Born in Tokyo, Mizoguchi developed a passion for painting whilst working as an apprentice in a kimono textile designers. After graduating from art school, he took a job as an actor at the Nikkatsu Studios in Tokyo, before he began directing in 1923. Bringing a rich, almost textual realism to the cinema, Mizoguchi's film bear a palpable sense of atmosphere, incorporating all elements of design from the meticulously detailed mise-en-scene and intricate sound and lighting design to the long and sweeping camera movements.

Tackling difficult social themes straight on, Mizoguchi's unflinching realism portrays the personal dramas within these fully detailed historical settings. His one abiding theme was a sympathy for the exploited and marginalised members of society, in particular the plight of women and their position in Japanese society (drawn in part from the personal experiences of his sister and mother). Mizoguchi became known as a 'feminist' director, with films like 'The Life of O-Haru' and THE LADY OF MUSASHINO, yet his sympathies were tempered by an ambivalent and observational detachment towards these 'fallen' women. After winning the International Director's Prize at the 1952 Venice Film Festival for his late masterpiece, 'The Life of O-Haru', Mizoguchi became an idol for the French New Wave, praised by Godard and Rivette as the 'Master of Mise-en-Scene'.