Street of Shame (1956)

 Kenji Mizoguchi's "Street of Shame"

Kenji Mizoguchi, one of the greatest Japanese filmmakers ever, died of leukemia at the age of 58 in 1956. His final film, 1956's "Street of Shame" fully encapsulates the overall themes of his work and provides us a last glimpse his strident passions. Although the film is not often lauded with some his most recognized works, it still manages to express his repeatedly touched-upon themes of his work with grace and a master's touch.

The film centers on a group of women from different backgrounds who work together in a Tokyo brothel. As the government attempts to ban prostitution, the women face scrutiny from the community and family members. The women can't afford any other lifestyle and they are trapped economically by a fate they cannot control. 

All of the characters in the film are in a financial bind, even the male characters the women interact with. Everyone is indebted to someone else and because of this, the characters are forced to compromise themselves to scratch their way out of debt. In a way, all of the characters are prostitutes. With the economics of everyone is such an abysmal state, nobody can live a prosperous life and must degrade themselves and 'sell' themselves.

Despite this being the main conceit of the film, it is the women that share the brunt of burden. This is typical with a Mizoguchi film, as his main thematic point regardless of what film he does is that women deal with the most scrutiny, punishment, and are treated as accessories. With "Street of Shame," the diversity of background with the group of women demonstrates how there is no such stereotype of the 'unruly' or 'less than' women. Rather, the whole point is that is could be any woman that falls into this position. It is not the human beings and their behavior that is unbecoming, it is the social and economic system that has forced them into these positions.

"Street of Shame" encapsulates all of Mizoguchi's themes into a final farewell. I felt a little sad watching this film, knowing it would be by last Mizoguchi film to review. His work is monolithic in Japanese cinema. His films demand empathy for his characters and his medium and wide shots always place these characters in a society that destroys and belittles them. Mizoguchi and his almost 30 year career will continue to stand the test of time.