One of the early films of Kenzi Mizoguchi, apparently the one that got him his first wide acclaim and box-office success, was a melodrama that went right for the familial gut. I think the emotional purpose, of pointing a finger right at the audience and asking "what would you do?" works because of the society that Mizoguchi was in at the time. It may be hard for some to conceive that forgiveness of something like being the "other" woman for a married man and getting arrested for a petty crime would be impossible, but in Osaka Elegy this is exactly what occurs. We feel strongly this sense of Ayako Murai wanting to do the right thing, of being a good daughter for her father who has money problems (accused of embezzlement for one thing and needing the $300), but that there's also the problem of this affair.
Most of this is seen in long-takes by Mizoguchi, some well filmed and some not so much (it was 1936 and I imagine not the best equipment for, say, outdoor night shoots with little light), and we feel this cold detachment that the other characters start to feel for her, sometimes on a dime, and it leads to a point where she is just walking the streets, with nobody, a "stray" with no job and no family. I know I'm spoiling but it's important to point out the context - this is a drama that is so embedded in the melodrama of this story, of these characters struggling and being stubborn all the way, be it Ayako's father or even her ex-boss. If nothing else Mizoguchi makes a very strong identification with this character, and other characters like her family, and the nice young man who wants to just marry her... and deep down vise-versa.
It's not the smoothest film (some of the cinematography is gorgeous but, again, it also jitters a bit and the print is worse for wear even in the Eclipse series), and a couple of the supporting performances like the cuckold wife is one-dimensional. Yet it's lead by an amazingly tender and tough and touching actress Isuzu Yamada, and a few scenes like the strange puppet theater scene or a specifically harsh scene where the nice young man discovers Ayako's true self and is in a stunned silence in the corner of the room are classics unto themselves. Certainly for any fan of the director's, even if it's not a complete masterpiece; maybe a look at the 90 minute cut, as opposed to the 71 minute one, will revise this review. 8.5/10
Most of this is seen in long-takes by Mizoguchi, some well filmed and some not so much (it was 1936 and I imagine not the best equipment for, say, outdoor night shoots with little light), and we feel this cold detachment that the other characters start to feel for her, sometimes on a dime, and it leads to a point where she is just walking the streets, with nobody, a "stray" with no job and no family. I know I'm spoiling but it's important to point out the context - this is a drama that is so embedded in the melodrama of this story, of these characters struggling and being stubborn all the way, be it Ayako's father or even her ex-boss. If nothing else Mizoguchi makes a very strong identification with this character, and other characters like her family, and the nice young man who wants to just marry her... and deep down vise-versa.
It's not the smoothest film (some of the cinematography is gorgeous but, again, it also jitters a bit and the print is worse for wear even in the Eclipse series), and a couple of the supporting performances like the cuckold wife is one-dimensional. Yet it's lead by an amazingly tender and tough and touching actress Isuzu Yamada, and a few scenes like the strange puppet theater scene or a specifically harsh scene where the nice young man discovers Ayako's true self and is in a stunned silence in the corner of the room are classics unto themselves. Certainly for any fan of the director's, even if it's not a complete masterpiece; maybe a look at the 90 minute cut, as opposed to the 71 minute one, will revise this review. 8.5/10