Snow Trail

Senkichi Taniguchi's 1947 Japanese film follows three men fleeing into the mountains after a bank robbery. They take refuge at an inn high in the Japanese Alps, where a young woman, her father and a mountaineer do not know who they are and receive them as guests. The film brings out the difference among the criminals. One thinks of nothing but escape, another does not know how to answer the kindness shown; the conditions of the mountain test both the same way. Toshiro Mifune appears on screen for the first time and Takashi Shimura is in the cast; their work together begins here. The screenplay was written by Akira Kurosawa and it is Taniguchi's first film as director. The mountain sequences were shot in real conditions. Who it's for: those who like classic Japanese cinema and postwar films. Who it's not for: viewers expecting action; the film is built on climbing and waiting.