In 1939, probably under pressure from an increasingly watchful military government, Mizoguchi turned away from his “social tendency” films of the mid-thirties to the Meiji period drama, which allowed him to develop a favorite theme-the problem of female self-sacrifice-under the guise of romantic fiction. In a famous quote, he spoke of the appeal of the Meiji era (1868–1912), to which he was repeatedly drawn throughout his career: “Let us say that a man like me is always tempted by the climate of beauty in this era.” Based on a fictionalized account of the life of a kabuki actor who owes his artistic development to his lover's encouragement and ultimate self-sacrifice, this film marks a peak in Mizoguchi's art: here we find whole scenes captured in single shots, liquid with mobility; an uncanny use of sounds as a dramatic counterpoint; and his always elegant and meaningful approach to shadow and framing.