Like many earlysound films, Mizoguchi's first sound picture has a music-related theme. A youngsinger, talented but unlucky, marries a chambermaid who encourages him toestablish his reputation, but he becomes corrupted and ultimately disillusioned."My first talking film with Yoshie Fujiwara and the Western ElectricSystem-used then for news-films: great difficulty, small result," Mizoguchirecalled. "Our sound engineer was a technician from the Ministry of Post andTelegraph who had no theatrical background. When we asked him to record the voiceof a sick man in bed, he refused, saying it was impossible. He didn't think muchof Art." "This was the Nikkatsu Company's first sound feature, using asound-on-disc system. The dialogue was written on blackboards in the manner ofthe Teleprompter and actors constantly looked off the set to reassurethemselves." (Peter Morris,Mizoguchi)