Ugetsu Monogatari (1953)

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Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi.

Starring Machiko Kyo, Mitsuko Mito, Masayuki Mori, Kinuyo Tanaka, Sakae Ozawa.

Presented in a manner as eerie as it is heartbreaking, this film is a gorgeous supernatural fable about the folly of men with dreams larger than their abilities and their women who suffer as a result. Genjuro (Masuyaki Mori) is a potter who longs for wealth and luxury, while Tobei (Sakae Ozawa), a farmer, dreams of the glories of the samurai to the point of ignoring his wife. Though a war rages around them, they venture to town to sell their wares. Genjuro becomes bewitched by a beautiful though vengeful ghost (Machiko Kyo), while his wife is murdered by a soldier; Tobei becomes a noted warrior, while his wife descends into prostitution after being raped while searching for her husband. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Ugetsu (1950, Japan, Kenji Mizo ...
by CinemaRian in CinemaRian Blog

hasn't rated it.

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"Tales of Ugetsu is a movie that is profound in its simplicity. It is a very simple human story of four characters, and what happens when two of them give in to their petty needs and carnal desires. The movie is beautiful and moving, a true "Great Film" that really deserves its reputation. The film opens in a small Japanese village in the 16th century. Genjuro (Masuyaki Mori) and brother in law Tobei (Sakae Ozawa) are simple farmers who dream of becoming something greater. Genjuro desires to be a wealthy and respected artisan who will make lots of money on his side job of making pottery, while Tobei wishes to become a great Samurai warrior. For a moment, it looks like their dreams might be on the verge of reality as Genjuro's pottery begins to sell well in neighboring towns. Genjuro's wife Miyagi (Kinuyo Tanakawa) is apprecitave of the new money but is concerned about what is happening to her husband, while Tobei's wife Ohama (Mitsuko Mito) is afraid that she will ... " [More]

Aru eiga-kantoku no shogai (Ken ...
by Risselada in Risselada Blog

loved it.

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"Aru eiga-kantoku no shogai (Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director)Again there's no Spout link for this movie. I saw it on the DVD for Ugetsu monogatari. The documentary was made by another famous Japanese director, Kaneto Shindô.Although I think Ugetsu is perfect, it's the only Mizoguchi film I've seen. And the strange Japanese polite yet intrusive interview style was interesting but also tedious after a while. Probably if I had seen more of his films as a reference for what they were referring to most of the time, I would have rated it better. Maybe it's not too fair, but I gave it a rather average rating.Rating: 7/10 " [More]

movie year countdown #54 - 1953 ...
by Risselada in Risselada Blog

loved it.

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"This blog entry is part of my “movie year countdown”. To read more about that check out my first Spout filmblog entry.Ugetsu monogatariI was really blown away by this film. I'd seen it listed near the top of countless critics' lists of the greatest movies of all time. So I was expecting something special too. But I didn't know quite what to expect, so in that sense I was still very open to anything.I think I'm naturally so infatuated with Japanese culture, stories, and history that my interest had a natural boost. But there are just some amazing images in this story that are sometimes complex but feel so wonderfully simple.It's a story of love, tragedy, war, redemption, and it's delightfully spooky. All of the performers are perfect. It's a new favorite classic!Rating: 10/10 " [More]

Re: Lack of Updates
by Puhnner in From Asia With Love

loved it.

"Here are a couple that I have seen recently that were just great.Sex and FuryDeadly Outlaw: RekkaA Scene at the SeaBranded to Killand here are a few more for your list:Akira Kurosawa's DreamsVisitor QGozuUgestuRed BeardThe Bad Sleep WellBlackmail is my LifeBrotherChaosDodes Ka-denGo, Go Second Time VirginHarakiri just my thoughts... " [More]

Movie year countdown viewing pr ...
by Risselada in Risselada Blog

loved it.

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"Here’s the dilemma. I have a list of well over three thousand movies I want to see saved on IMDB. I have a subscription to Netflix and recently every time I return a DVD it has been an extremely arduous task to make the decision as to which movie I should see next. In an effort to narrow down my choices and make the process of choosing slightly less overwhelming I have devised a system, almost a bit of a game for me. Here’s how it goes.For my first film selection, I have narrowed the options down to only films that were released in the year 2006. Then after I have watched that movie, my next selection would have to be a film released in 2005. Then I would see a film from 2004, then 2003, etc. The process of deciding is still laborious, but actually quite a bit more exciting. (I'm going by IMDB as my source for release years)I have already been making a list and have also already begun watching the films. I decided this might be a good time to start fooling ... " [More]

Jade-Blossom Palace
by Puhnner in Puhnner Blog

loved it.

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"This is a Japanese film. There seem to be many translations of the Chinese Poet, Tu Fu’s, ‘Jade-Blossom Palace’; this is one; ( I wonder which one, resting in his immortality, he might prefer? ) Jade-Blossom Palace Below long pine winds, a stream twists. Gray rats scuttle across spent rooftiles. Bequeathed now beneath cliffs to ruin—who knows which prince’s palace this once was? Azure ghostflames flood shadow-filled rooms. Erosion guts manicured paths. Earth’s ten thousand airs are the enduring music, autumn colors the height of indifference. All brown earth now—the exquisite women gracing his golden carriage have all become their rouge and mascara sham. Of those stately affairs, one stone horse remains. Sitting grief—stricken in the grasses, I sing wildly, wiping away tears for life scarcely passes into old age, and no one ever finds anything more of immortality. Though in black and white, I feel as though I see the 'azure ghostflames flood shadow--filled rooms'... ... " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

loved it.

Displaying all of the hallmarks of Kenji Mizoguchi's quietly affecting style, this landmark film has been one of the most highly praised Japanese movies, garnering the admiration of such directors as Jean-Luc Godard and Jacques Rivette, as well as a Golden Lion from the Venice Film Festival. Mizoguchi's fluid camerawork expands this otherworldly tragedy into a profound meditation on the transience of human life. In one of the film's most noted scenes, Genjuro relaxes in a hot spring as his beautiful spirit-lover disrobes. The camera coyly pans away, tilts downwards, and tracks along the ground. The barren ripples of ground dissolve to a Zen rock garden; then the camera tilts up to reveal the couple picnicking at a lakeside park. In this one elegant device, Mizoguchi evokes not only the passage of time but also emptiness and impermanence, as he passes the viewer through an unpeopled space. His signature lyricism frames unfolding human dramas as one small part of life's immutable ebb and flow. A brilliant summation of Mizoguchi's motifs and visual poetry, Ugetsu remains one of the masterpieces of world cinema. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Tags: pottery , decapitation , dreams , ghost , peasant
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