Street of Shame

"Men were their prey! Beauty was their lure!"

1956 1h 27m JA

🙌

7.7

BANGER

🍅

80%

FRESH

⭐

7.8

IMDB

★7.7TMDB · 159🍅80%Rotten Tomatoes★7.8IMDB · 5,150

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Follows five sex workers employed at a Japanese brothel while the nation debates the passage of an anti-prostitution law.

“Men were their prey! Beauty was their lure!”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Machiko Kyō
Mickey
Ayako Wakao
Yasumi
Michiyo Kogure
Hanae
Aiko Mimasu
Yumeko
Kenji Sugawara
Eiko
Yasuko Kawakami
Shizuko
Eitarō Shindō
Kurazô Taya
Bontarō Miake
Officer Nonomura

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Writers: Masashige Narusawa
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 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

87 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

70 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

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#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Machiko Kyō and Ayako Wakao and Michiyo Kogure carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Men were their prey! Beauty was their lure!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0048933 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kenji Mizoguchi directs. Kazuo Miyagawa behind the camera. Toshirō Mayuzumi scores. Kanji Sugawara cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
270 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, shot by Kazuo Miyagawa. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Toshirō Mayuzumi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Kanji Sugawara shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Machiko Kyō and Ayako Wakao and Michiyo Kogure carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Men were their prey! Beauty was their lure!".
8IMDB entry: tt0048933 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 14 themes, including "prostitute", "based on novel or book", "despair", "brothel".