Ugetsu (1953)
"Ugetsu monogatari" (original title)

In the beginning of the springtime in the period of the Japanese Civil Wars of the Sixteenth Century in Lake Biwa in the Province of Omi, the family man farmer and craftsman Genjurô travels... See full summary »

Director:

Kenji Mizoguchi

Writers:

Matsutarô Kawaguchi (adaptation), Hisakazu Tsuji (idea),

Stars:

Masayuki Mori, Machiko Kyô, Kinuyo Tanaka

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Masayuki Mori	...	Genjûrô
Machiko Kyô	...	Lady Wakasa
Kinuyo Tanaka	...	Miyagi
Eitarô Ozawa	...	Tôbee (as Sakae Ozawa)
Ichisaburo Sawamura	...	Genichi
Mitsuko Mito	...	Ohama
Kikue Môri	...	Ukon
Ryôsuke Kagawa	...	Village Master
Eigoro Onoe	...	Knight
Saburô Date	...	Vassal
Sugisaku Aoyama	...	Old Priest
Reiko Kongo	...	Old Woman in Brothel
Shôzô Nanbu	...	Shintô Priest
Ichirô Amano	...	Boatsman
Kichijirô Ueda	...	Shop Owner

Storyline

In the beginning of the springtime in the period of the Japanese Civil Wars of the Sixteenth Century in Lake Biwa in the Province of Omi, the family man farmer and craftsman Genjurô travels to Nagahama to sell his wares and makes a small fortune. His neighbor Tobei that is a fool man dreams on becoming a samurai, but he can not afford to buy the necessary outfit. The greedy Genjurô and Tobei work together manufacturing clay potteries, expecting to sell the pieces and enrich; however, their wives Miyage and Ohama are worried about the army of the cruel Shibata that is coming to their village and they warn their ambitious husbands. Their village is looted but the families flee and survive; Genjurô and Tobei decide to travel by boat with their wives and baby to sell the wares in a bigger town. When they meet another boat that was attacked by pirates, Genjurô decides to leave his wife and son on the bank of the river, promising to return in ten days. Genjurô, Tobei and Ohama raise a large...

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Plot Keywords:

samurai | civil war | potter | japan | pottery | 

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

7 September 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tales of Ugetsu

Filming Locations:

Daiei Studios, Tokyo, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Daiei Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The films original title, Ugetsu Monogatari, roughly translates to "Tales of the Moon and Rain."

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Connections

Referenced in Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director (1975)

User Reviews

magical and moving

This holds a special place in my heart, and I still consider it to be absolutely one of the very greatest films ever made for adults. The work of a mature artist, it resonates with Buddhist practice, and is a profoundly moving tale of the suffering of the human condition, the violence of war, the possibilities of art uplifting the spirit, the possibilities of redemption of character. The closing scene is one of such deeply-felt compassion and understanding that it is almost frightening; it prefigures in a way the stunning and more personal close of the subsequent Mizoguchi film "Sansho the Baliff".

On a lighter level, it is an amusingly sly allegory of the actual history of Japan for the 20 or so years prior to 1953, where in the end the women, embittered (or dead) as a result of their men's quixotic quest for military glory or war-profiteering, entreat them to give up their misguided and destructive dreams, settle down, and get back to their real responsibilities.

Which they did.

Originally available on LaserDisc.