“Ugetsu” is directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, and written by Matsutarô Kawaguchi and Yoshikata Yoda. It stars Machiko Kyo, Masayuki Mori, Kinuyo Tanaka, Sakae Ozawa, Mitsuko Mito, Kikue Mori, and Ikio Sawamura.
A brand new 4k restoration of Kenji Mizoguchi’s 1953 film Ugetsu is now playing at the Film Forum through March 9. Mizoguchi is widely considered by critics and filmmakers to be one of the titans of Japanese cinema. This is his most celebrated work, often ranked as one of the all-time greats. This restoration was done by the Film Foundation and Kadokawa Foundation at Cineric Laboratories. Martin Scorsese served as a consultant on the restoration.
The film is set in the 16th century in Japan’s Ōmi Province. The region is engulfed in civil war. Genjurô (M. Mori) is a potter, working to provide for his wife, Miyagi (Tanaka), and young son Genichi (Sawamura). His friend Tôbei (Ozawa) aids him in his craft, but longs to become a samurai, much to the frustration of his wife, Ohama (Mito). Driven from their homes by soldiers, Genjurô and Tôbei bring their pottery with them as they attempt to sail to another region in order to sell their goods. A boat emerges from the fog, and its passenger warns them of pirates. This unsettles them, and they return to shore to drop off Miyagi and Genichi. They promise to return soon.
What follows is dream-like, unsettling, and often beautiful. Mizoguchi explores what happens to these two couples due to temptation and human weakness. I had never seen Ugetsu before, so I was a bit nervous going in, intimidated by its reputation. Fairly quickly, though, I found myself invested in the story, having no idea where it was headed from scene to scene.
There are moments of surprising brutality, as well as numerous scenes with a palpable sexual energy. These are things I did not expect from a film from 1953. But what struck me the most in the film’s second half are its supernatural elements, which become increasingly prominent as the film progresses. There’s a dream-like lyricism to these scenes, as well as to the general flow of the story that I found appealing.
The film’s plot effectively divides in two at the halfway point, as we see both couples go through their own tragic arc. Mizoguchi opts not to reconvene these threads. He instead goes for a surprising conclusion which is majestic and life-affirming in a way that feels of a piece with everything we’ve seen up to that point, and that’s full of humanity and deep sadness.
The restoration itself is wonderful. Since I had never seen the film before, I had nothing to compare it to, but Mizoguchi’s black and white compositions looked great, at times taking on an almost surreal, digital clarity. If you have not seen this film, this is the perfect opportunity. Don’t miss out.
-Anthony Calamunci
