Provincial 14th century governor Moronao, attracted to the wife of a court magistrate, tries to seduce her and when she rejects his advances plots to send her husband into battle.
Direction
Shindō's patient, brutal framing of power and resistance.
Acting
Nobuko Otowa's silent defiance speaks volumes.
Cinematography
Shadow-drenched period detail that suffocates elegantly.
Director
Kaneto Shindō
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on the same 14th-century tale that inspired the 'Chūshingura' (47 Ronin) legend—Shindō flips focus to the women collateral damage.
Shindō made this during his 'woman's film' period, consciously centering female suffering that male-centric samurai epics ignore.
JP
