Ugetsu monogatari is mizoguchi kenjis most famous film and the first fruit of a unique carte blanche contract awarded to him by daiei studio on the back of the international success of the life of oharu in 1952 which set him free to make anything he. Mizoguchi s exquisite gender tragedy is set during japans violent 16thcentury civil wars, a. The 1953 film ugetsu monogatari, or tales of moonlight and rain in english, directed by. Ugetsu monogatari is filmed in mizoguchis distanced but allencompassing camera style, full of flowing movement and respect for the actions context, as the story of. These sources share with mizoguchis work a heightened awareness of. By the time he made ugetsu, kenji mizoguchi was already an elder statesman of japanese cinema, fiercely revered by akira kurosawa and other directors of a younger generation. Swiftly establishing itself especially in france on many critics ten best lists, the film opened the way for the acclamation of the work of mizoguchis final period. Opening sequence from kenji mizoguchis landmark ugetsu monogatari, 1953, from stories by akinari ueda, starring masayuki mori, kasae ozawa and machiko kyo view the tcmdb entry for ugetsu 1953. It became famous in the west through kenji mizoguchis 1953 film by the same title, which focuses on a single narrativefrom aaji go yado the house amid. In 16th century japan, peasants genjuro and tobei sell their earthenware pots to a group of soldiers in a nearby village, in defiance of a local sages warning against seeking to profit from warfare. The film is of absolute perfection and is saturated in emotional truths and honesty. The life of a film director, a 1975 documentary by kaneto shindo two worlds intertwined, a 2005 appreciation of ugetsu by masahiro shinoda process and production, a 2005 interview with tokuzo tanaka, first assistant director on ugetsu interview from 1992.
Audio commentary by critic, filmmaker, and festival programmer tony rayns kenji mizoguchi. Mizoguchi insisted that he wanted these realms to be. This month well see the 1953 kenji mizoguchi classic ugetsu ugetsu monogatari. Ugetsu monogatari was not the first kenji mizoguchi film to be shown in the west, but it was the first to reveal him to the west as a major artist. Ugetsu monogatari is the mizoguchi film in many critics 10best lists, while the life of oharu is the epic thought to express best his. Ugetsu monogatari has been widely acclaimed as a masterpiece of the japanese cinema since the moment in 1952 when its director. Ugetsu, by director kenji mizoguchi is one of the most beautiful and hauntingly character driven films in the history of not only japanese cinema, but cinema anywhere. See more ideas about kenji mizoguchi, moonlight and cinema. In sixteenthcentury japan, a potter has his head turned by a phantom enchantress, with predictable results. Consistently named as one of the best films ever made, mizoguchis ethereal fable crafts the darkest shadows from the darkest human desires. Kenji mizoguchi, a guide to references and resources. August 24, 1956, kyoto, japan filmography bibliography articles in senses web resources the comparisons are as inevitable as they are unfashionable, wrote james quandt, introducing the centenary retrospective of the films of kenji mizoguchi. Ugetsu monogatari by kenji mizoguchi kenji mizoguchi. Ugetsu monogatari 1953 movie clip opening, a new re.
The world of kenji mizoguchi gary morris bright lights film journal, 1998 books kenji mizoguchi and the art of japanese cinema tadao sato berg publishers, 2008 mizoguchi keiko mcdonald twayne, 1984 mizoguchi and japan mark le fanu bfi publishing, 2005 mizoguchi kenjis redlight district or street of shame. Just as the script for rashomon was derived from two different stories by akutagawa, the script for ugetsu is based on two stories by the 18th century writer akinari ueda, from his collection ugetsu monogatari tales of the moon and rain. Ugetsu was one of the first works of reading books yomihon that were published for a smaller. In his masterpiece ugetsu monogatari the japanese kenji mizoguchi tells the story of genjuro, a potter, and his brotherinlaw, the. Kenji mizoguchi s ugetsu 1953 tells their stories in one of the greatest of all films one which, along with kurosawas rashomon, helped introduce japanese cinema to western audiences. Hailed by critics as one of the greatest films ever made, kenji mizoguchi s ugetsu is an undisputed masterpiece of japanese cinema, revealing greater depths of meaning and emotion with each successive viewing. Kenji mizoguchi we have 112 unique movie posters including variants for 24 movies featuring kenji mizoguchi.
Set in 16th century japan, a period of bloody civil war, the film is rooted in the postwar psyche of 1950s japan. Potter genjuro masayuki mori, wife miyagi kinuyo tanaka, malcontent tobei kasae ozawa and his wife ohama mitsuko mito are introduced in the first scene from kenji mizoguchis ugetsu monogatari, 1953 view the tcmdb entry for ugetsu 1953. Oyu miyoharu mizo mizogu mizoguchi kenji mizoguchi s films monogatari nihon nikkatsu note oharu. A film version of ugetsu monogatari, directed by mizoguchi kenji, came out in 1953. Roger ebert calls the film one of the greatest movies ever made. It focuses on an ambitious potter haunted by a beautiful ghost and a farmer who dreams of becoming a samurai. Ugetsu monogatari tales of the rain and moon 1953, japan, 97 min, bw, english subtitles, aspect ratio. Ugetsu monogatari 1953, considered one of the finest of all japanese films, is an outstanding example of mizoguchis period drama. If you want or need an answer to this question turn to page 25 of the late mizoguchi boxset booklet and keiko mcdonald will show you why ugetsu is one of mizoguchis best movies, while donald richie in his many.
Tales of moonlight and rain ueda akinari, leon zolbrod. He is, according to the yomiuri shimbun regarded as the dean of japanese filmma. Tsumura, hideo, a certain mizoguchi kenji in japanese, japan, 1958. J apanese director kenji mizoguchis most widely heralded film, ugetsu is also a stalwart presence in worldwide cinemahistory polls, perhaps because it not only encapsulates so many of mizoguchis concerns postwwii questions of jingoism, the plight of women trapped in patriarchy, and conversely issues of national character, but because he also folds them into a dense, fairly. Tanaka kyoto released kyoto running last chrysanthemum loyal 47 ronin madame yuki meiji michiko miss oyu miyoharu mizo mizogu mizoguchi kenji mizoguchis films monogatari nihon nikkatsu note oharu original idea osaka elegy osen photography picture of madame plot. Of all the stories in the book the most intriguing and spinechilling perhaps are.
Kenji mizoguchi s masterpiece sansho dayu turns 60 years old. This was a dark and suffering period in japanese history and the reason it caught director kenji mizoguchis attention is that he was thoroughly interested in how the civil wars influenced the life of the common people. Ugetsu by kenji mizoguchi and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. This film has always been one of my favorites of this unique japanese director, and it is good to see that his films are becoming more accessible here in the west. Kenji mizoguchis ugetsu plunges the viewer into a worldview that witnesses the nearly indiscriminate imbrication of reality and fantasy. Unpopular essays on a popular art, quadrangle books, chicago, 1972, p. Mellen, joan, voices from the japanese cinema, new york, 1975. The story of the last chrysanthemums 1939, ugetsu monogatari 1953, sansho the bailiff 1954. Among the masterpieces he created during this period, one of the most famous is ugetsu aka ugetsu monogatari tales of moonlight and rain, 1953.
Ugetsu monogatari is a collection of nine supernatural tales by the japanese author ueda. Swiftly establishing itself especially in france on many critics ten best lists, the film opened the way for the acclamation of the work of mizoguchi s final period. The authors name appears in an advertisement for this book. Ugetsu monogatari directed by kenji mizoguchi available on. With masayuki mori, machiko kyo, kinuyo tanaka, mitsuko mito. By the late 1970s, i was convinced that mizoguchi was one of the masters of world cinema. Yoda, yoshikata, mizoguchi kenji no hito to geijutsu kenji. Nobody moves the camera like mizoguchi and in films like sansho dayu and ugetsu monogatari we get great set piece scenes which are among the peaks of all. Genjuros story in the film is inspired by two of the nine short stories in akinari uedas 1776 book ugetsu monogatari, translated as tales of moonlight and rain. Largely taken from traditional japanese and chinese ghost stories, the collection is among most important works of japanese fiction of the 18th century, the middle of the edo period. Anderson, joseph, and donald richie, the japanese film. Buy ugetsu monogatari directed by kenji mizoguchi online at alibris.
Dassaishooku the first extensive new york retrospective of mizoguchi in nearly 20 years starts today at the museum of the moving. Western audiences immediately recognized the pictorial beauty of ugetsu and the lyrical power. Japanese poster for ugetsu monogatari kenji mizoguchi, japan, artist. Presented in a glorious 4k digital restoration, ugetsu is mizoguchis towering achievement, a haunting and decorous fable about the illusory nature of desire set during the civil wars of japans 16th. The opening theme to mizoguchi kenjis world famous ugetsu monogatari. Ugetsu is set in 16th century japan when the swift flow of fresh blood oozed from the battlefields and pillaged villages. Ugetsu monogatari 1953, a ghosttale par excellence and one of the most highly acclaimed works of the cinema, is an intensely poetic, sublimely lyrical tragedy of men lured away from their wives which. Two parallel tales ensue when the men are lured from their wives. Ugetsu monogatari was the basis for the film ugetsu 1953, directed by mizoguchi kenji. Ugetsu dvd the seattle public library bibliocommons. Aug 21, 2011 kenji mizoguchi 1898 1956 three key films.
Tales of fog, moonlight, ghosts and rain directed by kenji mizoguchi to show us where greed, vanity and lust could lead you. Kenji mizoguchi 18981956 was a japanese film director most noted for exploring both personal and broad societal issues such as the status of women. Largely taken from traditional japanese and chinese ghost stories, the collection is among most important works of japanese fiction of the 18th century, the middle of the edo. Ugetsu monogatari directed by kenji mizoguchi available. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. Western audiences immediately recognized the pictorial beauty of ugetsu and the lyrical.
Its story is about two brothers, one greedy, the other envious, both pursuing their natures at a time of widespread war. The proximity of the spectral in mizoguchis ugetsu. Mizoguchis legendary cameraman miyagawa kazuo said in 1992 that 70% of ugetsu monogatari was shot using a crane, an instrument which dominates the feel of all the films from 1951 onwards. Tales of moonlight and rain is a collection of ghostly folktales from edo japan. Machiko kyo, masayuki mori, kinuyo tanaka, mitsuko mito, in sixteenthcentury japan, with the pandemonium of civil wars a looming presence in their lives, the potter genjuro and his. In sixteenth century japan a village potter and his brotherinlaw set out for the city to seek their fortunes in the spoils of war. Tattered cover film series ugetsu ugetsu monogatari. Ugetsu, also known as tales of ugetsu or ugetsu monogatari. Many shinpa of this time featured novels adapted to film. Japanese filmmaker kenji mizoguchis career reached its peak in the early 1950s just before his untimely death. The heroes are roughhewn and consumed by ambition, but the film style is elegant and mysterious, and somehow we know before we are told that this is a. Their neglected wives suffer the bitter consequences of their husbands ambition as one is murdered by soldiers and the other is raped and becomes a prostitute.
The story of the last chrysanthemums 1939, ugetsu monogatari 1953, sansho the bailiff 1954 underrated. Yoshikata, mizoguchi kenji no hito to geijutsu kenji mizoguchi. Ugetsu is a shattering experience, among the greatest movies ever made. Mizoguchi is cinemas shakespeare, its bach or beethoven, its rembrant, titian or picasso. Genjuro by the ghostly charm of lady wakasa and tobei by the dream of being a famed great samurai. Eitaro ozawa as tobei as sakae ozawa ichisaburo sawamura as genichi. What makes it stand alone, however, is its brilliant. Mar 04, 2011 the opening theme to mizoguchi kenjis world famous ugetsu monogatari. Western audiences immediately recognized the pictorial beauty of ugetsu and the lyrical power of mizoguchis camera movements, but most viewers have found the films narrative elements. In 97 minutes, kenji mizoguchi was able to decimate the entire enigma that is human desire. My own view is that for mizoguchi the world we live in, unhappily for us, belongs to its bailiffs. Ugetsu monogatari is filmed in mizoguchis distanced but allencompassing camera style, full of flowing movement and respect for the actions context, as the story of the mens striving assumes the quality of an allegory.
Ugetsu monogatari has been widely acclaimed as a masterpiece of the japanese cinema since the moment in 1952 when its director, kenji mizoguchi, won a silver lion award for the film at the venice festival. Ugetsu is based on two ghost stories from ueda akinaris collection ugetsu monogatari, which translates to tales of moonlight and rain, and pivots on morals handed down from japanese and chinese cultures. The collection is wellknown for its supernatural elements, and it has been translated into english multiple times as tales of moonlight and rain and as tales of a raind moon. This was a dark and suffering period in japanese history and the reason it caught director kenji mizoguchi s attention is that he was thoroughly interested in how the civil wars influenced the life of the common people. Japanese movie poster image for ugetsu monogatari the image measures 500 711 pixels and is 122 kilobytes large. The world of kenji mizoguchi gary morris bright lights film journal, 1998 books kenji mizoguchi and the art of japanese cinema tadao sato berg publishers, 2008 mizoguchi keiko mcdonald twayne, 1984 mizoguchi and japan mark le fanu bfi publishing, 2005 mizoguchi kenji s redlight district or street of shame. Director kenji mizoguchi ia a master of cinematic imagery. A couple of years later i would see chikamatsu monogatari, ugetsu, life of oharu, and street of shame.
Genjuros pursuit of both riches and the mysterious lady wakasa, as well as tobeis desire to become a samurai, run the risk of destroying both themselves and their wives, miyagi and ohama. It was first published in 1776, and was adapted from chinese ghost stories. In the civil wars of 16th century japan, two ambitious peasants. Kenji mizoguchi, director rutgers films in print keiko mcdonald on. Ugetsu monogatari has been widely acclaimed as a masterpiece of the japanese. Nov 25, 20 tales of fog, moonlight, ghosts and rain directed by kenji mizoguchi to show us where greed, vanity and lust could lead you. Notable as a study of the nature of reality and for its sense of place created by carefully controlled camera movement, ugetsu is an allegorical read more.