949 A Story from Chikamatsu

[swo17]

A Story from Chikamatsu



One of a string of late-career masterworks made by Kenji Mizoguchi in the early 1950s, A Story from Chikamatsu (a.k.a. The Crucified Lovers) is an exquisitely moving tale of forbidden love struggling to survive in the face of persecution. Based on a classic of eighteenth-century Japanese drama, the film traces the injustices that befall a Kyoto scroll maker's wife and his apprentice after each is unfairly accused of wrongdoing. Bound by fate in an illicit, star-crossed romance, they go on the run in search of refuge from the punishment prescribed them: death. Shot in gorgeous, painterly style by master cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa, this subtly sensuous indictment of societal oppression was heralded by Akira Kurosawa as a "great masterpiece that could only have been made by Mizoguchi."

SPECIAL FEATURES

• New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
• New interview with actor Kyoko Kagawa
• Mizoguchi: The Auteur Behind the "Metteur-en-scène," a new illustrated audio essay by film scholar Dudley Andrew
• Trailer
• New English subtitle translation
• PLUS: An essay by film scholar Haden Guest

[Michael Kerpan]

Mizoguchi's most perfect film (says me). Mizoguchi's cast could not be better, neither could Miyagawa's cinematography.

However, it is really a(nother) tale by Saikaku (the same writer who provided the source for Life of Oharu). Saikaku published "What the Seasons Brought the Almanac Maker" in 1686 (in Five Women Who Loved Love), based on a recent true life incident. Chikamatsu wrote his bunraku play (Daikyôji Mukashi Goyomi) in 1715, based on the same incident. Mizoguchi's film draws on both sources, but contains a fair amount of the sly humor that characterized Saikaku's version (but does not seem to have been present in Chikamatsu's more purely tragic one). While Mizoguchi drained much of Saikaku's (often a bit sarcastic) humor from his (otherwise wonderful) Life Of Oharu, his Chikamatsu monogatari perfectly maintains the blend of (occasional) humor and deeply heartfelt tragedy found in Saikaku's "Almanac Maker".

[Big Ben]

Thank you for the history Manny. I'll certainly pick this up. Certainly don't think it'll be popular with the family though.

[bottled spider]

To second Michael, the film is somehow lighter than would seem possible from the content of the story -- less devastating at any rate than Sansho or Oharu. I enjoyed this a lot when it was screened at the Siskel a few months ago.

[DeprongMori]

The supplements seem pretty thin on this one. I’ll likely keep my Eureka unless the new transfer is outstanding.

[swo17]

Yes, next time Criterion, please think outside the (MoC) box: Portrait of Madame Yuki!

[Michael Kerpan]

Yes, next time Criterion, please think outside the (MoC) box: Portrait of Madame Yuki!

I think this just may be Mizoguchi's most purely visually beautiful film. I love it despite finding the story just a wee bit problematic.

[Michael Kerpan]

To second Michael, the film is somehow lighter than would seem possible from the content of the story -- less devastating at any rate than Sansho or Oharu. I enjoyed this a lot when it was screened at the Siskel a few months ago.

Because of the comic leavening, this film has a MORE powerful impact on me than either Oharu or Sansho.

[swo17]

Yes, next time Criterion, please think outside the (MoC) box: Portrait of Madame Yuki!

I think this just may be Mizoguchi's most purely visually beautiful film. I love it despite finding the story just a wee bit problematic.

There was a story?!

[Big Ben]

Wikipedia states that Madame Yuki is in the public domain here in the States so a release doesn't sound unmanageable.

[artfilmfan]

Just when I thought I'm done with buying Mizoguchi films on DVD/Blu-ray, then comes along this announcement!

[Finch]

It's my favourite Mizo as well and I'm going to triple-dip on this for the 4k resto.

[Toby Dammit]

Why Criterion preferred "A Story From Chikamatsu" to name this film over "The Crucified Lovers" -much more appealing, much more dramatic- which is the most widely known name in the West?
Other films are included in the collection with their most popular names in English.

[artfilmfan]

Yes, next time Criterion, please think outside the (MoC) box: Portrait of Madame Yuki!

I think this just may be Mizoguchi's most purely visually beautiful film. I love it despite finding the story just a wee bit problematic.

There was a story?!

Yes, there was! It's from Chikamatsu, in case you haven't heard. And get this, according to Michael, it's "just a wee bit problematic"; therefore, there's nothing worth worrying about!

[Michael Kerpan]

It's Madame Yuki's plot that I said was "problematic".

Chikamatsu monogatari is PERFECT!!!!

[artfilmfan]

Duh! I should have thought outside of the (MoC) box!

If Chikamatsu monogatari is that PERFECT, I surely will triple-dip. I already bought the French DVD (released early this century, remember that?) and the, ahem, MoC DVD.

[Michael Kerpan]

I also have the French set (with the only available DVD of Taira Clan, albeit only with French subs), and the MOC BluRay.

Well, this was Kurosawa's favorite Mizoguchi film (if that counts).

[artfilmfan]

I watched this again on the MoC DVD last night, after not having seen it for many years. It has held up very well. An excellent film!

[dda1996a]

That OOP MoC Mizoguchi box will always haunt me, won't it? Is going through his filmography in chronological order a good way to start? Even though I still have Ugetsu sitting on my shelf unseen looking at me every morning

[domino harvey]

Since you need someone to tell you to do it: Go watch Ugetsu

[artfilmfan]

I don't know which will haunt dda more, missing out on the OOP MoC Blu-ray boxset or having an unseen ghost story sitting on the shelf staring at him every morning. Heeding domino' advice seems like something that will help mitigate the problem.

[Ribs]

Why Criterion preferred "A Story From Chikamatsu" to name this film over "The Crucified Lovers" -much more appealing, much more dramatic- which is the most widely known name in the West?
Other films are included in the collection with their most popular names in English.

It also happens to spoil the ending.

[Michael Kerpan]

It also happens to spoil the ending.

Of course, at the time it was made, its intended Japanese audience would probably known/guessed the ending regardless of the name (just knowing it was by Chikamatsu would be a tip-off, and knowing the specific source work would make it even more clear). So, only Western audiences unacquainted with Chikamatsu would be surprised by the ending in any event. (And, of course, the film actually starts with a pair of lovers on their way to be crucified).

Spoilers should never be a thing when one is dealing with adaptations of classic works of literature/theater.

dda -- If you have Ugetsu sitting around, why not watch it?

[Ribs]

I understand that line of thinking, but people would have been upset if, say, they renamed Murder on the Orient Express

Spoiler

“Everyone Did It”

last year. Not the same thing at all as this obviously isn’t a mystery in the same vein, but I’m fairly certain that’s a bit part of why they changed the title, as silly and unnescessary as it may seem (as, even still, “the Crucified Lovers” is enigmatic and literary enough to not immediately make you think, “oh, that’s what that title means.”)

[domino harvey]

I've edited your post. Everyone, please use some common sense and don't spoil any other movies in this discussion without using a spoiler box