Sansho the Bailiff

Last week I watched for the first time a Japanese film that was made in 1954 and directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, one of the three Japanese masters of film during the time. Sansho the Bailiff is a magnificent film that tells the tragic story of a family that was separated and sold into slavery.



From the trailer above, you can see that the cinematography of this film is beautiful--almost every shot could be a work of art. But what struck me more was the theme and plot of this film that could best be described by one of the repeated phrases: "Without mercy, man is not a human being."

And indeed, in light of this story, you can't argue with that--especially people like Sansho, the owner of the manor who literally uses a hot iron rod to brand his slaves. Eventually Sansho is arrested but not without the cost of so many lives--what is interesting is that he is arrested by one of his former slaves...perhaps revealing that no criminal act can ever go unpunished.