Sansho the Bailiff

"Without mercy, man is like a beast."

1954 2h 4m JA

🙌

8.1

BANGER

🔥

100%

CERTIFIED FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

8.4

IMDB

★8.1TMDB · 443🍅100%Rotten Tomatoes●96Metacritic★8.4IMDB · 18,809

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Without mercy, man is like a beast.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Cast

Kinuyo Tanaka
Tamaki
Yoshiaki Hanayagi
Zushiô
Kyōko Kagawa
Anju
Eitarō Shindō
Sanshô dayû
Ichirō Sugai
Minister of Justice
Bontarō Miake
Kichiji
Yōko Kozono
Kohagi
Chieko Naniwa
Ubatake

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Writers: Mori Ogai, Yoshikata Yoda, Fuji Yahiro
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

72 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, shot by Kazuo Miyagawa. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Kanahichi Odera. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Mitsuzō Miyata shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Kinuyo Tanaka and Yoshiaki Hanayagi and Kyōko Kagawa carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Without mercy, man is like a beast.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0047445 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kenji Mizoguchi directs. Kazuo Miyagawa behind the camera. Kanahichi Odera scores. Mitsuzō Miyata cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

172 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, shot by Kazuo Miyagawa. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Kanahichi Odera. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Mitsuzō Miyata shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Kinuyo Tanaka and Yoshiaki Hanayagi and Kyōko Kagawa carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Without mercy, man is like a beast.".
7IMDB entry: tt0047445 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 14 themes, including "governor", "japan", "courtesan", "exile".
9Released under 17 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Kazuo Miyagawa
Original score: Kanahichi Odera
Editing: Mitsuzō Miyata
Costume design: Shima Yoshizane
Sound: Iwao Ōtani
Runtime: 124 min · 2h 4m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: Sansho the Bailiff (1954)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 96/100
IMDB rating: 8.4/10 · 18,809 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Awards

2 wins & 2 nominations total

Also by

Kenji Mizoguchi

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-01-04
★ 7/10
When a benign provincial governor tries to intervene to protect his people from the brutality of the military, he is stripped of his rank and banished. His wife and children are forced to follow him, on foot, some time later and hopelessly ill-equipped for that task they fall prey to people traffickers who split the family up. The young daughter and son soon find themselves bought by the eponymous character and forced into cruel manual labour that only his son "Taro" (Akitake Kôno) seems at all concerned about. Can he help? Can they manage to keep some semblance of their erstwhile decency and nobility in the face of such indifference and oppression? Will the family ever reconcile? This is a glorious film to look at. The photography is dark, gloomy and hugely effective at eliciting a feeling of sorrow for the children as they struggle to survive in their new lives. There are glimmers of optimism, but Kenji Mizoguchi manages our expectations well. There is no yellow brick road here, the sunlit uplands are definitely there but we have no idea when (or if) one or other or neither of the children may ever reach them. The acting is poised and characterful - especially the young "Anju" (Kyôko Kagawa) who tries to look out for her initially weak and vulnerable younger brother "Zushio" (Yoshiaki Hanayagi). It is beautifully scored with a mixture of Japanese and classical themes that compliment well the contrasting images of poverty, wealth, cruelty and kindness of this story of barbarity and revenge. The cinematography does benefit from a big screen - it makes the story and the imagery all the more impactful, but even on a television this is is two hours that truly keeps you gripped.

Production companies