Mizoguchi Kenji’s Ugetsu Monogatari, known more simply as Ugetsu in North America, is a film based on Ueda Akinari’s Tales of Moonlight and Rain. This 1953 movie belongs in both the jidai-geki and kaidan film genres, and features brilliant performances from such prominent actors as Mori Masayuki, Kyo Machiko, and Tanaka Kinuyo.
The film opens with a scene in front of Genjuro (Mori Masayuki) and Miyagi’s (Tanaka Kinuyo) small home near Lake Biwa. Through dialogue between the husband, wife, and their neighbours, the audience is given insight into the looming threat of war due to Shibata’s advancing army, as well as Genjuro and his neighbour Tobei’s greedy motives for wanting to travel to the city of Nagahama. Genjuro leaves in order to sell his pottery and capitalize on the excellent profit that wartime often provides, while Tobei abandons his wife in order to fulfill his desire of becoming a great samurai. However, the two men return back to their town with two very different experiences. Genjuro, making good on his promise to Miyagi, returns with money and gifts for his family and allows Tobei, who was ultimately rejected during various attempts at becoming a samurai, to help him make the next batch of pottery for a share in the next trip’s profits. The unexpected arrival of Shibata’s army forces the two families to escape, with pottery in tow, by boat across Lake Biwa to the city of Omizu. Though, due to a bad omen, Genjuro decides to return his wife and son back to shore and continue on with only his neighbours. From here, the relations between Genjuro, Miyagi, and Genichi, and Tobei and Ohama are shattered. Genjuro, through his encounters with Lady Wakasa, and Tobei, through his insatiable urge to become a samurai, give in to their temptations, and as a result leave their loved ones abandoned and vulnerable to their surroundings and outside forces. As the story progresses, various themes such as greed, abandonment, temptation, and regret are brought forth to the viewers in varying levels. It is by the movie’s different events that the audience becomes aware of what kind of effects these negative mind sets and actions can have on loved ones.
Mizoguchi has an inherent ability to create various moods and effectively communicate his complex themes and messages in the most artistically subtle, yet effective manners. This is achieved by using a combination of techniques including thoughtful camera angles, character positioning in relation to his camera shots, and the various actions and emotions performed by his actors in his scenes. One sequence which encapsulates all of these elements occurs while the two families are escaping from Shibata’s army, in a boat on Lake Biwa. The scene opens with the boat emerging from the fog. As it moves closer and closer to the camera it becomes apparent to the viewer that, contrary to what may normally be expected, Ohama is in fact rowing the boat. Mizoguchi then cuts to a panning shot of the boat which depicts Genjuro and Tobei enjoying a bottle of sake. As the shot moves slowly along the boat it arrives at a concerned Miyagi who sports a look of uneasiness. While she sits in silent disapproval, she faces the camera with her back turned to the men. From this short and simple sequence, a lot of information is relayed to the audience. Firstly, the dynamics between men and women are illustrated through Ohama and Miyagi’s submissiveness to Genjuro and Tobei. Ohama rows the boat so that Tobei may accomplish a goal she has disapproved of from the very beginning of the movie, while Miyagi keeps quiet as if she is afraid to voice her opinions. Secondly, Genjuro and Tobei’s greed, surrender to temptation, and blatant disregard for their loved ones also becomes extremely evident. They discuss their business prospects and relax, without picking up on Miyagi’s negative body language, and while Ohama propels the boat further through the fog.
It is through Lady Wakasa, but more specifically her wardrobe and residence, that the audience gains understanding in the use of costumes and architecture in order to advance the movie’s storyline and illuminate themes of temptation and greed. The first appearance of Lady Wakasa occurs while Genjuro is selling his pottery in the city of Omizu. By dressing Lady Wakasa in a brilliantly white kimono and an extravagant hat and veil, Mizoguchi gives her an almost deity-like aura. Her gentle nature and beauty challenges both Genjuro and the viewer’s ability to resist her temptations. However, it is when Genjuro enters her living quarters that the magnitude of her importance and attraction is fully reinforced. Her home is meticulously built with the finest décor, and is a far cry from Genjuro’s previous living conditions. Genjuro succumbs to his greed and disregards any feelings for his wife when he agrees to Lady Wakasa’s marriage proposal. Mizoguchi creates such a contrast between Genjuro’s life at his village home and life at the Wakasa residence that Genjuro loses sight of what is important: his family. For Genjuro, the idea of making his pottery not out of necessity, but for simply the love of the art, and living in a luxurious lifestyle with a wife that essentially worships him is too much to resist.
Ugetsu Monogatari, when compared to its modern cinematic counterparts, may seem extremely slow in relaying the storyline to its viewers, and seem to possess a somewhat rough characteristic. Regardless of these so-called flaws, the end result is an extremely powerful movie which elicits strong and genuine emotion from its audience. It is uncommon that a movie nearly 60 years old can still resonate with a contemporary audience so intensely. This is why Ugetsu Monogatari is widely considered one of Japan’s best movies, and why I would recommend it so highly to anyone interested in Japanese cinema.