ARCHIVED ONLINE EVENT - The Japan Society Film Club: Sansho the Bailiff directed by Kenji Mizoguchi

Date
Wednesday 5 March 2025
Time
6.30pm (GMT)
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Booking Details
Online meeting on Zoom
Please register for the meeting in advance from the link below. After registering, you will receive an automated confirmation email with meeting access details (please check your spam folder if you don't receive any emails).

Free for members of The Japan Society

Please remember to watch the film in advance. 
Sansho the Bailiff is available to watch on Plex (free with ads) and to rent and buy on Apple TV.

Please help us to keep this event free and open to all! The Japan Society is a charity and its activities are made possible thanks to the support of its members. If you are planning to attend this event and are not a member (as an individual or through your employer), please consider becoming a member or making a donation if you can - the recommended donation is £5. Thank you!

This month, our film club explores Sansho the Bailiff (1954), Kenji Mizoguchi’s story of a governor’s exile and the separation and suffering of his family. Join us to discuss this powerful tale of perseverance and justice.

Based on a short story by Ogai Mori, Sansho the Bailiff (山椒大夫, Sansho Dayu,1954) is a tale about human suffering, resilience, and the quest for justice. The story is set in the Heian era (794-1185) and follows the harrowing journey of two noble children who are separated from their mother and sold into slavery. Celebrated for its powerful narrative, exquisite cinematography, and the director's masterful use of long takes, Sansho the Bailiff won the Silver Lion at the Venice International Film Festival in 1954.

Kenji Mizoguchi (1898-1956) is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers in cinema history. Mostly known for post-war masterpieces such as The Life of Oharu (1952), Ugetsu (1953) and Sansho the Bailiff (1954), Mizoguchi was a prolific director and scriptwriter who started making films in 1920s. His early works were mainly genre films, including remakes of German expressionist cinema, but he also directed films exploring personal and social issues such as the status of women in modern Japan, for example in Osaka Elegy (1936), Sisters of the Gion (1936) and The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums (1939). Admired by his mastery in the use of long-take shots, his carefully planned mise-en-scène and his obsessive attention to detail, Mizoguchi was often inspired by traditional Japanese arts and literature which he depicted in jidai-geki (period drama) films such as Utamaro and His Five Women (1946), Princess Yang Kwei Fei (1955) or Tales of the Taira Clan (1955).

Do you love Japanese film classics, anime or contemporary cinema stories? Do you miss Japan and want to see it at least on screen? Would you like to learn and discuss about Japanese culture and society? The Japan Society Film Club is an online space to chat about films and Japan in an informal atmosphere. It take place on the first Wednesday of the month. We recommend a film to watch in advance and meet online to discuss. Films are often available online for free, to rent or with subscription, on DVD/Blu Ray or on BFI player. The event is open to all and we encourage participants to freely express their opinions and feelings about the films.

If you have any questions, please call The Japan Society office on 020 3075 1996 or email events@japansociety.org.uk.