On Mister Dob's Wall

Oh yes! I'ven't seen anything else by Teshigahara, but I did get to see Woman in the Dunes as a double feature at a local theatre with Kurosawa's High and Low. Honestly, I love Kurosawa, but you needn't see his movies on the big screen all that often, at least, all of the movies of his I've seen on the big screen (Seven Samurai, Ikiru, Rashomon, and High and Low) did not benefit from it. I'd imagine his color and widescreen movies like Ran and Kagemusha would be great. But Woman in the Dunes on the big screen was just profound. The sand looked compelling and gorgeous, mysterious and powerful, and terrifying. And you're right, his escape feels more thrilling than cinematic Auschwitz escapes, though I think a large part of that is that the surreal situation he finds himself in means it's hard to understand what's going on and how this world operates, so the unknown danger he's in (as opposed to the well-known danger of the camps) is part of the thrill. --DiB