Chikamatsu monogatari (1954)

In 17th century Kyoto, Osan is married to Ishun, a wealthy miserly scroll-maker. When Osan is falsely accused of having an affair with the best worker, Mohei, the pair flee the city and ... See full summary »

Director:

Kenji Mizoguchi

Writers:

Monzaemon Chikamatsu (play), Matsutarô Kawaguchi (adaptation),

Stars:

Kazuo Hasegawa, Kyôko Kagawa, Eitarô Shindô

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kazuo Hasegawa	...	Mohei
Kyôko Kagawa	...	Osan
Eitarô Shindô	...	Ishun
Eitarô Ozawa	...	Sukeemon (as Saka Ozawa)
Yôko Minamida	...	Otama
Haruo Tanaka	...	Gifuya Dôki
Chieko Naniwa	...	Okô
Ichirô Sugai	...	Gembei
Tatsuya Ishiguro	...	Isan
Hiroshi Mizuno	...	Kuroki
Hisao Toake	...	Morinokoji
Kazue Tamaoki	...	Jushiro Umegaki
Kimiko Tachibana	...	Umetatsu Akamatsu
Keiko Koyanagi	...	Okaya
Sayako Nakagami	...	Osono

Storyline

In 17th century Kyoto, Osan is married to Ishun, a wealthy miserly scroll-maker. When Osan is falsely accused of having an affair with the best worker, Mohei, the pair flee the city and declare their love for each other. Ishun orders his men to find them, and separate them to avoid public humiliation.

---

Plot Keywords:

love | money | scandal | honor | historical event | 

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

November 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Story from Chikamatsu

Company Credits

Production Co:

Daiei Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Edited into Origins of the 21st Century (2000)

User Reviews

Good though not on par with Mizoguchi's masterpieces

This is certainly a good film, beautifully photographed and evocatively acted. Yet one should certainly criticize it, and Mizoguchi, for it is not without flaws and weaknesses. Mizoguchi really cared for women, and wanted to make statements on man's lack of sympathy and total cruelty, yet he sometimes gets ahead of himself in trying to make this statement by adopting the wrong means. This is certainly a case in 'the Crucified Lovers', 'Princess Yang Kwei Fei' and 'Zankiku monogatari'. He sets the scenario in feudal Japan, which leaves the viewer at the end with the partially right exclamation: "boy, does feudalism suck, I'm glad that it is over...". And true, some of the scenarios such weaker films of Mizoguchi present would be literary impossible today. Also, his women characters sometimes become archetypes of unrealistic self-sacrifice, which also simplifies the scenario less appealing. Saying that, "Crucified Lovers" is a good film, with such few relative weaknesses, though the sometimes chilly, cynical prose by Ueda, the screenwriter helps this film allot. I still highly prefer and recommend Mizoguchi's 'realistic, 'contemprary' films of 1936: 'Osaka Elegy' and 'Sisters of the Gion', as well as his late masterpieces, in which he showed more restraint and subtlety: 'Ugetsu', 'Sansho Dayu', and 'The Life of Oharu'.