Finally, after 2 years, my Japanese roommate hunted down this DVD.
This was the screenplay Kurosawa was working on when he died. While it isn't on the grand scale of some of the master's works, and it was directed by one of his disciples, it is a precious gem-burnished and gleaming as you inspect it from all angles. What a deft touch making the lives of prostitutes so compelling, and in the final scene, even heroic. The featurette with the DVD shows how Kurosawa was enamored with the "chic" of old Edo. It goes a long way to explaining the loving look of the film. Not to mention, the opening music theme is haunting and entrancing.
This was the screenplay Kurosawa was working on when he died. While it isn't on the grand scale of some of the master's works, and it was directed by one of his disciples, it is a precious gem-burnished and gleaming as you inspect it from all angles. What a deft touch making the lives of prostitutes so compelling, and in the final scene, even heroic. The featurette with the DVD shows how Kurosawa was enamored with the "chic" of old Edo. It goes a long way to explaining the loving look of the film. Not to mention, the opening music theme is haunting and entrancing.