the vibe
Sugisaku Aoyama’s Typical Vibe
2 films — slow-burn, dark, intense, layered, quiet
pacing
Highest-ranked title
Highest-ranked title
Sugisaku Aoyama has 2 titles in the CriticCrunch catalog across a career spanning the 1940s through the 1950s. 1 ranks in the Top 10%, led by Ugetsu.
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.
Dir. Kenji Mizoguchi · With Machiko Kyō, Mitsuko Mito, Kinuyo Tanaka
A hotheaded youth in 1880s Meiji Japan apprentices to judo master Shōgorō Yano, trading brute jujutsu bravado for discipline and humility. As Sanshirō matures, he proves judo’s spirit against old-guard challengers—including a deadly duel—while falling for his vanquished opponent’s daughter. Based on the novel by Tsuneo Tomita, son of Tomita Tsunejirō, the earliest disciple of judo.
Dir. Akira Kurosawa · With Denjirō Ōkōchi, Susumu Fujita, Yukiko Todoroki
