Kit Parker Films, Tel. A film long popular among Mizoguchi fans, this storyline follows a popular Japanese tale.
Interest is maintained through the shifting and conflicting obligations heaped on the protagonist.
He is in the impossible position of maintaining his loyalty to his superiors and promises to his father. In most Japanese films, the result of conflict would be a ritual suicide. The characters here take a much more proactive approach. The striking sets, dramatic photography, and haunting images add pathos to the wrenching human drama. The film opens on a quiet forest scene.