Such profound isolation and stark divisions are imbued into Minnelli's deep focus compositions. He utilises CinemaScope's expanse in a similar manner to Fleischer, expertly harnessing the lens' almost inherent negative space, as well as giving the film's melodrama this genuinely explosive, larger-than-life quality. Rarely have the pressures of conformity and tradition felt so suffocating, so inescapable, so constricting and shameful, though rarely has there been such deep understanding and solace found in cinema than between Laura and Tom.

Lupino's staging turns every sequence into a match; a back-and-forth bout for agency and control; a series of divisions, distances, and dynamics being traversed with such precise fluidity. Really just such a masterwork, and so consistently evocative.

Mizoguchi just possesses this almost unparalleled eye for the geometry of a space, the dynamics that exist within it, and how these factors can be distorted/clarified/elaborated upon through precise cutting, staging, and camera placement/movement. In only his first two sound films, Mizoguchi establishes himself as one of the medium's great masters.

Fatalistic societal trappings reducing love to mere transaction and facade, where the commodification of oneself (as a woman) is both a total necessity and a demonised taboo. Unendingly sorrowful.