 |
| Masayuki
Mori, Machiko Kyô, Kinuyo Tanaka, Eitarô Ozawa |
|
 |
Anamorphic
widescreen |
|
Dolby Digital
5.1 |
|
DTS |
|
 |
Trailer(s) |
|
Featurette(s) |
|
Documentary |
|
Audio commentary
|
|
Deleted scenes
|
|
Concept art
/ storyboards |
|
Multi-angle
feature |
|
|
|
|
Ohama (Mitsuko
Mito): Success always
comes with a price in suffering.
In the civil wars of 16th century
Japan, two ambitious peasants want to make their fortunes. The
potter Genjuro intends to sell his wares for vast profits in the
local city, while his brother-in-law Tobei wishes to become a samurai.
 The
international pantheon of classic Japanese film directors is dominated
all but exclusively by the names of Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro
Ozu, to the frustration of Kenji Mizoguchi's fans, who tend to
insist that he was in fact the true master of Japanese cinema.
In fact, Mizoguchi was long-established as one of the nation's
top directors when Kurosawa's Rashomon focused attention
on Japanese cinema. Mizoguchi directed 89 films in his lifetime,
more than half of which appeared during the silent film era. The
films he made in the early 1950s however (Diary of Oharu and Ugetsu)
were the only ones to attract significant international acclaim.
And while these films were frequently listed in 'all-time best'
lists in the 1950s and early 1960s, their acclaim seems to have
dwindled into a small group of devoted fans by now.
Hopefully, the long-awaited Criterion release of Mizoguchi's masterpiece Ugetsu will
set things straight and introduce a new generation to the phenomenal
work of this magnificent director. Using a deceptive simplicity
and an astonishing eye for uncanny compositions, Mizoguchi in this
film combines ghost stories from East and West in what can only
be termed a tour de force of cinematic technique. Without drawing
attention to the camera through elaborate pans or striking montage
sequences, Ugetsu presents its narrative with clarity
and economy that imbues its narrative a profound sense of high
drama. Remarkable for its cinematography as well as for the way
the film interweaves and contrasts several parallel narratives
with compassion, irony, and a masterful sense of the uncanny. |
|
 |
 |
|
|
The only available release is
a region-free two-disc box set from the Criterion Collection.
The fullscreen
image is framed at its original aspect ratio of approx. 1.33:1.
The image quality, unfortunately, isn't all we might have
hoped it to be. Although it has clearly undergone some restoration
efforts, there is still a great deal of visible damage to
the source print. Occasional vertical lines pop up across
the middle of the frame, and general debris throughout the
image rears its head here and there as well. It doesn't detract
overmuch from the film experience, but it's a pity that more
care wasn't taken in preserving this cinematic masterpiece.
The mono sound mix is presented in Dolby Digital 1.0, and
it sounds thin and rather tinny, but succeeds in communicating
the eery sense required by the film.
The first Mizoguchi title
to appear under the Criterion Collection banner is manna
from heaven for the director's many fans: starting off with
an excellent commentary track by film historian and Mizoguchi
expert Tony Rayns, the first disc moves on to a selection
of fifteen-minute interviews with collaborators and admirers
of the director's, including his regular cinematographer.
The second disc houses the two-and-a-half hour documentary
Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director, which
offers an excellent, well-researched comprehensive overview
of the director's career, featuring a great many clips from
his works. The beautifully designed accompanying booklet
features not only an eloquent essay by Philip Lopate, but
also the original short stories that offered the basis for
this adaptation. Finally, separate mention must go to the
packaging, which stands among great Criterion packages such
as Short Cuts, Fanny & Alexander and The
Complete Monterey Pop: the two discs are housed in separate
cardboard boxes, while the accompanying booklet has a similar
size and design. All three elements are held together by
a nicely designed cardboard box.
Dan
Hassler-Forest
Reviewed:
December 5, 2005
Click
here for IMDB info on Ugetsu.
Click here
to return to the front page.
|
|
| |
