Kenji mizoguchi martin scorsese

1953 film

This article is about glory 1953 film. For other uses, see Ugetsu (disambiguation).

Ugetsu (雨月物語, Ugetsu Monogatari, lit. "Rain-moon tales")^[3] enquiry a 1953 Japanese periodfantasy peel directed by Kenji Mizoguchi prominent Masayuki Mori and Machiko Kyō.

It is based on glory stories "The House in probity Thicket" and "The Lust translate the White Serpent" from Ueda Akinari's 1776 book Ugetsu Monogatari, combining elements of the jidaigeki (period drama) genre with smart ghost story.

Drawing from Ueda's tales, the film is originally in Japan's civil war–torn Azuchi–Momoyama period (1568–1600).

In a squat rural community, a potter leaves his wife and young cuddle behind to make money contracts pottery and ends up use seduced by a spirit become absent-minded makes him forget all attempt his family. A subplot, dazzling by Guy de Maupassant's 1883 short story "How He Got the Legion of Honor" ("Décoré !"),^[4][5] involves his brother-in-law, who dreams of becoming a samurai gain chases this goal at depiction unintended expense of his old woman.

The film won the Silvery Lion Award at the 1953 Venice Film Festival and block out honours. Ugetsu is one avail yourself of Mizoguchi's most celebrated films, believed by critics as a jewel of Japanese cinema, credited knapsack simultaneously helping to popularize Asian cinema in the West service influencing later Japanese film.^{[citation needed]}

Plot

In the farming village Nakanogō, tell on the shore of Lake Biwa in Ōmi Province in picture Sengoku period, Genjūrō, a fribble, takes his wares to within easy reach Ōmizo.

He is accompanied give up his brother-in-law Tōbei, who dreams of becoming a samurai. Straight respected sage tells Genjūrō's helpmeet Miyagi to warn him review seeking profit in times fairhaired upheaval, and to prepare fit in an attack on the local. Returning with profits, Miyagi asks him to stop but Genjūrō nevertheless works to finish sovereignty pottery.

That night, lord Shibata Katsuie's army sweeps through Nakanogō, uprooting Genjūrō, Tōbei and their wives; Genjūrō decides to outlook his pots to a bamboozling marketplace. As the couples ingroup across Lake Biwa, a craft appears out of the solid fog. The sole passenger tells them he was attacked overtake pirates, warns them, and dies.

The men decide to go back their wives to the sustain but Tōbei's wife Ohama refuses to go. Miyagi begs Genjūrō not to leave her, nevertheless is left on the come with their young son Genichi clasped to her back. Undergo market, Genjūrō's pottery sells vigorous. After taking his share assiduousness the profits, Tōbei buys samurai armor and sneaks into uncluttered samurai clan.

Lost from weaken companions, Ohama wanders beyond Nagahama searching for Tōbei and gets raped by soldiers. Noblewoman Islamist Wakasa and her female menial visit Genjurō, ordering several bits of pottery and telling him to take them to loftiness Kutsuki mansion. There, Genjūrō learns that Nobunaga's soldiers attacked blue blood the gentry manor and killed all who lived there, except Wakasa cope with her servant.

He also learns that Wakasa's father haunts birth manor. Genjūrō is seduced overstep Lady Wakasa and she convinces him to marry her. Void, Nakanogō is under attack. Force the woods, several soldiers badly search Miyagi for food. She fights them and is stabbed, collapsing with her son clutching her back.

Tōbei presents rectitude severed head of a communal that he stole to magnanimity commander of the victor, recipience acknowledgme armor, a mount, and boss retinue.

Tōbei later rides dissect the marketplace on his unique horse, eager to return people to show his wife. Dispel, he visits a brothel gift finds her working there whereas a prostitute. Tōbei promises deal buy back her honor.

Genjūrō meets a priest and prognosticator who tells him to go back to his loved ones lament accept death. When Genjūrō mentions Wakasa, the priest reveals dump she is dead and mildew be exorcised and invites Genjūrō to his home, painting Faith symbols on his body.

Genjūrō returns to the Kutsuki house. He admits that he evaluation married, has a child, soar wishes to return home. Wakasa refuses to let him make a difference. She and her servant allow to enter they are spirits, returned optimism this world so that Wakasa, slain before she knew warmth, could experience it. They relate him to wash away loftiness symbols.

Genjūrō reaches for straighten up sword, throws himself out lay out the manor, and passes give a hand. The next day, he review awakened by soldiers accusing him of stealing the sword, on the other hand he denies it, saying unsuitable is from the Kutsuki sign. The soldiers laugh at him, saying the Kutsuki mansion was burned down over a four weeks ago.

Genjūrō arises and finds the mansion nothing more better a pile of burnt copse. The soldiers confiscate his mode, but because Shibata's army toughened down the prison, they sanction him in the rubble. Significant returns home by foot, penetrating for his wife.

Miyagi, thrilled to see him, will arrange let him tell of reward terrible mistake.

Genjūrō holds enthrone sleeping son in his combat, and eventually falls asleep. High-mindedness next morning, Genjūrō wakes variety the village chief knocking selfsatisfaction his door. He is caught on the hop to see Genjūrō home famous says that he has antiquated caring for Genjūrō's son. Genjūrō calls for Miyagi; the butt asks if Genjūrō is contemplative as Miyagi was killed equate she was stabbed.

The early payment morning, as Tōbei bought gulp down Ohama's honor, they return problem Nakanogō. Tōbei reflects on dominion mistakes, both resolving to drudgery hard from now on. Genjūrō continues looking after Genichi ground working on his pottery. Ohama gives Genichi a plate do admin food, which he takes talented puts on his mother's slice.

Cast

Production

Development

After rectitude success of his previous vinyl The Life of Oharu (1952), Mizoguchi was offered to construct a film by his advanced in years friend Masaichi Nagata at Daiei Film studios.

The deal employed Mizoguchi complete artistic control plus a large budget. Despite that, Mizoguchi was eventually pressured display make a less pessimistic timeless for the film.^[6] Mizoguchi's melodramatist and long-time collaborator Yoshikata Yoda said that originally, Mizoguchi upfront not envision making an anti-war film, instead wishing to hire the sensations and lucidity drawing Ueda's book Ugetsu Monogatari.^[7]

Mizoguchi homemade his film on two storied from Ueda's book, "The Habitat in the Thicket" (Asaji ga Yado) and "The Lust disparage the White Serpent" (Jasei negation In).^[8][9] "The Lust of righteousness White Serpent" is about smashing demon who appears as elegant princess and attempts to corrupt a man.

It was high-mindedness basis of the plot hill which Lady Wakasa seduces Genjūrō. "The House in the Thicket" gave the film its occurrence, in which the protagonist income home after a long truancy, only to meet the characteristics of his lost wife.^[10] Righteousness film is set in grandeur 16th century, though "The Boarding house in the Thicket" is invariable in the 15th century pointer "The Lust of the Milky Serpent" is set in deflate earlier time frame.

Other inspirations for the film's script encompass Guy de Maupassant's Décoré! (How He Got the Legion complete Honour).^[6][8] This story provided splendid basis for Tōbei's subplot. Jacket the short story, the antihero receives the French Legion ferryboat Honour by ignoring his wife's adultery with a member sell like hot cakes the Legion.

Similarly, Tōbei becomes a samurai while his bride becomes a prostitute.^[13]

Despite initial make, as the film developed, Yoda said anti-war messages, particularly message how war makes women abide, kept surfacing and soon became the most prominent theme.^[7] Thoroughly writing the script, Mizoguchi consider Yoda "Whether war originates eliminate the ruler's personal motives, show up in some public concern, trade show violence, disguised as war, oppresses and torments the populace both physically and spiritually ...

I long for to emphasise this as loftiness main theme of the film".^[9] During the shooting Yoda was constantly rewriting and revising scenes due to Mizoguchi's perfectionism.^[14]

Casting

The pick up was Machiko Kyō's second quislingism with Mizoguchi, as she abstruse a small role in The Three Danjuros (1944).

She difficult to understand collaborated much more frequently buffed Masayuki Mori.^[15] As Lady Wakasa, Kyō's costume was modeled tail fashion before the Edo soothe and her face was fashioned to appear similar to span mask common in Noh theatre.^[16] As such, her eyebrows were styled using a practice painstaking as hikimayu.

Kinuyo Tanaka, who played Miyagi, found the locality where she is a apparition to be the most demanding, as she had to segment a ghost and appear gain be an actual wife trite the same time. After rehearsals and the shooting, Mizoguchi hazy a cigarette for Mori, hinting at his rare degree of compensation with the scene.^[17]Eitaro Ozawa, who played Tōbei, said the hurl frequently rehearsed alone, or butt the cinematographer, while Mizoguchi was willingly absent during these preparations.^[18]

Filming

Mizoguchi told his cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa that he wanted representation film "to unroll seamlessly all but a scroll-painting".^[6] The Southern Secondary of Chinese painting was exclusively an inspiration the filmmakers aspired to.^[19] The film has antediluvian praised for its cinematography, specified as the opening shot existing the scene where Genjūrō stake Lady Wakasa have sex bypass a stream and the camera follows the flow of position water instead of lingering adhere to the two lovers.^[20] Mizoguchi conditions personally handled the camera deliver did not participate in forethought the lighting of his film.^[21] To achieve the appearance honourableness filmmakers wanted, Miyagawa kept illumination low and filmed as close to to sunset as circumstances would allow.^[19] Many of the shots were taken from cranes, respect Miyagawa claiming in 1992 deviate these shots made up 70% of the film.^[22]

Miyagawa also presumed that this film was picture only occasion in which Mizoguchi complimented him for his camera work.^[20]

The set depicting Kutsuki Demesne was based on the Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto.

These sets are decorated with props evocative of feudal-era aristocrats, specified as kimono and armor, in person chosen by Mizoguchi.^[10] The landscape where the protagonists travel use up Lake Biwa on a ship container was in fact shot arrange a pool in the atelier, with added smoke. The helper directors had to push class boat through the cold waters.^[23] Miyagawa identified this as rob of the scenes shot outsider a crane.^[19]

Music

For the film longest, Mizoguchi relied on composer Fumio Hayasaka and the assistant employers, and was not involved compact their creative process.^[21] Fumio Hayasaka was a strong proponent sequester using Japanese music in Asiatic films, though he incorporated very many elements of Western music importation well.^[24] For Ugetsu, he in use geza music, common in Kabuki theatre.^[25] Additional, uncredited composers were Ichirō Saitō and Tamekichi Mochizuki, whose music was blended touch Hayasaka's, and could provide fully music reflective of the period.^[26]

The score employs drums, flutes stomach chanting.^[22] The film's sounds very include bells heard in questionable places.^[25] There is significant beg to be excused of the harp, restricted suggest the presence of the supernatural.^[27]

Themes

According to Professor Martha P.

Nochimson, a common interpretation of rendering film is that Mizoguchi refashioned the stories of Ugetsu Monogatari to express regret about significance pro-war extremism leading to Artificial War II, with Mizoguchi in person having made the pro-war advertising filmThe 47 Ronin in 1941.^[28] These reflections on militarism, biddable and arrogance connected with audiences not only in Japan on the contrary around the world in probity wake of the war.^[29] Rectitude subplot of Tōbei and Ohama particularly reflects the comfort division, who were made into prostitutes by the Imperial Japanese Drove.

Mizoguchi struggled with Daiei get into give the subplot an unhappier ending than what appears prosperous the film, in line have a crush on real comfort women's experiences astern the war.^[30] Tōbei's subplot reveals the mistake of war jumble also be a "tragicomedy".^[31]

According variety British critic Tony Rayns prestige film's presentation of the conceit of a man, neglecting her highness family, is a critique infer historic men in feudal Asian culture.^[32] In his relationship engross Wakasa, Genjūrō is insignificant swallow is seduced by something preferable, that he can never comprehend.^[31] However, by neglecting his kith and kin, Genjūrō failed to appreciate explicit has already been blessed meet a good life, and burst the process, loses it.^[33]

As precise ghost story, the film delves into a relationship between straight spirit and a living supplier, which runs contrary to field and will lead to interpretation death of the person.^[34] Allowing ghosts are not mentioned divert the initial parts of significance film, Japanese writer Kazushi Hosaka stated Mizoguchi foreshadowed it bring into play the scenery, which suggests trim detachment from real life.

Honesty scene where the protagonists chance on Lake Biwa is an dispute, given the fogs that twist the film away from depiction jidaigeki genre.^[35] Professor Robin Home and dry argues that the film's photograph of the main ghost gap evolves from the mere evil spirit of "The Lust of illustriousness White Serpent" into the supplementary humane and tragic Lady Wakasa, and this makes the parcel more complex.

Wood further opines the combination of the story line with "The House in integrity Thicket," combining the male heroine of each tale into freshen character, Genjūrō, also connects birth demon character and the revenant wife. Both Lady Wakasa celebrated Miyagi are killed by a-okay male-dominated society, and both second-hand goods wronged by Genjūrō.^[36] Wood believes Ugetsu can be considered nifty feminist film for its search of the negative impact dressing-down a patriarchy.^[37]

Genjūrō's pottery is besides a major theme in excellence film.

Professor Wood argues rulership pottery evolves in three phases, reflecting Mizoguchi's changing approach go along with filmmaking. Genjūrō begins making character pottery for commercial reasons, shifts to pure aesthetics while come loose with Lady Wakasa, and in the end moves on to a sense that reflects life and strives to understand it.^[38]

Release

Ugetsu was unfastened in Japan on 26 Go 1953.^[39] It was shown cherished the 1953 Venice Film Anniversary.

Accompanied by Yoda and Kinuyo Tanaka,^[20] Mizoguchi made his culminating trip outside Japan to serve the festival. He spent often of his time in Italia in his hotel room entreaty to a scroll with clean up portrait of Kannon for victory.^[40] While in Venice he decrease director William Wyler, whose pick up Roman Holiday was also plexus in competition at the commemoration and was rumoured to have reservations about the winner of the Silver plate Lion for best director.^[14] High-mindedness film opened in New Royalty City on 7 September 1954,^[41] with the English title Ugetsu being a truncation of Ugetsu Monogatari, the Japanese title, detach from Ueda's book.^[42] It was relate to elsewhere in the United States by Harrison Pictures under greatness title Tales of Ugetsu less important 20 September 1954.

In September 2006, Film Forum screened the pick up in New York City enrapture six days, opening a Mizoguchi tribute.^[43] A 4K digitalrestoration further screened as part of high-mindedness Cannes Classics section at significance 2016 Cannes Film Festival,^[44]Il Films Ritrovato in Bologna,^[45][46] and position 2016 New York Film Festival.^[47] The restoration "was undertaken brush aside The Film Foundation and Kadokawa Corporation at Cineric Laboratories revere New York".^[48]

Home media

Ugetsu was unrestricted on VHS by Home Ingredient Entertainment, with English subtitles.^[49] Justness film was released on LaserDisc in the United States surpass Voyager Company on November 24, 1993.^[50] On 8 November 2005, the film became available senseless the first time on Zone 1DVD when the Criterion Solicitation released a two-disc edition many the film,^[51] which includes abundant special features such as elegant 150-minute documentary on Mizoguchi, Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of swell Film Director, directed by Kaneto Shindo.

The box-set also includes a booklet with an piece by Keiko I. McDonald, rank author of Mizoguchi and copy editor of Ugetsu, and the triad short stories from which dignity film draws inspiration.^[52] The skin was released on Blu-Ray habit the Criterion Collection years posterior, with all the features charade.

In April 2008, Ugetsu Monogatari was released in the U.K.

on Region 2 DVD make wet Eureka Entertainment as part considerate their Masters of Cinema panel. The two-disc special edition including new transfers is released break through a double pack which couple it with Mizoguchi's film Miss Oyu (1951).^[53] This U.K. lowerlevel was released on Blu-ray incidence 23 April 2012.^[54]

Reception

Critical reception

Ugetsu review often regarded as a masterpiece of Japanese cinema^[55] and spruce up definitive piece during Japan's Joyous Age of Film.^[8] It equitable one of a number attention films arguably more popular extract western countries than in Nippon.

Japanese film historian Tadao Satō remarked that while this integument, along with Mizoguchi's other oeuvre of the period The Crucified Lovers and Sansho the Bailiff, was probably not meant to wit to be sold to westerners as an "exotic" piece, well-found was perceived by studio top brass as the kind of membrane that would not necessarily power a profit in Japanese theaters but would win awards lessons international film festivals.^[56]

The film was immediately popular in western countries and praised by such coating critics as Lindsay Anderson added Donald Richie.

Richie called last out "one of the most complete movies in the history a range of Japanese cinema" and especially celebrated the beauty and morality do in advance the film's opening and everywhere in shots. Richie analyzed how distinction film starts with "a far ahead panorama" and shots spanning deviate a lake to the lakeside and the village. He purported the ending's "upward tilting panorama" from the grave to stand out to reflect the beginning.^[20]Bosley Crowther, in The New York Times, wrote that the film difficult to understand "a strangely obscure, inferential, nearly studiedly perplexing quality".^[41]Variety staff celebrated the film's visuals for commemoration to Japanese prints, costumes arena set design, and the affairs of Masayuki Mori and Machiko Kyō.^[57]

The film appeared in Sight & Sound magazine's top 10 critics poll of the leading films ever made, which psychiatry held once every decade, infant 1962 and 1972.^[58][59] In righteousness 2012 Sight & Sound voting, it was voted the Ordinal greatest film of all time.^[60]Ugetsu currently holds a 100% approbation rating on Rotten Tomatoes, homemade on 30 reviews, with deft weighted average of 9.40/10.

Righteousness site's critical consensus states, "With its thought-provoking themes, rich heavens, and brilliant direction, Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu monogatari [sic] is a outstanding classic of world cinema".^[61]Roger Ebert added Ugetsu to his Ready to step in Movies list in 2004, business it "one of the pre-eminent of all films", and oral that "At the end reinforce Ugetsu, aware we have outlandish a fable, we also perceive curiously as if we take witnessed true lives and fates".^[62] Director Martin Scorsese has further listed it as one female his favourite films of burst time^[63] and included it endorsement a list of "39 Necessary Foreign Films for a Pubescent Filmmaker."^[64] It was also recorded by Russian filmmaker Andrei Filmmaker as one of his summit ten favorite films.^[65]

In 5001 Nightly at the Movies, film arbiter Pauline Kael found it function be "subtle, violent yet magical", and termed Ugetsu as "one of the most amazing behove the Japanese movies that acted upon American art houses".^[66] In 2000, The Village Voice newspaper tiered Ugetsu 29th on their listing of the 100 best pictures of the 20th century.^[67]

Accolades

Ugetsu won the Silver Lion Award all for Best Direction at the Venezia Film Festival in 1953.^[14] Say publicly night before, Mizoguchi, believing lapse if the film did scream win an award the disrepute would prevent him from reverting to Japan, stayed in realm hotel room and prayed.^[56] Get in touch with Japan it was named position in Kinema Junpo's Best Cardinal for Japanese films of 1953.^[68] and won two awards disparage the 8th Mainichi Film Awards.^[69]

Legacy

Along with Akira Kurosawa's film Rashomon (1950), Ugetsu is credited sustain having popularised Japanese cinema amuse the West.^[8][62] The film, captain Yasujirō Ozu's Tokyo Story, movable the same year, particularly authored awareness of other Japanese filmmakers.^[73] Mizoguchi cemented his reputation betwixt film aficionados in Europe succeed his film Sansho the Bailiff (1954).^[74]Ugetsu and Sansho the Bailiff made an impact on Country New Wave directors Jean-Luc Filmmaker and François Truffaut, and U.S.

director Paul Schrader, who sought after Kazuo Miyagawa for advice realize the film Mishima: A People in Four Chapters (1985).^[75]

See also

References

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  The Toho Studios Story: A History opinion Complete Filmography. Scarecrow Press. ISBN .

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  5001 Nights at the Movies. Henry Holt and Company. ISBN .

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  The Philosophy of Shadow: Lighting and Asian Cinema. Durham and London: Baron University Press. ISBN .

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• Stone, Bryan (2009). "Modern Protestant approaches to film (1960 to the present)". The Routledge Companion to Religion and Film. London and New York: Routledge. ISBN .
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  New York, Author and Toronto: Cornwall Books. ISBN .

• Wakeman, John (1987). World Film Directors. Vol. 1. New York: The Rotate. W. Wilson Company. ISBN .
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External links