One of the great classics of world cinema, and one of Mizoguchi's most probing and rigorously worked period pieces. In 11th-century (Heian era) Japan, two children are kidnapped and sold into slavery while their mother withers away on a distant island. The son escapes, assumes his rightful post as provincial governor, and sets about deposing the cruel bailiff who brought tragedy upon his family. The story is cast in epic form, but its distanced determinism vies with the direct engagement of the characters to effect the richest form of drama, a purity of emotion. In Mizoguchi, it has been noted, the long-shot is as psychologically astute as the close-up. Particularly unforgettable are the kidnapping scenes on the beach, the flight through the forest, and the son's search for his mother on the seashore. "The haunting images create an atmosphere in which the movie comes perhaps as close as it can to the pity and terror of the classic Greek tragedy" (Richard Griffith).