I hope you're not disappointed with Oharu. Like Sansho and 2 others by Mizoguchi (Story of the Late Chrysanthemums, Ugetsu) it was voted in the top 100 in Sight and Sound's poll of international critics last year, and like Ugetsu and Sansho won the Silver Lion at Venice. It was the film that brought Mizoguchi to world attention, after Kurosawa's Rashomon's success the previous year. The lighting and camerawork are superb again, but it makes less use of beautiful scenery and i know it's a bit relentless in its depiction of suffering for some tastes. It has grown on me with repeated viewings, and the quality of the film-making once again transcends the painful moments depicted. Look for the famous Toshiro Mifune, rather uncharacteristically cast in a supporting role as Oharu's idealistic lower-class lover. Oharu herself is played by Mizoguchi's regular leading lady and one-time girlfriend, the great Kinuyo Tanaka, who was the mother in Sansho. You'll also recognise Eitaro Shindo (another Mizoguchi regular) who played nasty Sansho himself.