Review of Sisters of the Gion (1936) by Meredith D — 22 Jan 2010

Kenji Mizoguchi is my favorite Japanese director. For that reason, I wanted to love the "Fallen Women" collection released by Criterion. I've been a bit underwhelmed thus far (this is the second of the four for me), but perhaps I am being unfair.

I can't help but stack these short films up against such cinematic greatness as Sanshô dayû and Ugetsu monogatari. However, I give Mizoguchi due props for creating a collection of films that highlight the various plights of post-war Japanese women.