Bringemovies
← Browse Movies
Sansho the Bailiff
TITLE DETAILS

Sansho the Bailiff

1954-03-31 · 124 min · ★ 8.1

Drama

In 11th-century feudal Japan, following the exile of an idealistic governor, his wife and children are separated by slave traders; the children, Zushio and Anju, are sold into brutal servitude under the cruel bailiff Sansho.

Open detail page

Trailers are previews, not full movies.

No authorized playback source configured. Use the legal watch options below.

Production details

Directors
Kenji Mizoguchi
Production companies
Daiei Film
Countries
Japan
Status
Released

Top Cast

Kinuyo TanakaKinuyo TanakaTamaki
Yoshiaki HanayagiZushiô
Kyōko KagawaKyōko KagawaAnju
Eitarō ShindōEitarō ShindōSanshô dayû
Ichirō SugaiIchirō SugaiMinister of Justice
Bontarō MiakeBontarō MiakeKichiji
Yōko KozonoKohagi
Chieko NaniwaChieko NaniwaUbatake
Kikue MōriPriestess
Ken MitsudaPrime Minister Fujiwara
Masao ShimizuMasao ShimizuMasauji Taira
Ryōsuke KagawaRyōsuke KagawaRitsushi Kumotake
Akitake KōnoAkitake KōnoTaro
Kanji KoshibaKanji KoshibaKaikudo Naito
Shinobu ArakiSadaya
Masahiko TsugawaMasahiko TsugawaYoung Zushiō
Keiko EnamiYoung Anju
Teruko ŌmiTeruko ŌmiNakagimi
Kimiko TachibanaKimiko TachibanaNamiji
Reiko KongōShiono

Title information and images are supplied by TMDb. Explore our discovery guide for advice on comparing metadata and legal viewing options.

Where to watch

Availability provided by JustWatch via TMDb. Offers can change. Provider links are listed on TMDb; full playback requires a separately authorized source.

Rental

Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

Purchase

Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

Free

Darkroom, Fawesome

With ads

Plex, Plex Channel

View authorized watch options on TMDb

Recommendations

The Life of Oharu
★ 7.8
The Life of Oharu1952Drama

During the Edo Period, a noblewoman's banishment for her love affair with a lowly page signals the beginning of her inexorable fall.

The Insect Woman
★ 7.2
The Insect Woman1963Drama

A woman, Tome, is born to a lower class family in Japan in 1918. The title refers to an insect, repeating its mistakes, as in an infinite circle. Imamura, with this metaphor, introduces the life of Tome, who keeps trying to change her poor life.

Late Spring
★ 8.0
Late Spring1949Drama

Noriko is perfectly happy living at home with her widowed father, Shukichi, and has no plans to marry -- that is, until her aunt Masa convinces Shukichi that unless he marries off his 27-year-old daughter soon, she will likely remain alone for the rest of her life. When Noriko resists Masa's matchmaking, Shukichi is forced to deceive his daughter and sacrifice his own happiness to do what he believes is right.

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
★ 8.1
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya2013Drama

Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthrals all who encounter her. But, ultimately, she must confront her fate.

Samurai Rebellion
★ 8.2
Samurai Rebellion1967Drama

The mother of a feudal lord's only heir is kidnapped by the lord. Her husband and his samurai father must decide whether to accept the unjust decision, or risk death to rescue her.

Throne of Blood
★ 7.9
Throne of Blood1957Drama

Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.

Ugetsu
★ 8.0
Ugetsu1953Drama

In 16th century Japan, peasants Genjuro and Tobei sell their earthenware pots to a group of soldiers in a nearby village, in defiance of a local sage's warning against seeking to profit from warfare. Genjuro's pursuit of both riches and the mysterious Lady Wakasa, as well as Tobei's desire to become a samurai, run the risk of destroying both themselves and their wives, Miyagi and Ohama.

Tokyo Story
★ 8.2
Tokyo Story1953Drama

The elderly Shukishi and his wife, Tomi, take the long journey from their small seaside village to visit their adult children in Tokyo. Their elder son, Koichi, a doctor, and their daughter, Shige, a hairdresser, don't have much time to spend with their aged parents, and so it falls to Noriko, the widow of their younger son who was killed in the war, to keep her in-laws company.

After the Storm
★ 7.2
After the Storm2016Drama

Ryota is an unpopular writer although he won a literary award 15 years ago. Now, Ryota works as a private detective. He is divorced from his ex-wife Kyoko and he has an 11-year-old son Shingo. His mother Yoshiko lives alone at her apartment. One day, Ryota, his ex-wife Kyoko, and son Shingo gather at Yoshiko's apartment. A typhoon passes and the family must stay there all night long.

The Ballad of Narayama
★ 7.5
The Ballad of Narayama1983Drama

In a small village in a valley everyone who reaches the age of 70 must leave the village and go to a certain mountain top to die. If anyone should refuse they would disgrace their family. Old Orin is 69. This winter it is her turn to go to the mountain. But first she must make sure that her eldest son Tatsuhei finds a wife.

Intentions of Murder
★ 7.0
Intentions of Murder1964Drama

The neglected common-law wife of a Japanese librarian is repeatedly harassed by a young man with a heart condition who seduces her with the prospect of a better life.

Sakuran
★ 6.5
Sakuran2006Drama

Kiyoha rises from the lowly courtesan ranks to the high class position of Oiran in the steamy red-light district of Yoshiwara. She is determined to stand on her own two feet and live life as she pleased.

The Human Condition I: No Greater Love
★ 8.2
The Human Condition I: No Greater Love1959Drama

After handing in a report on the treatment of Chinese colonial labor, Kaji is offered the post of labour chief at a large mining operation in Manchuria, which also grants him exemption from military service. He accepts and moves with his newlywed wife Michiko, but when he tries to put his ideas of more humane treatment into practice, he finds himself at odds with scheming officials, cruel foremen, and the military police.

Repast
★ 7.6
Repast1951Drama

In post-WWII Osaka, a middle-aged woman is forced to examine her dreary life and marriage when her husband's young and flirtatious cousin arrives for a brief stay to escape an arranged marriage.

A Man
★ 7.1
A Man2022Drama

Akira works as a lawyer. One day, he meets with his former client Rie, who asks Akira to perform a background check on her late husband Daisuke.

Call Me Chihiro
★ 7.2
Call Me Chihiro2023Drama

An unapologetic former sex worker starts working at a bento stand in a small seaside town, bringing comfort to the lonely souls who come her way.

Maborosi
★ 7.5
Maborosi1995Drama

A tragedy strikes a young woman's life without warning or reason. She continues living while searching for meaning in a lonely world.

Tokyo Decadence
★ 6.0
Tokyo Decadence1992Drama

A submissive hooker goes about her trade, suffering abuse at the hands of Japanese salarymen and Yakuza types. She's unhappy about her work, and is apparently trying to find some sort of appeasement for the fact that her lover has married.

The Bad Sleep Well
★ 7.7
The Bad Sleep Well1960Drama

In this loose adaptation of "Hamlet," illegitimate son Kôichi Nishi climbs to a high position within a Japanese corporation and marries the crippled daughter of company vice president Iwabuchi. At the reception, the wedding cake is a replica of their corporate headquarters, but an aspect of the design reminds the party of the hushed-up death of Nishi's father. It is then that Nishi unleashes his plan to avenge his father's death.

Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41
★ 7.0
Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 411972Drama

After being used and betrayed by the detective she had fallen in love with, young Matsu is sent to a female prison full of sadistic guards and disobedient prisoners.

Similar titles

Window Shopping
★ 5.0
Window Shopping1997Drama

A marriage proposal prompts Carolina to recall three previous relationships as she wanders through Manhattan.

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
★ 7.9
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain2025Drama

The world is a perplexing, peaceful mystery to Amélie until a miraculous encounter with chocolate ignites her wild sense of curiosity. As she develops a deep attachment to her family's housekeeper, Nishio-san, Amélie discovers the wonders of nature as well as the emotional truths hidden beneath the surface of her family's idyllic life as foreigners in post-war Japan.

Wake Island
★ 5.8
Wake Island1942Drama

In late 1941, with no hope of relief or re-supply, a small band of United States Marines tries to keep the Japanese Navy from capturing their island base.

That Hamilton Woman
★ 7.1
That Hamilton Woman1941Drama

The story of courtesan and dance-hall girl Emma Hamilton, including her relationships with Sir William Hamilton and Admiral Horatio Nelson and her rise and fall, set during the Napoleonic Wars.

Young Mr. Lincoln
★ 7.2
Young Mr. Lincoln1939Drama

In this dramatized account of his early law career in Illinois, Abraham Lincoln is born into a modest log cabin, where he is encouraged by his first love, Ann Rutledge, to pursue law. Following her tragic death, Lincoln establishes a law practice in Springfield, where he meets a young Mary Todd. Lincoln's law skills are put to the test when he takes on the difficult task of defending two brothers who have been accused of murder.

Elephant Boy
★ 6.6
Elephant Boy1937Drama

In India, Toomai, a young mahout, helps lead the British on a large expedition to round up wild elephants.

Madame X
★ 6.1
Madame X1937Drama

An alcoholic woman is charged and tried for murder and a young defense attorney, unaware that she is his mother, takes the assignment to defend her in court.

Joradighir Chowdhury Paribar
Not rated
Joradighir Chowdhury Paribar1966Drama

‘Joradighir Choudhury Paribar’ is the story of landlords, their ego, love and revenge. Despite ancestral differences, the Choudhury family’s landlord and Indrani, the landlady of Raktadaha decide to get married. But circumstances for him to marry Banamala to save her from Parantap Roy. Roy marries Indrani to take revenge against Jora Dighi. Misunderstanding turns lovers into enemies leading to their fatal end.

Les marcheuses
Not rated
Les marcheuses2023Drama

Set in a poor Québec neighbourhood during the 1930s, a young woman begins the dire labour of birthing.

Vagabond
★ 7.4
Vagabond1985Drama

Mona Bergeron is dead, her frozen body found in a ditch in the French countryside. From this, the film flashes back to the weeks leading up to her death. Through these flashbacks, Mona gradually declines as she travels from place to place, taking odd jobs and staying with whomever will offer her a place to sleep. Mona is fiercely independent, craving freedom over comfort, but it is this desire to be free that will eventually lead to her demise.

Young at Heart
★ 6.1
Young at Heart1954Drama

The lives and romances of three sisters in a musical family; the youngest daughter's life is complicated by the subsequent arrival of a charming composer and a cynical music arranger.

Epitaph
Not rated
Epitaph2021Drama

In the Dark Ages a lone knight, haunted by the spirit of death, braves a dark forest to lay his wife’s ashes to rest.

Loneliness
Not rated
Loneliness2024Drama

A young man losses the love of his life. Filled with depression and feeling dead inside will he make it? Can he move on?

They Live by Night
★ 6.8
They Live by Night1949Drama

An escaped convict, injured during a robbery, falls in love with the woman who nurses him back to health, but their relationship seems doomed from the beginning.

Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
★ 7.4
Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles1976Drama

A lonely young widow lives with her son following an immutable order: while the boy is in school, she cares for their apartment, does chores, and receives clients in the afternoon.

The Crusaders
★ 4.3
The Crusaders2001Drama

Towards the end of the eleventh century, Pope Urban II announces a crusade against the Saracens, who have occupied the holy city of Jerusalem. Three young friends Richard, Peter and Andrew set off to join the crusading army.

Bushido
★ 7.4
Bushido2024Drama

Kakunoshin, renowned for his skills with a sword and in the game of go, embodies the samurai code. Falsely accused of a theft, he is forced to become a lowly ronin. Years later, when a case of missing gold pulls him into a new web of intrigue, Kakunoshin uncovers the truth behind his downfall. With the real culprit exposed, the go board flips, and a hellstorm of righteous vengeance follows.

Salaam Cinema
★ 6.8
Salaam Cinema1995Drama

Makhmalbaf puts an advertisement in the papers calling for an open casting for his next movie. However when hundreds of people show up, he decides to make a movie about the casting and the screen tests of the would-be actors.

The Honourable
★ 7.0
The Honourable1950Drama

Maryada was a Bengali drama film directed by Digambar Chattopadhyay. This movie was released on 15 December 1950 under the banner of Bhabani Kalamandir Limited. This is the third and first movie in which legendary Bengali actors Uttam Kumar and Bibhu Bhattacharya appeared respectively. In this movie, Uttam Kumar leaps on a song for the first time in his career.

The Captain's Paradise
★ 5.7
The Captain's Paradise1953Drama

Mediterranean ferryboat captain Henry St James has things well organized - a loving and very English wife Maud in Gibraltar, and the loving if rather more hot-blooded Mistress, Nita in Tangiers. A perfect life. As long as neither woman decides to follow him to the other port.

Your favorites

Recently viewed

Watch

Choose an authorized server.

Full video from an operator-configured authorized source. Official trailers use a separate player. If a server fails, retry or select another authorized server.

Legal watch options

Official trailer

Trailer preview only. Press Play to start.

Privacy choices

Favorites stay in your browser. Movie images load from TMDb. YouTube trailers contact YouTube only after you allow external media and choose a trailer. Advertising consent, if ads are enabled, is managed separately by the operator’s certified CMP.

Privacy policy

After allowing external media, choose the trailer button to load its player.