Tales of Ugetsu
Tales of Ugetsu is a romantic and grim story about a potter who escaped from his family happiness to the world of dreams, only to find himself even lonelier and unhappier than before. The unusual subtlety of Mizoguchi, his talent to give hidden sense to everyday situations and objects and finally the invisible skill to control emotions, made Mizoguchi one of the classics, whose works are maybe not milestones of new trends, but who achieve excellent consistency of form and matter with other artists' means.
J. Płażewski, Historia filmu
In Tales of Ugetsu Mizoguchi speaks about basic issues: life, death, love, illusiveness of human ambitions, sufferings and tragedies of war and about how much people need peace. He speaks about them in a down-to-earth way, although every event is universal here. The film is a great allegory and at the same time - a precise, moving picture of reality and human fate.
Stanisław Janicki, Film japoński
Kenji Mizoguchi (born 1898), creator of psychological drama, strongly rooted in Japanese culture. He specialised in portraits of feminine characters and middle-class society. His art was not stylishly consistent, as the artist kept trying new styles and forms. His career started in the times of silent cinema, but his peak achievements were those of the 1950s, when he made such outstanding films as Tales of Ugetsu, The Crucified Lovers (Chikamatsu monogatari), and Street of Shame (Akasen chitai). He died in 1956. The inscription on his tombstone says: The greatest filmmaker of the world.
Selected filmography:
1936 Elegia Naniwy / Naniwa erejī / Osaka Elegy
1936 Siostry z Gionu / Gion -no shimai / Sisters of the Gion
1939 Opowieść ostatniej chryzantemy / Zangiku monogatari / The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums
1951 Pani na Musashino / Musashino Fujin/ The Lady of Musashino
1952 Życie Oharu / Saikaku ichidai onna / The Life of Oharu
1953 Opowieści księżycowe / Ugetsu monogatari / Tales of Ugetsu
1954 Zarządca Sansho / Sansho dayū / Sansho the Bailiff
1954 Ukrzyżowani kochankowie / Chikamatsu monogatari / The Crucified Lovers
1955 Saga rodu Taira / Shin heike monogatari / The Tale of the Heike
1956 Ulica hańby / Akasen - chitai / Street of Shame