Kenji Mizoguchi was a Japanese master of world cinema, renowned for his lyricism and poetic imagery of nature. He had the talent of positioning the viewer as an observer through creative camera movement and composition. He created elegant films that depicted the circumstances in which Japanese women had to live, and to make choices. When Japanese films first arrived to Europe in the early 1950's, he was instantly praised as the greatest master of Japan; until the year of 1954 when Akira Kurosawa made Seven Samurai. Kurosawa changed everything the Europeans had so admired about Japanese cinema; exoticism, beauty and silence of life. But still, even to this date, Kenji Mizoguchi is considered as a great master of his country. Mizoguchi defined what Japanese cinema was all about. He brought Japan among other nations, outside of Asia.
Even that Kenji Mizoguchi started making films in the 1920's, he made his most celebrated films during the rising of Japanese cinema, in the early 1950's. Ugetsu monogatari (Tales of the Pale Moon after the Rain, 1953) might just be his most well known work, and it is quite perfect with its synthesis of picture and sound, reconstruction of the epoch and the poetic imagery. His films of this era were characterized by strong aesthetic styling, poetry and beauty. But also by postwar disillusions, darkness and the price of war. They were stories set in feudal Japan, during the 16th and 17th century, but were allegorical for postwar Japan. The Life of Oharu is much more strictly tied to its own time, compared to Ugetsu, but it also succeeds in being a timeless classic with its portrayal of injustice and contempt.
A samurai's daughter, Oharu, falls in love with a lower-class servant. After getting caught she and her family get deported from their village. When the local Lord is in need of a concubine to produce him an heir, Oharu gets a second chance. But after the new Lord has been born, Oharu is once again deported with only a small payment. The film follows the road of her life which is full of misfortune and darkness.
The title of the film is quite revealing with regards to the content of the film. It portrays the life of Oharu, full of agony and despair. In her life, Oharu only gets three moments of joy all of which are eventually taken away from her: first when she falls in love with the servant; she thinks that she has found the love of her life. But gets disappointed as the society can't approve relationships regardless of wealth and status. Then when she is promised a better life as a concubine; she thinks that a more affluent life waits for her but only gets abused and betrayed. Finally, when she is promised to see her son; the son of the Lord, to whom she gave birth to, a better life should await for her. But in turn gets once again deported and becomes a beggar.
Kenji Mizoguchi doesn't embellish the misery one bit but he doesn't highlight or point out things for us either. There isn't a slightest error of exaggeration in the film. The people Oharu becomes acquainted with are all spiritually poor and horrible, with a few exceptions. The few benevolent people are determined to die or lose it all. For instance the dance fan-maker Oharu marries, after trying prostitution and being a busker. The man loves her, regardless of her past, but gets murdered for no reason. Most of the other men treat Oharu like dirt, coldly and without compassion. But of course as a historical film The Life of Oharu tells more about the time it was made in than the time it takes place in. Through this story Mizoguchi touches many unmentioned taboos of the Japanese society in the 1950's.
In The Life of Oharu a woman doesn't have a change for better life; social rising is impossible. The only way to improve one's life, for a woman, is to marry an affluent man. But not even that works for Oharu. Since her man gets killed and she is once again doomed. This ruthless depiction of the society still contains lyric flashes of the transience and sudden beauty of life. These images are contrasts for the social realism, which isn't naturalism by any means. For its style, the film comes close to poetic realism of its own.
In addition to these insightful themes of the transience, beauty and severity of life, The Life of Oharu also has strong criticism for capitalism. In the art of cinema, prostitution is often a reflection of market economy and free trade; women are free to sell themselves as they wish, but actually are forced to do so. For a film with a strong take on like this, it's no surprise that its themes are strictly social; disregard, money, hierarchy, avarice, power and injustice. One excellent example is the scene where a man enters to a brothel. First the men in charge try to drive him away but after seeing his great amount of money, decide to treat him like a king.
The contempt of women is part of Mizoguchi's social criticism but a parallel can be drawn to feminism as well. The director has often been called a 'pre-feminist' since he depicted the desolation that characterizes the lives of many women. He made several precisely considered shots that examined the circumscribed choices of women in the Japanese society. In a world like this there is no hope left for women. The life of Oharu is the road for the damned. The road to hell, along which there is nothing good and only death awaits in the end. Her life is a path built on graves of those who tried and died before.
Even that Kenji Mizoguchi started making films in the 1920's, he made his most celebrated films during the rising of Japanese cinema, in the early 1950's. Ugetsu monogatari (Tales of the Pale Moon after the Rain, 1953) might just be his most well known work, and it is quite perfect with its synthesis of picture and sound, reconstruction of the epoch and the poetic imagery. His films of this era were characterized by strong aesthetic styling, poetry and beauty. But also by postwar disillusions, darkness and the price of war. They were stories set in feudal Japan, during the 16th and 17th century, but were allegorical for postwar Japan. The Life of Oharu is much more strictly tied to its own time, compared to Ugetsu, but it also succeeds in being a timeless classic with its portrayal of injustice and contempt.
A samurai's daughter, Oharu, falls in love with a lower-class servant. After getting caught she and her family get deported from their village. When the local Lord is in need of a concubine to produce him an heir, Oharu gets a second chance. But after the new Lord has been born, Oharu is once again deported with only a small payment. The film follows the road of her life which is full of misfortune and darkness.
The title of the film is quite revealing with regards to the content of the film. It portrays the life of Oharu, full of agony and despair. In her life, Oharu only gets three moments of joy all of which are eventually taken away from her: first when she falls in love with the servant; she thinks that she has found the love of her life. But gets disappointed as the society can't approve relationships regardless of wealth and status. Then when she is promised a better life as a concubine; she thinks that a more affluent life waits for her but only gets abused and betrayed. Finally, when she is promised to see her son; the son of the Lord, to whom she gave birth to, a better life should await for her. But in turn gets once again deported and becomes a beggar.
Kenji Mizoguchi doesn't embellish the misery one bit but he doesn't highlight or point out things for us either. There isn't a slightest error of exaggeration in the film. The people Oharu becomes acquainted with are all spiritually poor and horrible, with a few exceptions. The few benevolent people are determined to die or lose it all. For instance the dance fan-maker Oharu marries, after trying prostitution and being a busker. The man loves her, regardless of her past, but gets murdered for no reason. Most of the other men treat Oharu like dirt, coldly and without compassion. But of course as a historical film The Life of Oharu tells more about the time it was made in than the time it takes place in. Through this story Mizoguchi touches many unmentioned taboos of the Japanese society in the 1950's.
In The Life of Oharu a woman doesn't have a change for better life; social rising is impossible. The only way to improve one's life, for a woman, is to marry an affluent man. But not even that works for Oharu. Since her man gets killed and she is once again doomed. This ruthless depiction of the society still contains lyric flashes of the transience and sudden beauty of life. These images are contrasts for the social realism, which isn't naturalism by any means. For its style, the film comes close to poetic realism of its own.
In addition to these insightful themes of the transience, beauty and severity of life, The Life of Oharu also has strong criticism for capitalism. In the art of cinema, prostitution is often a reflection of market economy and free trade; women are free to sell themselves as they wish, but actually are forced to do so. For a film with a strong take on like this, it's no surprise that its themes are strictly social; disregard, money, hierarchy, avarice, power and injustice. One excellent example is the scene where a man enters to a brothel. First the men in charge try to drive him away but after seeing his great amount of money, decide to treat him like a king.
The contempt of women is part of Mizoguchi's social criticism but a parallel can be drawn to feminism as well. The director has often been called a 'pre-feminist' since he depicted the desolation that characterizes the lives of many women. He made several precisely considered shots that examined the circumscribed choices of women in the Japanese society. In a world like this there is no hope left for women. The life of Oharu is the road for the damned. The road to hell, along which there is nothing good and only death awaits in the end. Her life is a path built on graves of those who tried and died before.