The Life of Oharu (Criterion Collection)

This dramatic film from director Kenji Mizoguchi examines one woman's harsh life in feudal Japanese society. Kinuyo Tanaka stars as Oharu, a lady-in-waiting who refuses to live outside her moral code. She eventually shames her family by loving a peasant, which leads to their exile and a sorrowful life of forced prostitution for her. Toshiro Mifune, Ichiro Sugai co-star. 137 min. Standard; Soundtrack: Japanese PCM mono; Subtitles: English; featurette; bonus documentary "Kinuyo Tanaka's New Departure" (2009); more. In Japanese with English subtitles.