Ugetsu (1953) Ugetsu Monogatari

Movie Rating NR Contains: Mature Situations

Director: Kenji Mizoguchi Movie Genre: Drama, Character Study Country: Japan Ugetsu Score Card The following scores are based on a 0.0 to 10.0 rating scale Hover your mouse pointer over the name of each scoring category below for a description Direction: 8.0 Writing: 7.7 Acting: 7.0 Cinematography: 9.0 Sound and Score: 6.0 Functionality: 8.5 Presentation: 9.0 Genre Comparison: 7.2 General Comparison: 8.4 Overall: 7.9 Reviewed 2005-12-30 04:32:42

Ugetsu, directed by Kenji Mizoguchi is a story about two men trying to fulfill their overly ambitious and unrealistic goals during war-torn 16th century Japan. Genjuro is a potter who sells his wares in the nearest town. The first time he goes to town after the soldiers are stationed there, he comes back with a large amount of money. Genjuro then works day and night making as many pots as possible in order to make enough money to retire on his next trip into town. His brother-in-law Tobei, who helps out with the pottery, wants nothing more than to be a noble samurai. While in town helping Genjuro sell the pottery, Tobei encounters a group of samurai and asks to join them. The samurai laugh at his request and tell him to come back only after he has a set of armor. On their next trip into town, both men abandon their current lives for the sake of fame and fortune.

The majority of the story focuses on Genjuro after he gets into town. While selling his pots, he is approached by a beautiful, wealthy noblewoman named Lady Wakasa, who buys a complete set of dishes from him. When Genjuro goes to her house to deliver the goods, Lady Wakasa and her assistant convince him to live there for a few days. Genjuro starts to fall for Lady Wakasa, but when the topic of marriage is brought up, he longs for his wife and child he left behind. When Genjuro tries to go back and reclaim the life he ran away from, he finds out that a great deal has changed since he left his humble life behind.

After Tobei returns to town he finds an unethical way to convince the locals that he is an accomplished samurai. While celebrating a major victory, Tobei receives a similar rude awakening.

Kazuo Miyagawa's cinematography is a feast for the eyes. The lake scene was brilliantly shot. The change in lighting parallels the changes in the film's mood and establishes that scene as the point of no return. The visuals after the two men arrive in town are equally marvelous. The supernatural effects mixed with the stark realism of the occupied city successfully display any glimmer of optimism as purely a guilty pleasure.

The story is told with the utmost delicacy. Even though the main characters' dreams go unfulfilled, the mood of Ugetsu is realistic and mature, instead of being cynical and depressing. The primarily Buddhist message about humbling oneself to overcome life's suffering is not heavy-handed at all.

With its involving story, breathtaking visuals, and wholesome message, it is no wonder that Ugetsu is on most critics' top-ten lists. Ugetsu is a prime example of what can happen after a director has truly mastered the art of cinema.