Akasen Chitai / Yokihi Details

Akasen Chitai / Yokihi

Akasen Chitai [Red Light District, aka Street of Shame] sadly, the very last film by Kenji Mizoguchi (Sansho Dayu, Ugetsu Monogatari) presents a vivid portrait of prostitution in 1950s Japan. In a Tokyo brothel named Dreamland an obvious irony given the faded hopes of those who work there the lives of five prostitutes intersect. Each has a very different story for how they entered the profession, but what they share is the struggle to make sense of the red light district and its cycle of exploitation. Filmed shortly before the Japanese government's introduction of an anti-prostitution bill, Akasen Chitai is a compelling study of women torn between financial necessity and questions of conscience.

Set many centuries earlier, Yokihi [Imperial Concubine Yang, aka Yang Kwei Fei] recounts the Chinese legend referred to in its title. In eighth-century T'ang China, widowed Emperor Hsüan-tsung (Masayuki Mori) reigns alone, devoting his life to the composition of music. When he meets and falls in love with a beautiful young woman (Machiko Kyo), who will become his imperial concubine, a tale of political intrigue and rival dynasties is set in motion, with ultimately tragic consequences. Sumptuously filmed in vibrant colour, Yokihi is the most ancient of Mizoguchi's costume dramas, yet its central themes of passion, sorrow, and the conflict between love and power remain timeless and it was also nominated for the Golden Lion at Venice.

Starring	Machiko Kyo, Aiko Mimasu, Masayuki Mori
Director	Kenji Mizoguchi
Studio	EUREKA ENTERTAINMENT
Certificate
Genres	Drama, World Cinema
Language	DVD: English
Released	DVD: 26 May 2008 Production year: 1955
Format	DVD