Mikio Naruse's terrific 1963 melodrama boasts beautiful Hideko Takamine as a widow working in a hostess bar in Tokyo's Ginza district. Loathing the titular climb to her workplace, which defines her trapped role in life, Keiko (aka 'Mama-san') is torn between her desire for independence, her need for financial stability and the ministrations of her wealthy, sleazy customers. Moodily cool in its visuals and heartbreaking in its portrayal of silent rage, this is powerful stuff. Three cheers for the BFI Southbank's retrospective of Naruse's films, which have long been acclaimed in Japan, but remain little seen in the UK.