Sansho the Bailiff

1954 Daiei Film
Directed by: Kenji Mizoguchi; Written by: Fuji Yahiro and Yoshikata Yoda, based upon the short story "Sanshō the Steward" by Mori Ōgai
Starring: Kinuyo Tanaka, Yoshiaki Hanayagi, Kyōko Kagawa, and Eitarō Shindō
MPAA Rating: NR; Running Time: 124 Minutes
The Nicsperiment Score: 10/10

Director, Kenji Mizoguchi, went on quite an artistic tear in the early 1950's, releasing a quartet of films over a three year span all considered classics. A common theme arises early on in the quartet: men often carelessly commodify, objectify, and neglect women. In 1952's The Life of Oharu, the viewer will be hard-pressed to find a man with any worthwhile characteristics at all. In 1953's Ugetsu, the men are much the same, though they at least come to recognize and attempt to atone for their careless activities. 1954's Sansho the Bailiff is then a huge progression for the men in Mizoguchi's films, as it opens with the introduction of a local male governor who is kind and merciful. This benevolent governor, though, is balanced out by the titular bailiff...who may be Mizoguchi's most abhorrent creation.
True to the feudal Japan of nearly all of Mizoguchi's films, the land itself in Sansho the Bailiff feels savage and evil. The governor is punished for his virtue, as the powers that be become unhappy with the way he hasn't punished his poor vassals with heavy taxes like the neighboring governors. In true Mizoguchi fashion, the family is split and sent to exile, with the governor sent to one rural corner, and his two children and his wife to another. In even truer Mizoguchi fashion, after some deception and kidnapping, the two children, son, Zushiō, and daughter, Anju, are sold into slavery, while the wife, Tamaki, is sold into prostitution. From this point, the film almost exclusively focuses upon Zushiō and Anju's perspectives, as the duo try to survive on the estate of the incredibly harsh and monstrous Sansho.
The Life of Oharu and Ugetsu are both classic films, but there are points where particularly the former feels like torture porn. Everything goes wrong, and the protagonist suffers greatly because of a system that doesn't consider the value of humanity, with little to no hope in sight. Sansho the Bailiff, a cinematic masterwork, and the expression of an artist at the absolute peak of its powers, does not succumb to this darkness. This is not a tale of someone coming to accept that they have been stripped to nothingness, nor is it the story of a couple of goofy, thoughtless guys who realize their actions have consequences. I don't mean to make light of those strains in the previously mentioned Mizoguchi films--as I've said, I think they're great movies. However, there's a certain incompleteness, a conversation begun that Sansho the Bailiff finishes.
Zushiō and Anju, as slaves, grow into adults. Zushiō, once idealistic and dedicated to the lessons of mercy his father taught, has become embittered, and a tool of Sansho. Anju still holds out hope that the siblings can find freedom, and that their broken family can be reunited. Instead of exploring a deterioration, the bulk of the film traces Zushiō's path to not only redemption, but to the rediscovery of his family's ideals. His path isn't easy, and the cost is heavy. Zushiō receives some lucky breaks, but he also suffers some devastating losses.
As Mizoguchi explores this journey, the master director wields unimaginable emotional power. His framing, staging, blocking, the film's lighting and score, the sound, everything is so deliberate and masterfully constructed, the film feels like a miracle. Mizoguchi directed nearly 90 films throughout his storied career. Only five of those came after Sansho the Bailiff. This is the moment where all of Mizoguchi's greatest strengths--his incredible craftsmanship, his great empathy, and his storytelling prowess--intersect. And in Sansho the Bailiff, finally, Mizoguchi shows a way that, for all of our negative track record throughout history, men can find redemption.
With that said, Sansho the Bailiff is named after its most despicable and nonredeemable character--I'm still trying to put that together.

For a more in-depth look at the film, check out Filmshake.