Sansho the Bailiff

Sansho the Bailiff (Japanese: 山椒大夫, Hepburn: Sanshō Dayū; known by its Japanese title in the United Kingdom and Ireland) is a 1954 Japanese period film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi based on a 1915 short story of the same name by Mori Ōgai (translated as "Sanshō the Steward" in English), which in turn was based on a sekkyō-bushi (oral lore) appearing in written form in the 17th century. It follows two aristocratic children who are sold into slavery. Sansho the Bailiff bears many of Mizoguchi's hallmarks, such as portrayals of poverty and elaborately choreographed long takes. It is regarded as Mizoguchi’s magnum opus and one of cinema’s greatest films.