Contos da Lua Vaga

One of the greatest of all Japanese films, this makes many Top 10 lists of the greatest films of all time.

Genjuro (Masayuki Mori), a potter, and his brother Tobei (Eitaro Ozawa), a farmer, are seeking fame and fortune, or fortune and fame as the names are listed.

The lake scene is not to be missed. It is beautiful and creepy. After being warned about pirates, the two me head off alone and meet Machiko Kyo, who was also the woman in Rashomon.

There is a beauty in this film that can't be described adequately. The camera paints a picture that is enchanting and melodic.

Kenji Mizoguchi, who went on to do the magnificent Sansho the Bailiff, has given us a pleasure that will be enjoyed again and again.

Bruce Bennett at the New York Sun said it best, "When the name Kenji Mizoguchi is intoned, every piece of camera equipment on earth should execute a deep bow."

In a time of unceasing turmoil, as sixteenth-century Japan is ravaged by marauding bands of warriors, the ambitious and hard-working potter, Genjuro, and his aspiring samurai brother, Tobei, risk a dangerous trip to the bustling city to sell their wares, seeking quick profit. The two 16th century Japanese peasants venture from their homes in pursuit of dreams, resulting in fateful consequences. As Tobei abandons his wife to buy a samurai outfit and seek fame and fortune, while Genjuro becomes involved with a ghost woman.

The classic film ambition, family, and war that established Migozuchi's reputation outside of Japan. A marvellous mix of drama, comedy, action and supernatural events with nifty camera movement . Based on two stories by the 18th century writer Akinara Ueda (often described as the japanese Guy de Maupassant), dealing with two peasants in pursuit of dreams and encounter little more than their own hapless folly and a bit of the supernatural. Gorgeous cinematography in black and white, inspired by nihonga (traditional Japanese painting) and woodblock prints. ¨Ugetsu¨ was one of a handful of Japanese films to sweep up awards at European festivals in the early 50s. Its reputation as one of Migozuchi's finest works and a landmark of the Japanese art cinema has remained undented ever since. The filmmaker's unique stablishment of atmosphere by means of long shot, long takes, sublimely graceful and unobtrusives camera movement, is everywhere evident in his treatment of the legend of a potter who leaves his family to market his wares during the ravages of a civil war, and is taken in and seduced by a ghost princess.

This ravishingly composed, evocatively made motion picture was competently directed by Kenji Migozuchi. He is said to be the first major feminist film-maker, his films frequently reveal women's positions in Japanese society, he includes long takes, often held for the duration of the scene. Migozuchi is cited Marcel L'Herbier, Josef von Sternberg, William Wyler and John Ford as his influence. Migozuchi is one of the rare directors who has helmed over 100 films, including the following: ¨Street of shame, Princess Yang Kwei Fei, Shin Heike Monogatari, The crucified lovers, Sansho the bailiff, A Geisha, Life of Oharu, Utamaro and his five women, Ronin part 1 and 2, The story of the late Chrysanthemum, Osaka elegy, and Sisters of the Gion¨. Rating Ugetsu: 7.5/10. Better than average, well worth watching. The film will appeal to Japanese classic fans.

In the beginning of the springtime in the period of the Japanese Civil Wars of the Sixteenth Century in Lake Biwa in the Province of Omi, the family man farmer and craftsman Genjurô (Masayuki Mori) travels to Nagahama to sell his wares and makes a small fortune. His neighbor Tobei (Sakae Ozawa) that is a fool man dreams on becoming a samurai, but he can not afford to buy the necessary outfit. The greedy Genjurô and Tobei work together manufacturing clay potteries, expecting to sell the pieces and enrich; however, their wives Miyage (Kinuyo Tanaka) and Ohama (Mitsuko Mito) are worried about the army of the cruel Shibata that is coming to their village and they warn their ambitious husbands. Their village is looted but the families flee and survive; Genjurô and Tobei decide to travel by boat with their wives and baby to sell the wares in a bigger town. When they meet another boat that was attacked by pirates, Genjurô decides to leave his wife and son on the bank of the river, promising to return in ten days. Genjurô, Tobei and Ohama raise a large amount but Tobei leaves his wife to buy the samurai outfit and seek fame and fortune. Meanwhile the female aristocratic Lady Wakasa (Machiko Kyô) and her servant ask Genjurô to bring her shopping to her fancy Kutsuki House. Sooner Genjurô and Tobei discover the price they have to pay for their ambition.

"Ugetsu Monogatari" is the first movie that I have watched of Kenji Mizoguchi and I am impressed with this masterpiece. This supernatural story is very well constructed in a historic context of the Japanese Civil Wars of the Sengoku period, with two family dramas caused by the blindness of greed. This feature is supported by a magnificent cinematography in black and white, and the scene in the foggy lake is a piece of art. The performances are awesome, and the cast really seems to be living in the Sixteenth Century in Japan. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Contos da Lua Vaga" ("Tales of the Vague Moon")

Having read much about this film, I thought I knew what to expect when I finally had the chance to see it. I was wrong; no amount of writing can convey the richness and impact of the images and the overall flow of the film-- which is why this commentary will be brief. Suffice it to say that I recommend this film wholeheartedly to anyone looking for cinematic poetry (though not, probably, to those who, misled by its being set during the Japanese Civil Wars, expect an action film).

Perhaps the most striking thing about the film is the camera-work; on a first viewing one is scarcely aware of it much of the time, but the camera is in constant motion, emblematic of the restlessness which pervades not only the era and the central characters but, by implication, all of human life (in this regard, it's a very Buddhist film). This movement is never gratuitous; when the scene demands little or no movement the camera stays still. Notice, though, how often the camera's movement enhances the emotional impact of the scene, especially in the famous panning shot (not, as occasionally described, a 360 degree shot) of the reunion near the end. Along with this is Mizoguchi's penchant for long takes, which seduce the viewer into the rhythm of the film without calling attention to themselves or to his cleverness as a director.

But these are technical comments which may or may not be helpful in focussing a viewer's attention; what really matters is the film itself as a whole. It is truly beautiful, and powerful in the unexpected way of great poetry. Technique and emotion, simplicity of means and complexity of effects, walk hand-in-hand here, and the result is remarkable in a way which film rarely attains.

This holds a special place in my heart, and I still consider it to be absolutely one of the very greatest films ever made for adults. The work of a mature artist, it resonates with Buddhist practice, and is a profoundly moving tale of the suffering of the human condition, the violence of war, the possibilities of art uplifting the spirit, the possibilities of redemption of character. The closing scene is one of such deeply-felt compassion and understanding that it is almost frightening; it prefigures in a way the stunning and more personal close of the subsequent Mizoguchi film "Sansho the Baliff".

On a lighter level, it is an amusingly sly allegory of the actual history of Japan for the 20 or so years prior to 1953, where in the end the women, embittered (or dead) as a result of their men's quixotic quest for military glory or war-profiteering, entreat them to give up their misguided and destructive dreams, settle down, and get back to their real responsibilities.

Which they did.

Originally available on LaserDisc.