This is the first film I have seen from Kenji Mizoguchi (1898-1956), a director who is considered with Ozu and Kurosawa as the best Japanese film directors ever (I love Ozu; I like some Kurosawa but think he is somewhat overrated).
This was Mizoguchi's last film: he is known mostly from his historical epics, but the theme here is somewhat topical, even taken from the newspapers of the day: the lives of prostitutes working on a brothel in Tokyo's red light district in light of a law being discussed in the Japanese parliament for the criminalization of prostitution (that particular law would come into force in 1958).
Mizoguchi shows us the harsh life of the prostitutes, without turning them into saints, as we saw them doing less than exemplary things, for example cheating on their clients. There is the new arrogant girl, Mickey (Machiko Kyo), another prostitute with a grown son who is ashamed of his mother but visits her to her embarrassment; another one has to care for a sick husband.
If the movie has a position in the issue is that prostitution should be legal. Prostitution is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, it is implied in the movie, and this law is being put forward only due to the pressures from Americans. The owner and the Madame of the brothel are hard-nosed but take reasonable care of the prostitutes. In this sense, the film sometimes seems a "message movie", even didactic in its position. Myself, I don't have a position on whether prostitution should be legal or not, but it would be interesting if Mizoguchi let at least one of the characters defend the other side of the issue.
The film has an odd musical score (especially for a movie from the 1950s), which is a sort of Theremin -based experimental score. I can't say it helps the movie.
Despite the misgivings I have mentioned, I did like the film, and found it interesting and engaging.
This was Mizoguchi's last film: he is known mostly from his historical epics, but the theme here is somewhat topical, even taken from the newspapers of the day: the lives of prostitutes working on a brothel in Tokyo's red light district in light of a law being discussed in the Japanese parliament for the criminalization of prostitution (that particular law would come into force in 1958).
Mizoguchi shows us the harsh life of the prostitutes, without turning them into saints, as we saw them doing less than exemplary things, for example cheating on their clients. There is the new arrogant girl, Mickey (Machiko Kyo), another prostitute with a grown son who is ashamed of his mother but visits her to her embarrassment; another one has to care for a sick husband.
If the movie has a position in the issue is that prostitution should be legal. Prostitution is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, it is implied in the movie, and this law is being put forward only due to the pressures from Americans. The owner and the Madame of the brothel are hard-nosed but take reasonable care of the prostitutes. In this sense, the film sometimes seems a "message movie", even didactic in its position. Myself, I don't have a position on whether prostitution should be legal or not, but it would be interesting if Mizoguchi let at least one of the characters defend the other side of the issue.
The film has an odd musical score (especially for a movie from the 1950s), which is a sort of Theremin -based experimental score. I can't say it helps the movie.
Despite the misgivings I have mentioned, I did like the film, and found it interesting and engaging.