In rural Japan during the civil upheavals of the 16th century, two impoverished friends-a resentful potter (Masayuki Mori) and a farmer (Sakae Ozawa) who craved to be a samurai-dreamed of profit and glory, to the consternation of their loving wives (Kinuyo Tanaka, Mitsuko Mito). When the war comes to their doorstep, the ambitious neighbors will find their plans fulfilled in an uncanny manner-and regretting what they had wished for. Kenji Mizoguchi's haunting, supernatural-tinged tragedy co-stars Machiko Kyo, Ikio Sawamura. 97 min. Standard; Soundtrack: Japanese PCM mono; Subtitles: English; audio commentary; bonus documentary "Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director" (1975); featurettes; theatrical trailers; more. In Japanese with English subtitles.