Ugetsu (1953) Ugetsu monogatari (original title)

Director:

Kenji Mizoguchi

Writers:

Yoshikata Yoda (screenplay)
Matsutarô Kawaguchi (adaptation)
(more)

Release Date:

7 September 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery

Plot:

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...

Plot Keywords:

Samurai | Civil War | Farmer | 16th Century | Ambition

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

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
Teruko Ômi	...	Prostitute
Keiko Koyanagi	...	Prostitute
Mitsusaburô Ramon	...	Captain of Tamba Soldiers
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Toshio Chiba	...	Armored knight
Jun Fujikawa	...	Defeated soldier
Kôji Fukuda	...	Defeated soldier
Takaji Fukui	...	Defeated soldier
Shigeru Hasegawa
Yukio Horikita	...	Armored knight
Eiji Ishikura	...	Defeated soldier
Masayoshi Kikuno	...	Chôhatsu's soldier
Hajime Koshikawa
Sugisaka Koyama	...	High Priest
Tetsu Mikami	...	Brothel guest
Tokiko Mita	...	Lady attendant
Ryûzaburô Mitsuoka	...	Soldier
Shirô Miura	...	Brothel guest
Koji Murata
Hachiro Okuni	...	Brothel armored knight
Shirô Osaki	...	Armored knight
Akira Shimizu	...	Armored knight
Sachiko Sôma
Tokurin Takeda	...	Defeated soldier
Shuntaro Tamamura	...	Armored knight
Kazue Tamaoki	...	Villager
Masako Tomura	...	Prostitute
Tokuko Ueda	...	Lady attendant
Fumihiko Yokoyama	...	Meshiro
Michio Yuri	...	Chôhatsu's soldier

Directed by
Kenji Mizoguchi

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Matsutarô Kawaguchi		adaptation
Hisakazu Tsuji		idea (as Kyûchi Tsuji)
Akinari Ueda		stories Asaji Ga Yado and Jasei No In
Yoshikata Yoda		screenplay

Produced by
Masaichi Nagata	....	producer

Original Music by
Fumio Hayasaka
Tamekichi Mochizuki
Ichirô Saitô

Cinematography by
Kazuo Miyagawa

Film Editing by
Mitsuzô Miyata

Production Design by
Masatsugu Hashimoto

Art Direction by
Kisaku Ito

Set Decoration by
Kosaburô Nakajima

Costume Design by
Tadaoto Kainosho
Shima Yoshizane		(as Shima Yoshimi)

Makeup Department
Yoshiya Fukuyama	....	makeup artist
Ritsu Hanai	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Kazuhiko Oohashi	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tokuzô Tanaka	....	assistant director

Art Department
Uichiro Yamamoto	....	set designer
Seiichi Ôta	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Iwao Otani	....	sound recordist
Akira Suzuki	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Ennosuke Asada	....	still photographer
Yasuo Iwamoto	....	assistant camera
Kenichi Okamoto	....	gaffer
Shôzô Tanaka	....	assistant photographer

Other crew
Emi Kimura	....	archivist
Kinshichi Kodera	....	choreographer
Kinnosuke Matsunami	....	stage manager
Tasaburô Oota	....	background design
Shôichi Yamane	....	movement director

Production Companies

• Daiei Studios

Distributors

• Edward Harrison (1954) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1975) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (1964) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• trigon-film (2008) (Germany) (theatrical)
• trigon-film (2008) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (laserdisc)
• Eureka Entertainment (2008) (UK) (DVD)
• Eureka Entertainment (2012) (UK) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Kadokawa Entertainment (2006) (Japan) (DVD)
• Lume Filmes (2008) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Nihon Eiga Satellite Broadcasting (2009) (Japan) (TV)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2009) (Australia) (video) (VOD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2009) (South Africa) (video) (VOD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2010) (Australia) (TV)
• Video Yesteryear
• trigon-film (2008) (Austria) (all media)
• trigon-film (2008) (Germany) (DVD) (special edition)
• trigon-film (2008) (Switzerland) (DVD) (special edition)

Also Known As:

"Ugetsu monogatari" - Japan (original title)
"Tales of Ugetsu" - USA (literal English title)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved | Hong Kong:I | UK:PG (2008) | UK:X (1962) | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Daiei Studios, Tokyo, Japan

Company:

Daiei Studios

Trivia:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 100 Years of Japanese Cinema (1995) (TV)

A Film of Stunning Beauty and Emotional Depth

Having read much about this film, I thought I knew what to expect when I finally had the chance to see it. I was wrong; no amount of writing can convey the richness and impact of the images and the overall flow of the film-- which is why this commentary will be brief. Suffice it to say that I recommend this film wholeheartedly to anyone looking for cinematic poetry (though not, probably, to those who, misled by its being set during the Japanese Civil Wars, expect an action film).

Perhaps the most striking thing about the film is the camera-work; on a first viewing one is scarcely aware of it much of the time, but the camera is in constant motion, emblematic of the restlessness which pervades not only the era and the central characters but, by implication, all of human life (in this regard, it's a very Buddhist film). This movement is never gratuitous; when the scene demands little or no movement the camera stays still. Notice, though, how often the camera's movement enhances the emotional impact of the scene, especially in the famous panning shot (not, as occasionally described, a 360 degree shot) of the reunion near the end. Along with this is Mizoguchi's penchant for long takes, which seduce the viewer into the rhythm of the film without calling attention to themselves or to his cleverness as a director.

But these are technical comments which may or may not be helpful in focussing a viewer's attention; what really matters is the film itself as a whole. It is truly beautiful, and powerful in the unexpected way of great poetry. Technique and emotion, simplicity of means and complexity of effects, walk hand-in-hand here, and the result is remarkable in a way which film rarely attains.