Sanshô dayû (1954)

 

In medieval Japan, a compassionate governor is sent into exile. His wife and children try to join him, but are separated, and the children grow up amid suffering and oppression.

Harrowing drama on a epic scale is told with skilled direction and beautiful cinematography.

Halliwell***: "A tough tale of oppression and injustice, sacrifice and redemption, told simply but with great skill, the beauty of its images alleviating some of the narrative's harshness, but not its power."

Maltin****: "Epic, poetic drama...Haunting, with stunning direction and cinematography..." 

 

Chikamatsu monogatari (1954)

 

 

Ishun is a wealthy, but unsympathetic, master printer who has wrongly accused his wife and best employee of being lovers. To escape punishment, the accused run away together, but Ishun is certain to be ruined if word gets out.

Kenji Mizoguchi stages this harrowing and heart-wrenching tragedy with a superb cast and beautiful black-and-white cinematography.

Maltin***1/2: "Superior performances, stunning direction..." 

 

Uwasa no onna (1954)

 

Yukiko's fiance learns her mother runs a geisha house and ends their engagement. She despises what her mother does until one of her clients shows interest and starts to woo her.

Lesser known Kenji Mizuguchi melodrama nonetheless reveals his mastery for realistic, highly dramatic and heart-felt stories of female fates; superb cast, beautiful cinematography and excellent settings all around.

Maltin**1/2: "Minor Mizuguchi." 

 

Oyû-sama (1951)

 

Shinnosuke is introduced to Shizu as a prospective wife, but he falls in love with her widowed sister Oyu. Convention forbids Oyu to marry because she has to raise her son as the head of her husband's family. Oyu convinces Shinnosuke and Shizu to marry so that she can remain close to Shinnosuke.

Heart-wrenching and sad tale of love and sacrifice under harsh traditional rules is told in beautiful, lyrical black-and-white imagery and the cast perform excellently throughout, especially Kinuyo Tanaka in the title role.

 

Akasen chitai (1956)

 

The personal tales of various prostitutes who occupy a brothel.

Kenji Mizuguchi's last film startles with a narrative full of subplots centered on the turmoil and sorrows of one brothel's inhabitants; lively staged with a large cast there are some strong and heart-wrenching scenes along the way.

Halliwell*: "Unremarkable material executed with the style expected of the director."

Maltin***1/2: "...sensitively handled in Mizoguchi's last completed film. Kyo is particularly memorable as a tough, cynical lady of the night; her scene with her father is a highlight." 

 

Yôkihi (1955)

 

In eighth-century China, the emperor mourns the loss of his wife. The opportunistic Yang family offers a distant cousin as a concubine in hopes of gaining influence at court.

Sumptuous, beautifully set and photographed period drama is a love tragedy of truly Shakespearean dimensions; but maybe not quite as stirring as it could have been.

Maltin***: "Breathtakingly beautiful, poetic love story/fable/tragedy." 

 

Gion Bayashi (1953)

 

A seasoned geisha and her apprentice maiko are forced to give in to their clients' sexual advances to survive.

This elegantly photographed tragedy conveys and condemns female exploitation and suppression in Japanese society; the ensemble is excellent and the settings wonderfully detailed.

Maltin***: "Beautiful photography by the great Kazuo Miyagawa complements Mizuguchi's usual biting social critique." 

 

Ugetsu monogatari (1953)

 

A tale of ambition, family, love, and war set in the midst of the Japanese Civil Wars of the sixteenth century. 

This Japanese classic by Kenji Mizuguchi is a carefully crafted and photographed fable and morality play seamlessly mixing genres (melodrama, samurai, ghost story), but always focused on its topic of warning about the dangers of seeking wealth and fame for its sake. 

Halliwell*: "Unique mixture of action, comedy and the supernatural, with strong, believable characters participating and a delightfully delicate touch in script and direction."

Maltin***1/2: "Eerie ghost story..."