Directed by Keisuke Kinoshita and screenplay by Tadao Ikeda from a story by Shohei Hino, Army is the story of a Japanese family who hope to be involved in the army to fulfill with the wishes of the generation before them. The film is a look into the legacy of a family as they cope with the ways of the world and what it means to serve their country during wartime. Starring Chishu Ryu, Kinuyo Tanaka, Kazumasa Hoshino, Eijiro Tono, Ken Uehara, Ken Mitsuda, and Haruko Sugimura. Army is a powerful and evocative film from Keisuke Kinoshita.
The film follows three generations of a family from the mid-19th Century to World War II as they all have desires to be part of the military and serve their country. Much of the film’s narrative is told during Japan’s occupation of Manchuria and into World War II as much of the first act is about a young man helping a militia soldier and in return is given a collection of books chronicling Japan’s history. Years later toward the end of the 19th Century, he passes the books to his son who would sign up to join the army and succeed but doesn’t see any action due to recurring illnesses. He hopes his son would follow in his footsteps but his son is wracked with fear yet would eventually sign up to be in the army but isn’t sure about stepping into the battlefield. Tadao Ikeda’s script follows mainly the life of Tomohiko (Chishu Ryu) who did serve his time as an army captain but never stepped foot in the battlefield as he is eager to instill everything he’s learned from the books he has inherited into the next generation of soldiers. Yet, Tomohiko finds himself at odds with the man who has hired him but also in the role his son Shintaro (Kazumasa Hoshino) has taken.
Keisuke Kinoshita’s direction is definitely mesmerizing in the way it approaches everything in a simple way. Though there’s moments in the film that do spout some Japanese propaganda due to the fact that the film was funded by the Japanese government during World War II. While much of the compositions in the film are very straightforward, Kinoshita does create some scenes that are still engaging such as a meeting between Tomohiko and an old man where Tomohiko’s wife Waka (Kinuyo Tanaka) is in the background from afar. Kinoshita’s usage of the wide shots are quite intense where it has a lot of coverage as it play into the evolution of Japan’s military as it’s more focused on training and trying to be part of something bigger than the individual.
Yet, the film is noted for an ending that was considered very controversial in its initial 1944 release as it relates to the role that Shintaro has to play for Japan. Notably as it’s shown from the perspective of someone close to Shintaro who see what he’s become and accomplished for the family but is it really worth it? Even as there is so much emphasis to honor the emperor and so much for the country unaware of the personal cost it would do to a family. Overall, Kinoshita creates a compelling and heartfelt film about a family’s desire to serve their country during wartime.
Cinematographer Yoshio Taketomi does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography as it is very straightforward with some lovely lighting for some of the film’s nighttime interior/exterior scenes. Production designer Isamu Motoki does excellent work with the film’s art direction from the pawn shop that Tomohiko runs that he’s inherited from his father and grandfather to places in the small town he and his family live at.
The film’s amazing cast include some notable small roles from Ken Mitsuda as Tomohiko’s father Tomonojo, Ken Uehara as an old military officer and friend of Tomohiko in Nishina, Haruko Sugimura as Shintaro’s friend Setsu, and Eijiro Tono as Setsu’s father Sakuragi who would give Tomohiko a job in teaching young soldiers. Kazumasa Hoshino is superb as Shintaro as a young man eager to please his father while coping with the expectations laid upon him as he also tries to find his own path into the world of the army. Kinuyo Tanaka is fantastic as Shintaro’s mother/Tomohiko’s wife Waka who deals with the expectations toward her family as well as steering Shintaro into the right path and pondering everything that is expected for the country. Finally, there’s Chishu Ryu in an incredible performance as Tomohiko as a man who is eager to fulfill his father’s wishes by serving in the army as he later copes with his own failure and hoping his son would be the one to fulfill the wishes only to deal that his ideas about service are becoming obsolete.
Army is a sensational film from Keisuke Kinoshita. It’s a film that explores the idea of servitude in the Japanese army during World War II and the pressure instilled upon those serving and the demands to honor its emperor. Even it means win at all cost. In the end, Army is a phenomenal film from Keisuke Kinoshita.
Keisuke Kinoshita Films: (Port of Flowers) - (The Living Magoroku) - (Jubilation Street) - (Morning for the Osone Family) – (Carmen Comes Home) - (A Japanese Tragedy) - (Twenty-Four Eyes) - (She Was like a Wild Chrysanthemum) - (Yorokobi mo kanashimi mo ikutoshitsuki) - The Ballad of Narayama (1958 film) - (The River Fuefuki) - Immortal Love
© thevoid99 2017
Based on the book Men of Tohoku by Shichiro Fukazawa, The Ballad of Narayama is the story of a woman who is near death as she asks her son to take her to a mountain where she can die so he can start his new life. Written for the screen and directed by Keisuke Kinoshita, the film is a chilling tale set in ancient Japan as it explores the concept of ubasute where an elderly person is sent to a mountain to live out its final days. Starring Kinuyo Tanaka, Teiji Takahashi, Yuko Mochizuki, Danko Ichikawa, Keiko Ogasawara, and Seiji Miyaguchi. The Ballad of Narayama is a rich yet heartbreaking film from Keisuke Kinoshita.
Set in ancient Japan in a remote village, the film explores the final days of an old woman whose widowed son is about to be marry to a widow as she is eager to go to the mountain of Narayama to spend her final days. It is told in kabuki-style approach to storytelling where some of its narrative is sung in the tradition of kabuki theater as it plays into the sense of melancholia that looms throughout the film. The film’s screenplay has a very unconventional narrative where the first half concerns about Orin (Kinuyo Tanaka) preparing her middle-aged son Tatsuhei (Teiji Takahashi) to marry a respectable widow in Tamayan (Yuko Mochizuki) while dealing with her own mortality. The second half is about Orin wanting to prepare her journey to the mystical mountain of Narayama as she and Tatsuhei are given instructions about what to do in their journey.
During the course of the film, there’s moments where Orin is being treated like a pariah by people in her village as she is the next to die while her family such as her eldest grandson would make songs about her. Yet, Orin would get the support and care of Tamayan who is new in the family as Orin would be the one to take her in first. Orin is a woman that represents all that is good with the family as she is an exceptional cook as well as someone who is wise as she would also help an old neighbor in Matayan (Seiji Miyaguchi) who is being mistreated by his son (Yunosuke Ito) who wants to take him to Narayama to die. There’s an element of cruelty over the way elderly has to go to this mountain to die but there’s also a sense of honor as it’s something Tatsuhei would have trouble dealing with as he loves his mother very much.
Keisuke Kinoshita’s direction is truly mesmerizing in the way he presents the film where it is shot entirely on a soundstage where it would act like a live kabuki-theater performance. It is set in a world where there’s a lot of visual backdrops where some of them would drop into another for scenes set at night or the lighting would suddenly change to create a mood. Kinoshita’s direction also includes these intricate dolly shots where the camera would pan from one section of the village to another to follow the characters while also using some medium shots to play into an intimacy in the drama. There’s also some tense moments such as a meeting where Orin and Tatsuhei would meet with those who went to Narayama as it is one of the film’s chilling moments. It would then climax into this journey of Orin on Tatsuhei’s back to trek into Narayama as it’s a journey full of mysticism and faith as well as what to expect when a person’s time is up. Overall, Kinoshita crafts a very intoxicating and somber film about death and the ideas of life itself.
Cinematographer Hiroyuki Kusuda does brilliant work with the film‘s rich and evocative cinematography with its array of colors and mood changes in the lighting as well as in the way some of the scenes are presented in its interior and exterior settings. Editor Yoshi Sugihara does nice work with the editing as it‘s very straightforward in terms of transitions and rhythmic cuts for the dramatic elements of the film. Production designers Kisaku Ito and Chiyoo Umeda do amazing work with the design of the entire village as well as the homes and mountain areas that includes the Narayama mountain.
Sound recorders Hideo Nishizaki and Hisao Ono do terrific work with the sound from the way some of the moments in the locations are presented as well as the sound of the weather for certain parts of the film. The film’s music by Rokuzaemon Kineya and Matsunosuke Nozawa is absolutely incredible as it is played in two very different styles with the former playing these dissonant and unsettling string instruments that add to the sense of dread with Nozawa doing the more vocal-based music where they become more intense once the two styles come together as it‘s a major highlight of the film.
The film’s excellent cast include some notable small roles from Eijiro Tono as the messenger who tells Orin about Tama, Ken Mitsuda as a local villager in Teru, Keiko Ogasawara as Kesakichi’s fiancée` Matsu, Danko Ichikawa as Tatsuhei’s eldest son Kesakichi, Yunosuke Ito as Mata’s very selfish and abusive son, and Seiji Miyaguchi in a terrific role as the old and mistreated Mata who is always starving as Orin would feed him. Yuko Mochizuki is brilliant as Tama as this widow who marries Tatsuhei as she ponders about being in a new family where she is immediately embraced by Orin while being the most understanding and caring person in the film.
Teiji Takahashi is fantastic as Tatsuhei as a middle-aged man dealing with the new marriage he’s in as well as what he has to do when it is time for his mother to die as it’s a role that is quite intense but also full of sensitivity. Finally, there’s Kinuyo Tanaka in a phenomenal performance as Orin as this old woman dealing with mortality as well as the role she is about to play as she is someone who would accept the idea of death as it’s one full of grace and wisdom which is more surprising since Tanaka was in her late 40s as she was playing a woman at the age of 70.
The 2013 Region 1 DVD/Region A Blu-Ray from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a new 2K digital master from a 2011 restoration in its 2:35:1 theatrical aspect ratio with remastered and restored sound in Dolby Digital Mono. The DVD/Blu-Ray set doesn’t feature any extras other than a teaser and trailer for the film but it does feature a booklet that features an essay by British film critic Philip Kemp about the film entitled Abandonment. Kemp essentially talks about Kinoshita’s place in Japanese cinema as well as the film itself which was quite daring for being experimental and traditional as it was considered one of the key films in Japanese cinema’s golden age after World War II. Kemp also discusses some of the film’s political and social allegories in the way old people are treated in the wake of World War II where nationalism took over and many of its moralities got lost until the war ended. It’s a very fascinating piece about one of Japan’s key films.
The Ballad of Narayama is a remarkable film from Keisuke Kinoshita that features an outstanding performance from Kinuyo Tanaka. The film is definitely one of the most beautiful and harrowing films about death and tradition as it would some very exotic cinematography and a mesmerizing film score. In the end, The Ballad of Narayama is a tremendously dazzling film from Keisuke Kinoshita.
Related: The Ballad of Narayama (1983 film)
Keisuke Kinoshita Films: Army - (Carmen Comes Home) - (Twenty-Four Eyes) - (Years of Sorrow and Joy) - Immortal Love
© thevoid99 2014
Based on the book Ugetsu Monogatari by Ueda Akinari, Ugetsu is a ghost story that follows the follies of men who are interested in ambitious deeds as it would affect the fate of their wives. Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi and screenplay by Matsutaro Kawaguchi and Yoshikata Yoda, the film is an exploration into the world of two simple men who crave for something better only to realize what they lose as it plays into the rise-and-fall scenario. Starring Mayasuki Mori, Machiko Kyo, and Kinuyo Tanaka. Ugetsu is a hypnotic yet harrowing film from Kenji Mizoguchi.
Set in the late 16th Century during a war at the Omi Province in Japan, a farmer and his friend both have ambitions to give their wives a better life as the former hopes to be rich through pottery while the latter wants to become a samurai warrior. Both men would succeed in their ambitions but at great cost as the farmer finds himself entranced by a mysterious beauty while his friend achieves greatness only to realize his foolishness when he discovers what happened to his wife. It’s a film that explores the folly of ambition during a place in time where war is happening and chaos is rampant in small villages where the instincts of many villagers is to survive and evade pirates, bandits, and rag-tag soldiers. Unfortunately, two men become blinded by ambition that they lose sight of what is important.
The film’s screenplay definitely plays to the rise-and-fall scenario where the farmer Genjuro (Masayuki Mori) is eager to give his wife Miyagi (Kinuyo Tanaka) and their son Genichi (Ikio Sawamura) a better life as he sells some things with the help of his friend Tobei (Eitaro Ozawa) where they make some good money. Genjuro’s talent in pottery has him wanting to do more as he thinks there is more money to be made in this time of war. Miyagi isn’t so sure as is Tobei’s wife Ohama (Mitsuko Mito) who reluctantly joins Tobei and Genjuro to go across the lake to a town to sell Genjuro’s pottery. That would play into the fortunes that would happen in the second act where Genjuro is entranced by the mysterious Lady Wakasa (Machiko Kyo) while Tobei’s desire to become a samurai has him taking the money he’s made into buying armor and a spear where he unknowingly kills a top general during the war. Ohama would find herself trying to find Tobei only for her fate to go bad as she becomes dishonored.
The film’s second half would unveil the fallacy of the decision these two men made where Genjuro becomes entranced by Lady Wasaka unaware of what is happening to him. Even as he starts to forget about Miyagi who is back home with their son trying to survive in their ruined village from rag-tag soldiers. While much of the second half would play into Genjuro’s time with Lady Wasaka, the story does reveal what is happening to Miyagi, Ohama, and Tobei. Most notably Tobei as he becomes a top samurai warrior where he finds out what happened to Ohama as he learns the true meaning of what it is to be a samurai warrior. Eventually, tragedy does occur as well as the realization about what is to really be rich as the script would also have this element of fantasy vs. reality in its third act as it relates to Genjuro’s journey.
Kenji Mizoguchi’s direction is very entrancing in the way he presents the story in not just his framing but also in the simplicity that he tells the story. Notably as he uses the frame to capture the beauty of the locations near Lake Biwa where Mizoguchi uses some slow tracking shots to capture the beauty of the location as well as wide shots of the towns and villages that the characters encounter. Stilll, Mizoguchi maintains a sense of drama that occurs such as the scenes of the villagers hiding in the woods where he maintains that air of suspense that is happening. Even in the scene where the two couples and Genichi are in a boat in the lake where it would play into something very ominous about what might be ahead where they do turn back only for Genjuro and Tobei to make another attempt to take that route with Ohama’s help.
Much of the film’s second half would feature some unique compositions to play out the fates of the many characters in the film. Notably as it would delve into melodrama as far as the fates of Ohama and Miyagi are concerned while Tobei’s story is a bit of a black-comedy in how he stumbles his way into greatness only to become a drama when he finds out what happened to Ohama. Then there’s Genjuro’s story where Mizoguchi maintains this air of mystique in the way he presents Genjuro’s life with Lady Wasaka where there’s a beauty to the images that plays out but it adds to something that is quite off. Notably as it would reveal into what is really going on as well as the tragedy that is to happen. Overall, Mizoguchi creates a very visceral yet poignant drama about the folly of ambition.
Cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa does amazing work with the film‘s black-and-white photography to capture the beauty of the locations while using some entrancing lighting schemes, with help from Kenichi Okamoto, to maintain that sense of brooding atmosphere at the home of Lady Wasaka. Editor Mitsuzo Miyata does excellent work with editing with the use of dissolves and transitional fade-outs to help structure the story while using some steady cuts to play out the film‘s drama. Art director Kisaku Ito does fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of the home of Lady Wasaka as well as the villages and towns the characters encounter.
The costumes by Shima Yoshimi is nice for the silk kimonos that Genjuro wants to get for Miyagi as well as the mysterious look of Lady Wasaka. Hair designer Ritsu Hanai and makeup artist Zenya Fukuyama do terrific work with the look of Lady Wasaka from her exotic makeup and hairstyle to represent the air of mystique about her. The sound work of Iwao Otani is superb for the intimacy that is created in the quieter moments along with the sounds of chaos in the scenes in the city and moments involving the soldiers. The film’s music by Fumio Hayasaka is brilliant for its ominous score with its mixture of heavy percussions and somber orchestral score blended with Japanese folk instruments to play up the melodrama and mystique in the film.
The film’s cast is remarkable as it features some notable small roles from Ryosuke Kagawa as the village chief, Ikio Sawamura as Genjuro and Miyagi’s young son Genichi, Sugisaku Aoyama as an old priest Genjuro meets late in the film, and Kikue Mori as Lady Wasaka’s aide who would play into Genjuro’s mind. Eitaro Ozawa is excellent as Tobei as a foolish man whose desire to become a samurai leads to a lot of trouble as he realizes the fallacies of his desires. Mitsuko Mito is wonderful as Tobei’s wife Ohama as a woman who tries to get Tobei to face reality only for his foolishness would get her into places that is horrific as she becomes dishonored.
Machiko Kyo is fantastic as Lady Wasaka as a woman of great beauty and mystique who definitely represents all the things that Genjuro could have but there is something about her that is off which adds a layer to Kyo’s performance. Kinuyo Tanaka is radiant as Miyagi as a woman who craves simpler things and tries to tell Genjuro that there’s no need for more as she later deals with his disappearance and face the dark reality of war. Finally, there’s Masayuki Mori in a marvelous performance as Genjuro as a man who wants to make a lot of money so his family wouldn’t be poor only to lose sight of what is really valuable when he meets Lady Wasaka as he becomes lost in a dark world.
Ugetsu is a phenomenal film from Kenji Mizoguchi that features top-notch performances from Masayuki Mori, Kinuyo Tanaka, and Machiko Kyo. The film is definitely an engrossing yet touching film about the folly of ambition as well as an exploration into how women become lost by the ambition of men. Especially as it takes a simple ghost fable into something more where it is presented in a troubling period in time when people are desperate to do good and escape poverty. In the end, Ugetsu is a spectacular film from Kenji Mizoguchi.
Kenji Mizoguchi Films: (Tokyo March) - (The Water Magician) - (Aizo Toge) - (The Downfall of Ozen) - Osaka Elegy - (Sisters of the Gion) - (The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums) - The 47 Ronin - (Utamaro and his Five Women) - (The Love of the Actress Sumako) - (Portrait of Madame Yuki) - (Miss Oyu) - (The Lady of Musashino) - The Life of Oharu - (A Geisha) - Sansho the Bailiff - (The Woman in the Rumor) - The Crucified Lovers - (Princess Yang Kwei-Fei) - (Tales of Taira Clan) - (Street of Shame)
© thevoid99 2013
Based on a short story by Mori Ogai, Sansho the Bailiff is the story about a governor’s family being torn apart after his exile where the wife is sold into prostitution while her children are sold into slavery under the cruelty of a bailiff. Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi and screenplay by Fuji Yahiro and Yoshikata Yoda, the film is an exploration of how a woman and her children endure hardships in the wake of a tumultuous period in Japan’s history. Starring Kinuyo Tanaka, Yoshiaki Hanayagi, Kyoko Kagawa, and Eitaro Shindo. Sansho the Bailiff is a harrowing yet powerful drama from Kenji Mizoguchi.
Set during the Heian period in Japan where lawlessness was running rampant among thieves and bandits while slavery was also happening. The film revolves around two kids, whose father was a kind governor, had to endure the cruelty of slavery under a steward known as Sansho the Bailiff (Eitaro Shindo). With their mother sold to prostitution and their father exiled for not giving in to feudal lords, the children become young adults as the son Zushio (Yoshiaki Hanayagi) tries to repress himself through work while Anju (Kyoko Kagawa) is clinging to her father’s words for mercy. Yet, it would take something that would finally prompt the children to escape where sacrifices are made but also the chance to set things right in a world ravaged by lawlessness.
The screenplay by Fuji Yahiro and Yoshikata Yoda explores a world where children who live in a refined background have to deal with not just harsh realities but a world where things can be bleak. The story begins with how their father is exiled as it moves back-and-forth where the young Zushio (Naoki Fujima) and Anju (Keiko Enami) are walking with their mother Tamaki (Kinuyo Tanaka) and their servant Ubatake (Chieko Naniwa) to find shelter. Notably as the flashbacks reveal the words Zushio’s father instills his son words of mercy and kindness so that humans can find hope in a bleak world. Yet, the words of the governor would be put to the test when the family is tricked by a priestess (Kikue Mori) who has the mother taken to an island to become a courtesan while the children are eventually sold to the very brutal Sansho the Bailiff.
Both the young Zushio and Anju realize a world where they have to be beaten if they don’t do their work as only some slaves and Sansho’s son Taro (Akitake Kono) become sympathetic as the latter later leaves his father’s home after giving the two kids words of what they have to endure before the time is right to escape. Still, the words of their father and Taro’s advice would be suppressed by Zushio after ten years of slavery as he loses hope while becoming accepting of Sansho’s rule where he becomes just as cruel towards the slaves. Anju meanwhile, is still clinging to that idea of kindness where it would be a song sung by a slave that would raise Anju’s awareness that her mother is still alive as it would also restore Zushio’s own faith. The third act would be about Zushio’s journey to appeal to a chief advisor about slavery where Zushio would reclaim some prestige but he realizes that it wouldn’t be enough to repair the damage over what happened to his family.
Kenji Mizoguchi’s direction is very engaging for the way he explores a family being splintered by a world where lawlessness is rampant. Mizoguchi’s direction is filled with gorgeous imagery of some of the Japanese locations but also mix it with an air of bleakness for what is happening in that world where people are pushed into slavery. Mizoguchi infuses a lot of wide shots as well as some medium shots and close-ups to capture a world where things are bleak while there is an element of hope somewhere. There is also some melodrama that is played out in the direction for the way the characters deal with their situation where some slaves attempt to escape only to be branded by hot steel as punishment. It’s a world where it’s run by this steward who has connections to the government and is a man with a lot of power.
The direction also has Mizoguchi making statements about this horrific period as he uses the Zushio character to fulfill the role that his father once played for the people in his land. Yet, he would have to endure things where even though he can make a difference for those who are helpless. It isn’t enough since the world is still bound by some lawlessness as well as the fact that there are those who won’t be able to enjoy the happiness of freedom. Even as Zushio is craving for something that is far more valuable than some title as he is still motivated to find his mother. There is nothing heavy-handed that Mizoguchi is saying as he presents it in a simple yet somber manner to reveal something where humanity was losing its way and how those managed to regain some hope. Overall, Mizoguchi creates very heartbreaking yet exhilarating film about humanity and its plea for mercy.
Cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa does amazing work with the film‘s black-and-white photography to capture some of the beauty of the Japanese locations including its mountains and beaches along with some chilling interiors in night thanks to some of the lighting by Kenichi Okamoto to play up that mix of hope and despair. Editor Mitsuzo Miyata does excellent work with the editing from the rhythmic cutting in some of the film‘s flashback scenes early in the film to some methodical yet effective cuts for some of the film‘s dramatic moments. Art directors Kisaku Ito and Kozaburo Nakajima, with set decorator Yuichiro Yamamoto, do brilliant work with the set pieces from the house of Sansho the Bailiff to the palaces of the chief advisor and the old house that Zushio and Anju lived as children.
The costumes by Yoshio Ueno and Yoshimi Shima are wonderful for the sense of prestige that the kids had early on in their robes only to then look in tatters as they become slaves. The makeup by Masanori Kobayashi is nice for the way some of the courtesans look in scenes where Tamaki has to look the part to play the role of a prostitute. The sound by Iwao Otani is terrific for the sense of chaos that is displayed in some of scenes where Sansho‘s men try to attack foes as well as a simple sense of intimacy in scenes involving nature. The film’s music by Fumio Hayasaka is just fantastic for its somber yet entrancing score filled with lush orchestral arrangements mixed in with traditional Japanese percussions and string instruments to create a sense of melancholia that is played out for the film.
The film’s cast is marvelous as it features some memorable small roles from Chieko Naniwa as the family servant Ubatake, Kikue Mori as an opportunistic priestess, Akira Shimizu as a slave trader who sells Zushio and Anju to Sansho, Bontaro Miake as Sansho’s lead general Kichiji, Ken Mitsuda as the chief advisor Zushio tries to appeal to, and Masao Shimizu as Anju and Zushio’s father who is a man of great idealism only to be exiled by a world of lawlessness. In the roles of the young Zushio and Anju, Naoki Fujima and Keiko Enami are excellent in their respective roles as siblings dealing with the harsh circumstances they’re put upon. Atikake Kono is superb as Taro, Sansho’s son who is horrified by his father’s cruelty and discovery of who the kids really are as he gives them advice on how to deal with the fate that is put upon them.
Eitaro Shindo is great as the very powerful and terrifying titular role as a man who is always kind to men of power while being very horrific to his slaves where he would make them endure some of the worst punishment known to mankind. Kinuyo Tanaka is wonderful as Zushio and Anju’s mother Tamaki who tries to ensure their father’s words in them as kids only to deal with her own cruelty as a prostitute as she sings a chilling song that would eventually reach them. Finally, there’s the duo of Kyoko Kagawa and Yoshiaki Hanayagi in their respective roles as Anju and Zushio. Kagawa displays a sense of grace to her performance as a young woman clinging to hope as it’s a very intoxicating performance to watch. Hanayagi is remarkable as the older Zushio who has nearly given up hope only when he realizes the opportunity to escape as he tries to come to terms with what he’s lost as well as the desire to make a difference in a terrifying world.
Sansho the Bailiff is an incredible film from Kenji Mizoguchi that explores the horrors of humanity and the desires for a few to instill hope in a world ravaged by evil. Featuring the mesmerizing performances of Eitaro Shindo, Atikake Kono, Kinuyo Tanaka, Yoshiaki Hanayagi, and Kyoko Kagawa. It’s a film that is quite harrowing and at times can be full of despair but it is balanced with the idea that hope will always come as it’s a film that unveils the power of humanity and how it can endure such cruelty. In the end, Sansho the Bailiff is a phenomenal film from Kenji Mizoguchi.
Kenji Mizoguchi Films: (Tokyo March) - (The Water Magician) - (Aizo Toge) - (The Downfall of Osen) - Osaka Elegy - (Sisters of the Gion) - (The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums) - The 47 Ronin - (Utamaro and his Five Women) - (The Love of the Actress Sumako) - (Portrait of Madame Yuki) - (Miss Oyu) - (The Lady of Musashino) - The Life of Oharu - Ugetsu - (A Geisha) - (The Woman in the Rumor) - The Crucified Lovers - (Princess Yang Kwei-Fei) - (Tales of Taira Clan) - (Street of Shame)
© thevoid99 2013
Based on the stories of Saikaku Ihara, The Life of Oharu is the story of a woman’s struggle to find herself after being a concubine for a territorial lord during the Edo in Japan. Directed by Kenji Mizoguichi and screenplay by Mizoguchi and Yoshikata Yoda. The film explores a woman’s life as she is sold into prostitution by her father as she tries to overcome many obstacles into being defiant against many issues set during a crucial period in Japan’s history. Starring Kinuyo Tanaka, Tsukie Matsuura, Ichiro Sugai, Toshiro Mifune, and Takashi Shimura. The Life of Oharu is an entrancing yet harrowing film from Kenji Mizoguchi.
Told in the span of in the span of many years, the film explores a woman’s tumultuous life as she started off as a woman whose father lived as a samurai working for a respected lord only for her and her parents to be banished. Though things seem to look up as she becomes a lord’s concubine and give birth to his child, the fortunes of Oharu (Kinuyo Tanaka) and her family only go downwards as her father sells her to prostitution to cover his debts. Working at a brothel and then working for a rich couple as a courtesan, Oharu’s life is still troubled despite a few moments in her life that would find her happiness. Yet, she is shamed into a life of cruelty by social classes and the rules of men as she eventually hits bottom. The film is told largely from the perspective of Oharu as it opens with Oharu as an aging prostitute working with a group of aging prostitutes as she’s at a temple reflecting on her life.
The screenplay by Kenji Mizoguchi and Yoshikata Yoda explores the lifestyle of a woman set in 17th Century Japan during its Edo period where women have to play a certain role for men. Yet, it’s a role that is filled with a lot of strict rules and guidelines where falling in love is something a woman who is working under the home of a lord is forbidden to do. It would play to Oharu’s torment as she loses men who want to give her a happy life while she is later banished by a lord’s council for falling for that lord as she and her family receives little compensation.
The cruelty that Oharu would face from her father and other men as well as a rich wife would play to Oharu’s sense of hopelessness. While she would have a few moments of defiance, it would often lead to all sorts of trouble where she endures all these tribulations that lead to her becoming poor and helpless. The third act in the script plays to Oharu finally reaching her bottom as she has endured so much where there would be a glimmer of hope that might actually help her.
Mizoguchi’s direction is very engaging for the way he explores the life of a woman as it is told largely from her perspective as it does sort of begin near the end of the story. Through some interesting compositions filled with some medium shots and a few wide shots, Mizoguchi explores a world where it is dominated by men while women are treated as second-class. While some of the presentation is in the form of a melodrama, there are bits of humor that do play out in the film such as a scene where Oharu exposes a rich wife’s secret after she accused her of having an affair with her husband. Yet, Mizoguchi is more interested in not just exploring the life of this woman and all that she endures but also the system that is preventing her to find happiness. Mizoguchi does play out moments where things seem to go upbeat but always remind the audience that it will only be brief.
By the time the film returns to the temple where Oharu is gazing at statues, it reveals how far this woman has come in all of that cruelty where she gets a chance to find a bit of hope. Yet, there’s compromises that occur for Oharu in the film’s climax where it’s clear that she’s changed a bit in everything she’s been through but the rules haven’t changed. It is in this moment where Mizoguchi employs an act of feminism in the climax though the outcome ends up being far more bleaker than what is expected. Overall, Mizoguchi creates a very fascinating yet haunting film about a woman’s tumultuous life and the cruelty she endures through the unjust system of the times.
Cinematographers Yoshimi Harano and Yoshimi Kono do brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white photography to capture some of the beauty of the Japanese locations in its exteriors while creating some lighting schemes in the interiors to play out some of the film‘s bleak mood. Editor Toshio Goto does excellent work with the editing by using a few stylish dissolves and fade-outs as transitions along with some rhythmic cuts to play out some of the melodrama. Production designer Hiroshi Mizutani does wonderful work with the set pieces from the look of the home of the lords Oharu serves to the brothel she has to work at in the film‘s second act. The film’s music by Ichiro Saito is fantastic as it is filled with some somber yet intricate music to play out Oharu’s journey of despair as the music largely consists of folk instruments and some intense orchestral cuts to create an air of bombast in the drama.
The film’s cast is incredible as it features an amazing collection of actors for the film. In small roles, there’s Takashi Shimura as an old man who helps out the aging prostitutes, Daisuke Kato as a con man at the brothel, Benkei Shiganoya as a brothel owner, Hiroshi Oizumi as a kind brothel manager, Chieko Higashiyama as an old nun, and Jukichi Uno as the fan maker Yakichi who gives Oharu a sense of hope for a brief period. Other notable small roles include Toshiro Mifune as a retainer who courts Oharu early in the film that led to her banishment, Toshiaki Konoe as Lord Matsudaira who falls for Oharu after giving birth to his son, and Hisako Yamane as the lord’s wife who gets rid of Oharu after the birth. Tsukie Matsuura and Ichiro Sugai are excellent as Oharu’s parents with the former as Oharu’s sympathetic mother and the latter as Oharu’s cruel father.
Finally, there’s Kinuyo Tanaka in a riveting performance as Oharu. Tanaka displays a great sense of humility and anguish to a role of a woman who endures all sorts of horrific treatment in the hands of the system towards women as she tries to live her life. Even as she tries to rebel through small means, she is still ridiculed where Tanaka allows her character to unveil as much pain that she endures in the course of her life as it’s a really unforgettable performance.
The Life of Oharu is a tough yet mesmerizing film from Kenji Mizoguchi that features a brilliant Kinuyo Tanaka. The film is definitely a strong piece of feminism that explores a woman trying to deal with the restrictions of her life during a tense period in Japan. It’s also a film that allows audiences to see how much this woman tries to find happiness in her life while dealing with all of the tribulation she faces. In the end, The Life of Oharu is a captivatingly rich film from Kenji Mizoguchi.
Kenji Mizoguchi Films: (Tokyo March) - (The Water Magician) - (Aizo Toge) - (The Downfall of Osen) - Osaka Elegy - (Sisters of the Gion) - (The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums) - The 47 Ronin - (Utamaro and his Five Women) - (The Love of the Actress Sumako) - (Portrait of Madame Yuki) - (Miss Oyu) - (The Lady of Musashino) - Ugetsu - (A Geisha) - Sansho the Bailiff - (The Woman in the Rumor) - The Crucified Lovers - (Princess Yang Kwei-Fei) - (Tales of Taira Clan) - (Street of Shame)
© thevoid99 2013
