Directed by: Kenji Mizoguchi
Released: 1953
Run time: 94 minutes
Certificate: PG
View trailer on Youtube: Click here
Two brothers, one consumed by greed, the other by envy, risk their lives and families to pursue their ambitions
Kenji Mizoguchi’s Ugetsu tells their story in one of the greatest films of all time – one which along with Kurasawa’s Rashomon helped introduce Japanese cinema to western audiences.
A mixture of social realism and otherworldly fantasy, the film takes place during a time of civil war in sixteenth century Japan. A sweeping tale of earthly humanity and spectral apparitions, it laments the suffering experienced, by women above all, in times of conflict.
Mizoguchi’s attention to historical accuracy, artistic refinement, and human observation combines with a rare embrace of the spiritual in Ugetsu. Its effect is entrancing, affecting, and unforgettable.
