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Sansho the Bailiff

1954 · 124 min

A somber, deeply moving tragedy that unfolds with quiet, deliberate grace, demanding patience but rewarding it with profound emotional resonance.

Tagline
Without mercy, man is like a beast.
Overview
In 11th-century feudal Japan, following the exile of an idealistic governor, his wife and children are separated by slave traders; the children, Zushio and Anju, are sold into brutal servitude under the cruel bailiff Sansho.
Free in the UK
  • Plex
More options Data from JustWatch
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • bleakstrength 3 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 3 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 1 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • family
  • isolation
  • survival
  • morality
  • grief
Places
  • countryside
  • single country house
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • nonlinear
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language none
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action1
Horror1
Humour0
Realism8
Romance0
Tension5
Darkness8
Complexity6
Emotional weight9

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Where to watch in the UK

Free
  • Plex
Buy
  • Apple TV Store

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
drama
Directed by
Kenji Mizoguchi
Written by
Yoshikata Yoda, Fuji Yahiro
Starring
Kinuyo Tanaka, Yoshiaki Hanayagi, Kyōko Kagawa, Eitarō Shindō, Ichirō Sugai, Bontarō Miake, Yōko Kozono, Chieko Naniwa
Music
Kanahichi Odera, Tamekichi Mochizuki
Cinematography
Kazuo Miyagawa
Runtime
124 min
Country
Japan
Languages
Japanese

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