Teinosuke Kinugasa's exquisitely shaded tale of 12th-century Japan and a warrior's desire for a married noblewoman, winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes and a special Academy Award in 1954. The film's delicately choreographed battles, its use of texture and color, and its grace of movement and composition mark it as one of those rare Japanese films that survive despite overinterpretation. With Machiko Kyo and Kazuo Hasegawa. In Japanese with subtitles. 86 min.
By
Don Druker