After making his directorial debut in 1923, Mizoguchi continued to hone his craft across a string of notable works including Sisters of the Gion (Gion no kyodai, 1936), which is often credited with having established the realist mode within Japanese cinema. After the war, he received the International Prize at the 13th Venice International Film Festival for The Life of Oharu (Saikaku ichidai onna, 1952), a cherished project he had long fought to get made. This he followed with two masterworks adapted from the world of classic literature: Ugetsu (Ugetsu monogatari, 1953) and Sansho the Bailiff (Sansho dayu, 1954). Championed by members of the French New Wave, these films paved the way for the "discovery" of Japanese cinema in the west, though Mizoguchi was to die of leukemia just as these developments were getting underway. His last film was Street of Shame (Akasen chitai, 1956). Though often considered primarily a master of the women's film and of historical dramas known for their studied accuracy, he was in fact active across a wide range of genres, applying his craft to everything from educational films, action romps, and patriotic works to films that preached democratic values and women's social advancement. He also collaborated with multiple studios over the years, including Nikkatsu, Shochiku, Shintoho, and Daiei. Despite this eclecticism, his keen eye for observation, uncompromising directorial stance, and simultaneously bold yet delicate camerawork remained constants throughout his career – as did his talent for coaxing the best out of all with whom he worked, on both sides of the camera.

(Written by HOSHI Ryotaro / Reference: National Film Archive of Japan screening program / Translated by Adam Sutherland)