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Ugetsu
Directed
by Kenji Mizoguchi
1953 - Japan - 129 min
Summary:
Kenji Mizoguchi’s Ugetsu is a highly acclaimed
masterwork of Japanese cinema. Based on a pair of
18th century ghost stories by Ueda Akinari, the film’s
release continued Mizoguchi’s introduction to
the West. In 16th century Japan, amidst the pandemonium
of civil war, potter Genjurô (Mori Masayuki)
and samurai-aspirant Tobei (Ozawa Sakae) set out with
their wives in search of wealth and military glory
respectively. Two parallel tales ensue when the men
are lured from their wives: Genjurô by the ghostly
charm of Lady Wakasa (Kyô Machiko); Tôbei
by the dream of military renown. Famed for its meticulously
orchestrated long takes and subtle blending of realistic
period reconstruction with lyrical supernaturalism,
Ugetsu is an intensely poetic tragedy that
consistently features on polls of the best films ever
made.
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