Ugetsu

Infobox Film
name = Ugetsu


caption = Original poster to Ugetsu (1953)
director = Kenji Mizoguchi
producer = Masaichi Nagata
writer = Matsutarō Kawaguchi
Akinari Ueda
Yoshikata Yoda
starring = Masayuki Mori
Machiko Kyō
Kinuyo Tanaka
music = Fumio Hayasaka
distributor = Daiei
released = flagicon|Japan Mar 26, 1953
flagicon|USA Sept 7, 1954
runtime = 94 min
country = Japan
language = Japanese
amg_id = 1:51580
imdb_id = 0046478
awards =
budget = |

nihongo|"Ugetsu"|雨月物語|Ugetsu monogatari ('Tales of Moonlight and Rain' or 'Tales Of The Pale And Silvery Moon After The Rain') is a 1953 film by Japanese director Kenji Mizoguchi. The film, set in Medieval Japan, stars Masayuki Mori and Machiko Kyō, and is inspired by stories by Ueda Akinari and Guy de Maupassant. It is Mizoguchi's most celebrated film, regarded by critics as a seminal masterwork of Japanese cinema.

Plot

"Ugetsu" starts with Genjuro, a potmaker taking his pots to a nearby marketplace. Tobei, a man with hopes of becoming a samurai one day, follows him to help sell his pots. Once at the village they begin to sell the pots, which get a surprising amount of money, as it is a time of war and soldiers need the pots to carry supplies and food. Tobei sees a warrior and begs him to make Tobei his assistant. Tobei is pushed away and is told he can never be a warrior unless he gets a spear and armor.

At the village, Genjuro and Tobei's wives are waiting for their arrival. A respected sage tells Genjuro's wife to warn her husband about seeking profit in time of upheaval, and to prepare for a probable attack on the village. When Genjuro arrives, his wife is surprised to see all the money he's made. With some of the money, Genjuro has purchased a modest kimono for his wife. She loves her much longed for gift, but stresses to Genjuro she loves the gift because of his kindness, and not because of the item itself. She does not want him to return to the village and wishes that they remain a happy family. Later, Tobei arrives, disgraced and, as his wife says, looking like a beggar.

Genjuro, bent on making an even larger profit during the next trip to the village, works long and hard hours to finish his pottery. After he snaps at his son for interrupting his work, his wife, who is helping him spin his potter's wheel, tells him he is a changed man. Tobei helps Genjuro load his pots into a kiln, with the promise of a third of the profits. The two men fall asleep by the kiln, exhausted. Their wives worry that they have put their hopes and dreams in the kiln as well and fear what would happen if the pottery should be lost. Unfortunately, that night the village they live in is attacked by soldiers, who are taking men in for forced labor and using women for other darker purposes. "Hide your women," shout villagers as they scatter into the woods. Genjuro refuses at first to leave the kiln, fearful the fire will go out, and tells his wife to prepare some rice for their escape into the woods, though it is woefully too late to do so. Eventually, after some prodding, Genjuro, his wife and Tobei's wife escape into the woods, but Tobei stays behind. He attempts to steal a samurai's armor, but fails and goes to the woods. Though Genjuro is sure that Tobei was taken for forced labor, he comes back to tend the fire of the kiln, and finds the fire has gone out. His wife follows him in hopes to coax him back into the safety of the woods. Soldiers come to the kiln and search for villagers, but do not find Genjuro or his wife. Distraught, Genjuro and his wife pull some pieces of pottery from the kiln and rejoice when they find the pottery not ruined, as they had supposed, but ready to sell. They decide to take the pots to a different marketplace across the river.

Tobei's wife, a daughter of a rowman, mans the oar of an abandoned boat and sings across the lake. Out of the thick fog which encompasses the lake, a boat appears. They fear the man laying prone in the boat is a river spirit. "I am not a ghost," whispers the beaten man. Leaning forward for a drink, the man tells them he was attacked by pirates, warns them back to their homes, then falling into his boat, dies. Genjuro and Tobei push the boat away, murmuring prayers for the man. The two men decide to return their wives to the shore. Tobei's wife refuses to go, saying she will help sell the pottery. Genjuro's wife begs him not to leave her, but is left on the shore with their young son clasped to her back. Tobei, his wife and Genjuro cross the river and arrive at the marketplace.

At market, Genjuro is swamped with customers. His pottery sells very well. After taking his promised share of the profits, Tobei runs off to buy samurai armor. His wife, not wanting to lose their hard earned money to Tobei's dreams of becoming a samurai, pursues him. Tobei hides near an armor shop and his wife, unable to find him, moves on and gets lost from Genjuro, who has stayed behind to sell the pots. Tobei then buys a suit of armor and spear, and sneaks into the ranks of a clan of samurai.

Meanwhile, Genjuro, still selling pots, is visited by a beautiful noblewoman and her servant, who order several pieces of pottery and tell him to take the pots to Wakasa Manor, where he will be paid handsomely. On his way to the manor, Genjuro stops at a kimono shop and dreams of buying his wife a bundle of kimonos. The noblewoman and servant find him there and offer to direct him to the manor. The Wakasa Manor lies in ruins, and during dinner Genjuro learns that soldiers have attacked the manor and killed all who lived there, except Lady Wakasa and her servant. He also learns that Lady Wakasa's father haunts the manor. Genjuro is seduced by Lady Wakasa, and she convinces him to marry her. "I never knew such pleasures existed," exclaims a love-drunk Genjuro.

Lost from her friends, Tobei's wife, exhausted, has gone beyond the walls of the village in her desperate search for Tobei. After running into a group of warriors, she is raped by more than one soldier. As the soldiers leave her in torn clothing, one soldier further dishonors her by throwing some coins at her feet as he leaves. She stumbles outside and curses them and her foolish husband.

Meanwhile, Tobei finds himself in the midst of a battle, and sneaking along, sees a dying general asking a soldier to behead him. The high ranking soldier, distraught, obeys and beheads his general. Tobei kills the soldier and takes the general's head to his leader. His leader doesn't believe Tobei killed the general, but considers it a good find anyways, and lets Tobei have whatever he wishes.

Meanwhile, Genjuro has returned to the village and is buying kimonos for his mistress Lady Wakasa. He does not have enough money for all of the items he wishes to purchase and while bartering with the seller mentions that he is staying at Wakasa Manor. The seller, suddenly rattled, pushes all of the goods across to Genjuro, telling him to take them and to leave. Confused, Genjuro makes his way back to Wakasa Manor and on the way meets a priest who tells him that the mark of death is on him. He is told to return to his loved ones or certain death awaits him. Genjuro mentions the noblewoman, and the priest reveals that the noblewoman is dead, that he must have her exorcised and then invites Genjuro to his home.

Meanwhile, Genjuro's home village is under attack. Genjuro's wife and son hide from soldiers and are found by an elderly woman who hurries them to safety, pressing food into the mother's hands. Genjuro's wife accepts the food and escapes into the woods with her son. In the woods, several soldiers, starving and weak with hunger, desperately search her for food. "The food is for my son," she begs. She fights with the soldiers and is stabbed in the stomach. While the soldiers wrestle for the stolen morsels, Genjuro's wife struggles to go on, but collapses several times with her son still clutching to her back.

Tobei rides into the marketplace on his newly gifted horse with several vassals flanking him. Tobei is eager to return home to show his wife that he is indeed a samurai. A woman stands in front of his horse, saying, "I can not let you pass!" She asks him to visit her brothel and after some prodding by his men, Tobei agrees. While eating, drinking and boasting, Tobei is interrupted by his wife fighting with a customer for the money he owes her for services rendered. Shocked, he approaches her and learns that she has been working at the brothel as a prostitute. Tobei's wife angrily tells him he put his dreams of being a samurai above her, and she has been dishonored (by him, by the soldiers who raped her and by her current occupation.) She wishes to die, but could not do so until she saw Tobei once more. Tobei, distraught, comforts her and promises to buy back her honor. Later, the two return to the village, Tobei sans armor.

Genjuro returns with his gifts to Wakasa Manor. Lady Wakasa fawns over her gifts, then asks Genjuro to return with her to her native land. He refuses, and admits that he is married, has a child and wishes to return home. Lady Wakasa will not let him go and again asks him to return with her to her native land. She attempts to put her hands on him, but cries out and pulls away. Her servant rips his clothes from his back. The priest has drawn kanji symbols over Genjuro's body which protect him from Lady Wakasa and her servant. The servant, unrepentant, admits that she and her mistress are spirits, but only returned to this world so Lady Wakasa, who was slain before she knew love, could experience its joys. She then chastises him for trying to take her newfound love away, and tells him to wash away the symbols. Fearful, Genjuro reaches for a sword and swings it wildly around to keep the women at bay. The two spirits back away into the shadows and Genjuro throws himself out of the manor and passes out. The next day, Genjuro, with the sword still by his side, is awoken by angry soldiers. They accuse him of stealing the sword, but he denies it, saying it is from the manor. The soldiers laugh at him, saying the manor was burned down over a month ago by soldiers. Genjuro arises and finds the ruined manor he has lived in is nothing more than a pile of burnt wood. The beautiful kimonos he brought for Lady Wakasa are strewn over the burnt manor, and Lady Wakasa's voice sings from the ashes.

Genjuro returns home to his wife and child. His wife, delighted to see him, will not let him tell of his terrible mistake. Genjuro holds his sleeping son in his arms and visits with his wife, and eventually lies down to sleep. His wife mends her treasured kimono through the night, keeping watch over her husband and child. The next morning, Genjuro wakes to a neighbor knocking on his door. The neighbor is surprised to see Genjuro home, and expresses concern over Genjuro's son. The neighbor explains that he has been caring for Genjuro's son, and that the boy must have come to his old home in the middle of the night, somehow knowing Genjuro would return home. "The bond behind parent and child is strong," says the neighbor. Genjuro calls for his wife. The neighbor asks if Genjuro is dreaming, saying his wife is dead.

During the final scenes, Genjuro's wife's spirit speaks, saying she enjoys spinning Genjuro's pottery wheel for him as he works (which she continues to do for him, even in death,) and is pleased that Genjuro is finally the man she always wanted him to be, and is looking forward to being a happy family again. "I am always with you," she tells Genjuro and her son.

Awards

"Ugetsu" won the Silver Lion Award for Best Direction at the Venice Film Festival in 1953. The film has made multiple appearances in "Sight and Sound" magazine's top ten critics poll of the greatest movies ever made, which is held once every decade. In 2000, "The Village Voice" newspaper ranked "Ugetsu" at #29 on their list of the 100 best films of the 20th century.

Availability

On November 8, 2005, "Ugetsu" became available for the first time on Region 1 DVD when The Criterion Collection released a 2-disc edition of the film, which includes numerous special features such as a 150-minute documentary on Mizoguchi directed by Kaneto Shindo. [ [http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=309 The Criterion Collection: Ugetsu by Kenji Mizoguchi ] ] The boxset also includes a booklet with an essay and three short stories from which the film draws inspiration: Akinari Ueda's "The House in the Thicket" and "A Serpent's Lust", and Guy de Maupassant's "How He Got the Legion of Honor".

On April 21, 2008 "Ugetsu Monogatari" is available in the UK for the first time on Region 2 DVD released by [http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/ Eureka Entertainment] as part of their ongoing collaboration with Masters of Cinema. The 2 x disc special edition containing new transfers is released in a double pack which twins it with Oyu-Sama (Miss Oyu).

The box set includes a 64 page booklet, featuring writing by Keiko I. McDonald (author of Mizoguchi and editor of Ugetsu) and award-winning translations of Ueda Akinari’s The Reed-Choked House and A Serpent’s Lust, tales adapted by Mizoguchi in Ugetsu Monogatari. Video discussions about both Ugetsu Monogatari and Oyu-sama by acclaimed Japanese film expert/critic, festival programmer, and filmmaker Tony Rayns. Original theatrical trailers.New and improved English subtitles.

References

External links

*
* [http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=309&eid=451&section=essay Criterion Collection essay by Phillip Lopate]
* " [http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/1953/cc000790.htm Ugetsu] " at the Japanese Movie Database
* [http://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/catalogue/ugetsu-monogatari/ Ugetsu Monogatari at Eureka Entertainment]
* [http://www.seekjapan.jp/article-1/765/J-Horror:+An+Alternative+Guide Review of Ugetsu Monogatari]
* " [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ugetsu/ Ugetsu] " at Rotten Tomatoes