DVD Corner

Sansho The Bailiff Blu-ray Review

“Sansho the Bailiff” is a powerful and thematically rich Kenji Mizoguchi film.

The plot: After a merciful and sensible Governor is exiled, he tragically becomes separated from his wife (Tamaki) and children (Zushio and Anju) who are also exiled. While Tamaki, Zushio and Anju are out on their own, a nasty priestess betrays them which causes the children to be sold into slavery to the Minister of the Right/Sansho the Bailiff’s s private manor while Tamaki is sold into prostitution in Sado. From there on out, it becomes a story of survival for Zushio and Anju as they suffer through years of slavery while hoping to try and reunite with their parents one day.

As you can no doubt tell from the above plot synopsis, ‘Sansho’ is not an easy watch as it’s a truly heartbreaking tale about a family torn apart from each other. The film takes viewers through a dark, unflinching, and stomach churning journey filled with slavery, degradation, torture, a loss of innocence, suffering, and tragedy. And yet, even through this soul draining experience through Mediaeval Japan, the film can be inspiring as we learn the true power of kindness, determination, change, love and, above all, family.

I won’t go into too many details about what exactly happens in the final act out of respect to those who have yet to see director Kenji Mizoguchi’s interpretation of this classic tale, but, suffice to say, the story has a silver lining. We really get to see an impactful display of the strength, the courage, the heart, and ultimately the good that human beings are capable of.

Video/Audio:

The film, which is presented in 1.33:1 1080p, has an inconsistent print. Some folks may be put off by the fact that several shots contain images so wavy that it looks like it’s raining, but if you can look past that, there are some breathtaking exterior scenes here.

The Uncompressed Mono audio track is a little flat for my taste. The track does its job and has been cleaned up to be sure, but I expected a little better.

Extras:
* A thick booklet featuring an essay by Mark Le Fanu and two stories that inspired “Sansho The Bailiff” titled “Sansho The Steward” (by Ogai Mori) and a oral variation of the story titled “An Account Of The Life Of The Deity Of Mount Iwaki.”
* An extensive interview with film critic Tadao Sato. He chats about Mizoguchi’s work, the themes of his films, actors and actresses, visuals, etc.
* An interview with actress Kyoko Kagawa. She talks about the character of Anju, her experiences in working with Mizoguchi, acting, and more.
* An interview with first assistant director Tokuzo Tanaka. This extra offers up a real detailed inside look into the shoot and working with Mizoguchi. Certainly the best interview on this disc.
* A clearly scripted, but informative commentary by Japanese literature scholar Jeffrey Angles. Expect lots of discussion about the source material, scene analysis, Mizoguchi’s work, history, and a lot more that I won’t spoil in case you want to give it a listen.

Summary: “Sansho the Bailiff” is well worth seeing. Pick it up.

April 1, 2013 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Sansho The Bailiff Blu-ray Review, Sansho The Bailiff Criterion Blu-ray