Hidden gem


Maybe it's just me, but I'd not heard of this film before it came up on Mubi, and gave it a go, and thought it was excellent. I have to say, so much of Japanese cinema from that era far surpasses the vast bulk of US and UK cinema at that time. I found the performances here to be really compelling, and the storyline really impressed me too.

It just surprises me that this is not more widely known - it deserves much more profile than I've seen it getting. I'd go so far as to say it is better than many of Kurosawa's films, but he is so much more well known.

Or perhaps I'm just displaying my ignorance, and everyone else knows about this. I've got a lot to learn about cinema still for sure, and really pleased to have added this to my list now.

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I'd go so far as to say it is better than many of Kurosawa's films, but he is so much more well known.


There are plenty of Japanese films from that era that I find way better than Kurosawa's works, but sadly those titles aren't as popular. I think that a lot of Kurosawa's films are undeserving of their praise, save for a few that really are as good as they're known to be.

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You're right, it definitely seems to have flown under the radar, at least in recent years (it apparently received international acclaim at the time, though it's been forgotten since). Which is a shame because it's really a good movie and deserves a wider audience. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's "better" than Kurosawa's stuff, but I would say it's about as good as he was on average. Not as great as some of his movies, but better than a few of them.

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