Classic film is classic. Older Japanese films tend to be a little slow for my taste (Kurosawa excepted, of course) but this had me hooked. The characters were interesting, the sets were well made and there's a great, eerie mood to the whole thing that holds up right to the end. I like any film that mixes genres in an interesting way so I was pretty excited when this period drama turned into a ghost story halfway through. Essential viewing but be warned that this film is a real tearjerker.