An early (1936) work that was lean, sharp and to the point. The women in a male-dominated society must resort to guile and dishonest machinations simply to survive. They may even turn against each other.
Two poor sisters, living as geishas in the red light district, connive to secure a "patron"...a man who will provide them with minimal support. One truly loves a man who summarily abandons her...the other ends up being thrown from a car by a man she has cheated. The men show contempt for all women...the women for themselves.
If this was a true portrait of Japan's attitudes at this period it's no wonder they raced to self-destruction in the following ten years...invading China in 1937, attacking the US four years later. Overweening male arrogance will do terrible things to a culture.
A powerful film.
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