I saw my first Mizoguchi film last night. I had heard that he was a great director, but I didn't know how good the film would be. Magic is the only word I can use to describe it! I saw the film on a TV screen, but still it's one of my top three film experiences ever. Today I rented "The Life of Oharu" from my local library, but I'm gonna wait a few days before I see it. "Sansho Dazu" has more in common with poetry than to most movies I have seen before. The nature shots, the camera movement, the sounds, it was all just perfect. It was also interesting to see how the Medieval Japanese society was like. It is a sad, but beautiful story. I strongly recomend this film!