56-57 / BD 71 Uwasa no onna & Chikamatsu monogatari

[manicsounds]

I'd say if the current 2 Mizoguchi Blu-rays sell well enough, the 2 other releases have a good chance of being upgraded as well.

[swo17]

I've moved discussion of the upcoming Mizoguchi BD box to this thread. Please only make comments there specific to the release of the 8-film boxset. This thread is for discussion of the two films mentioned in the thread title.

[Drucker]

Addendum -- Chikamatsu monogatari also looks pretty wonderful. Despite Tony Rayn's annoyingly dismissive "introduction", this remains my favorite Mizoguchi film. Luckily, he is the only displeasing aspect of this MOC series so far.

I've got a week off of work and am finally working my way through this set. I'll also say that as someone with ADHD, I am certain many of the films I watch which I "don't get" or can't follow, it's more a result of my own inability to pay attention perhaps more than the way the film is made. Getting into films for me is indeed a challenging thing. Mizoguchi was a director I checked out pretty early on as I tried getting into films, but found it hard to watch. Sansho and Ugetsu were okay, but the Eclipse set made me give up on him. I found the films depressing in an off-putting and repetitive way. Perhaps it's because I'm a better film-watcher now, and perhaps it's because i'm trying to go through this set in a short period of time (which I always fail to do with boxsets), but the two films in this set really clicked for me.

There was something to Chikamatsu last night that I really enjoyed. The chase sequences were excellent (and the beautiful shot on the boat where they both don't commit suicide is phenomenal.

Spoiler

Halfway through the film, it was clear to me it would end the same way it began, with the crucifixion. And this is just a great example of what a well-constructed film this was.

The film handled it's various plots deftly. Some of the tropes that Mizoguchi films contain (male benefactor, who, at the moment a geisha needs it, just can't come through!) were not present. The film also had more hope in it than any of his others, even if the characters are naturally doomed!

I have to say, as great as Chikamatsu was, I enjoyed Uwasa even more. Better than any other Mizoguchi film I've seen, this film really gave us a glimpse of the lives of every geisha in the house, how they interact with each other, and how the people that would be the focus of the story interacted. I've felt distracted by his films in the past where by focusing on one character's desperation, we have very little insight into what drives them. This film, too, was incredibly well constructed. The plot where people the head of the geisha house arrives home, carrying new baggage on her shoulders, then a group of men come in to interact with the geisha, was powerful as it evolved throughout the film, as we see her slowly losing a grip on the control she has on her life. The male character in this film, too, is more enjoyable than usual. Even though he is to be despised, his character felt far more multi-dimensional than I'm used to in these films. The film does a fantastic job of keeping you interested in the background characters and grounding the characters at the forefront in their lives. Very enjoyable film which got better and better as i wen

It's incredibly helpful, for what it's worth, that this set looks phenomenal, and I'm sure the PQ definitely distracted as I tried watching the Eclipse. Looking at the late-period masterpieces of Ozu and Mizoguchi, which so clearly stand out to me as their best work, it's more obvious than ever these masters are at the height of their powers at the twilight of their careers.

[Michael Kerpan]

Uwasa no onna borrows more than a little from Shaw's Mrs/ Warren's Profession. Not sure why this film has typically been disregarded, The performances are great -- and Tanaka's perforance here is one of her very best for Mizoguchi (whike Yoshiko Kuga as the daughter is alos first-rate). Whikle people rave about Tanaka in Sansho and Ugetsu -- her roles in these are pretty one-dimensional. In Uwasa, as in Utamaro and Love of Sumako the Actress, Tanaka gets to play complex characters, not ones who simply suffers nobly. But, while I do love Uwasa, Chikamatsu remains my (heavy) favorite. ;-}