left to fend for themselves and eventually wrenched apart by vicious slave traders. Under Kenji Mizoguchi’s dazzling direction, this classic Japanese story became one of cinema’s greatest masterpieces, a monumental, empathetic expression of human resilience in the face of evil.
New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
Audio commentary featuring Japanese-literature scholar Jeffrey Angles
Interviews with critic Tadao Sato, assistant director Tokuzo Tanaka, and actress Kyoko Kagawa on the making of the film and its lasting importance
New English subtitle translation
PLUS: An essay by scholar Mark Le Fanu; plus two versions of the story on which the film is based: Ogai Mori’s 1915 “Sansho the Steward” and an earlier oral variation in written form (Blu-ray only)
New cover by Michael Boland |
