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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Saikaku Ihara (novel)
Kenji Mizoguchi (writer)
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Release Date:
20 April 1964 (USA) more
Plot:
The tale of a 17th century samurai's daughter. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
2 wins & 1 nomination more
User Comments:
Why Did I Wait To See This? more (15 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Kinuyo Tanaka | ... | Oharu | |
| Tsukie Matsuura | ... | Tomo, Oharu's Mother | |
| Ichirô Sugai | ... | Shinzaemon, Oharu's Father | |
| Toshirô Mifune | ... | Katsunosuke | |
| Toshiaki Konoe | ... | Lord Harutaka Matsudaira | |
| Kiyoko Tsuji | ... | Landlady | |
| Hisako Yamane | ... | Lady Matsudaira | |
| Jûkichi Uno | ... | Yakichi Ogiya | |
| Eitarô Shindô | ... | Kahe Sasaya | |
| Akira Oizumi | ... | Fumikichi, Sasaya's Friend | |
| Kyôko Kusajima | ... | Sodegaki | |
| Masao Shimizu | ... | Kikuoji | |
| Daisuke Katô | ... | Tasaburo Hishiya | |
| Toranosuke Ogawa | ... | Yoshioka | |
| Hiroshi Oizumi | ... | Manager Bunkichi |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Diary of Oharu
Saikaku: Life of a Woman (literal English title)
The Life of Oharu
more
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
148 min | USA:133 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | UK:PG | Hong Kong:I
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
This film, which was director Kenji Mizoguchi's dream project, was severely under-financed, and the production was forced to use a warehouse instead of a regular sound stage. This warehouse happened to be located near railways, and each time a train passed by, they had to stop shooting, which made the shooting of the film even more difficult with the director's obsessive use of long, continuous, uninterrupted takes. The same warehouse was also used for Josef Von Sternberg's film 'The Saga of Anatahan'. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Aru eiga-kantoku no shogai (1975) more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (15 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Saikaku ichidai onna (1952)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
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Recommendations
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| Ugetsu monogatari | Gion no shimai | Rashômon | Miyamoto Musashi | Zoku Miyamoto Musashi: Ichijôji no kettô |
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Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Drama section | IMDb Japan section | Add this title to MyMovies |

I finally saw Life of Oharu at the Ontario Cinematheque in Toronto last night and what an amazing film it was.
I don't know why I held out on Mizoguchi for so long. I think it's because I watched a lot of Ozu in the day and expected more of the same heavily restrained, obliquely symbolic style which is often as alienating as it is inventive. I couldn't have been further off the mark. Mizoguchi's style is fluid and assured like Hitchcock and Bresson. He also injects a warmth of spirit and shows a genuine interest in storytelling which is often absent in much of Ozu's ouevre.
The Story of Oharu is a treatise on how women are economically exploited in a patriarchal society. This is probably one of the greatest 'women's films' ever made. It ranks above 'Breaking The Waves' and Sirk's 'Imitation of Life'. No small feat!! If you like stories that actually say something about the world in which we live, I would strongly recommend this film. It's a masterpiece of world cinema. I am definitely going to see more Mizoguchi.