The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum (1939)

The adopted son of a legendary actor, and an aspiring star himself, turns to his infant brother's wet nurse for support and affection - only for her to give up everything for her beloved's glory.

Director:

Kenji Mizoguchi

Writers:

Matsutarô Kawaguchi, Shôfû Muramatsu (novel)

Stars:

Shôtarô Hanayagi, Kôkichi Takada, Ryôtarô Kawanami

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shôtarô Hanayagi	...	Kikunosuke Onoue
Kôkichi Takada	...	Fukusuke Nakamura
Ryôtarô Kawanami	...	Eiju Dayu
Kinnosuke Takamatsu	...	Matsusuke Onoue
Jun'nosuke Hayama	...	Kanya Morita
Tamitaro Onoue	...	Tamizô Onoue
Ichirô Yûki	...	Guest in waiting room
Kômei Minami	...	Shintomi greenroom manager
Jin'ichi Amano	...	Shintomi's onnagata
Haruo Inoue	...	Actor
Sumao Ishihara	...	Manager of the travelling company
Kô Hirota	...	Greenroom manager of the travelling company
Minpei Tomimoto	...	Guest in waiting room
Eijirô Hose	...	Travelling actor
Nobuko Fushimi	...	Eiryû, a geisha

Storyline

In Tokyo in 1888, Kikunosuke Onoue, the adoptive son of an important actor, discovers that he is praised for his acting only because he is his father's heir, and that the troupe complains how bad he is behind his back. The only person to talk to him honestly about his acting is Otoku, the wet-nurse of his adoptive father's child. She is fired by the family, and Kikunosuke is forbidden to see her, because of the gossip a relationship with a servant would cause. Kikunosuke falls in love with Otoku, and leaves home to try to make a living on his own merits outside Tokyo. He is eventually joined by Otoku, who encourages him to become a famous actor to regain the recognition of his family.

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Plot Keywords:

actor | acting | love | wet nurse | truth | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

15 January 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shôchiku Eiga

Technical Specs

Runtime:

143 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the latest (2012) BFI "Greatest Films of All Time" poll, available online, 9 critics and 3 directors chose this film as one of the ten best ever made.

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Connections

Remade as Zangiku monogatari (1956)

User Reviews

melodrama carried with a poised pace

I am a tyro in view of Japanese cinema (one reason why I often feel ashamed to call myself a cinema buff), and among Mizoguchi's filmography, my only previous viewing is his later epic saga SANSHO THE BAILIFF (1954, 7/10), a haunting revenge tale with a cogent message about sacrifice and redemption, whereas in THE STORY OF THE LAST CHRYSANTHEMUMS, which is shot much earlier, pre-WWII, the same ideas have been incubated through a love story barred by the class gulf, Otoku (Mori) is a symbol of devotion and forbearance and Kikunosuke (Hanayagi) is a man of moral integrity, occasionally under the affliction of hardship, he is worn out and evinces rather disappointing male chauvinism, but she accepts and assimilates all these negative effluvia until the ultimate sacrifice, as long as Kikunosuke can regain his social status and fame through his bona-fide acting after years of studying and training. What a role model couple, depicted as the kernel of the mentality of Japan at that time, behind every successful man there is a capable wife, who doesn't has her own ranking or vocation, but should be fully devoted and (if lucky) intelligent to assist her husband (maybe now is still the same), a standpoint may sound outdated and even putrid nowadays.

At the first scene, the novel milieu of Kabuki brings immediate exotic flavor to foreign viewers, but it is hard to be truly appreciated in an outsider's eyes, I can not tell the qualitative leap of Kikunosuke's acting skill, plus the orbit of the plot is stereotyped and take the twist and turn for granted, Hanayagi and Mori's acting is too hammy for my taste as well.

But impressively the film contrives outstanding mise en scène, the camera never dare to be too near its characters, as we watch from a distance, everything is presented in an implicit rhythm with gracefulness and subtlety, which wholesomely leads its viewers through the voyage of a tearjerker behind the times with its mellifluous soundtrack sets the mood.

I might feel a bit disheartened about this film, but it never too late to excavate the treasure of Japanese cinema, so I will keep up and continue to divulge my true feelings after watching them.

PS: one interesting note, I find it rather peculiar to put salt on watermelon, at least not in my culture, the mixed salty and sugary flavor doesn't seem to be scrumptious to me, anyone who has the experience can give an explanation?