This film begins with an attractive young woman named "Oden Takahashi" (Katsuko Wakasugi) running through the streets of Tokyo while being chased by the police. Although she manages to elude them by sneaking a ride on a passing rickshaw, she finds out a little later that the driver just happens to be her former husband who she left because of his alcoholism and gambling addiction. A little while later, it is revealed that her current husband suffers from tuberculosis and that Oden has resorted to shoplifting to support him. Not only that, but she also discovers that her young daughter by her first husband is being neglected, and so she subsequently decides to try to support her as well. Ironically, her incredible beauty soon attracts several men who seek to use her criminal activities against her for their own self-centered purposes which, combined with her own selfish agenda, has contributed to her current situation--and created even more problems for her. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was a very interesting movie set during a fascinating time in Japanese history known as the Meiji Restoration which the director (Nobuo Nakagawa) used to great effect. I also appreciated his use of symbolism, which is seldom seen in motion pictures today. Likewise, having a lovely and talented actress like Katsuko Wakasugi certainly didn't hurt either. Be that as it may, I found this movie to be quite compelling, and I recommend it to those viewers interested in a film of this type.
