The vengeance of the retainers of Lord Asano in 1703 following his forced hara-kiri formed the basis for one of the most successful Kabuki dramas as well as for several film versions. Mizoguchi's, made during the war, was based on a more recent Kabuki version by Seika Mayama. Andrew Sarris and Tom Allen write in the Village Voice (5/13/81): “(This) is a rediscovered wartime saga of noble samurai sentiments and discreet passions. A girding of the spirit is recommended for this wraparound experience in the same way that the best of the long-form classics...are to be savored.... Mizoguchi has transformed a basic samurai legend of Japanese folklore into an essential historical drama of Japanese cinema. The boxed courtyards and formal gardens of the eighteenth century are tracking paradises that Mizoguchi's dolly-and-crane shots exploit fully, and the tale of loyal vassals avenging their lord's honor is rendered subtly throughout by a highly disciplined expressionism.”