Quite different from most Mizoguchi - there isn't a female protagonist here - TAIRA CLAN SAGA (aka 'Shin Heike Monogatari') is a vivid period spectacle, perhaps most similar to his earlier masterpiece THE 47 RONIN. Working closer to Kurosawa territory, TAIRA CLAN SAGA depicts the tension between the corrupt court and the military class. Ethics, honor and loyalty are central themes, and Mizo's graceful style underscores this in classic fashion. While not quite the equal of Mizo's celebrated string of early-50s masterpieces, this is still a great film - very rarely seen in the US, and very much deserving of restoration and a wider audience. Fans of Kurosawa, Inagaki or Kobayashi's period epics would do well to seek this out.
Review of Taira Clan Saga
