La dame de Musashino

Two years after the foundation of Musashino city, alongside a war almost about to end, Akiyama Michiko, descendant of an old samurai, and therefore rooted in traditional values, is an unhappy woman married to an opportunist, cold and extremely selfish intellectual man who doesn't even love her and would take advantage of her if necessary.

The story might be somewhat simple and boring to those not used to Japanese cinema, but the exceptional thing here is the outstanding camera work. Mizoguchi was one of the pioneering directors of Japanese cinema and his filmmaking style was ahead of its time.

The many sequence shots throughout the entire film are to be taken into account when watching this film; they point out Mizoguchi's amazing skills in filmmaking. It really looks like a modern film, or at least it seemed that way to me; I would have never thought this was from 1951.

For filmmaking students or film buffs this is a hidden gem, just as the entire Mizoguchi filmography is. It is really a shame that he is so underrated.

My score: 9.3/10

(1951) The Lady of Musashino/ Musashino fujin (In Japanese with English subtitles) DRAMA

Adapted from the novel by Shohei Ooka has the set up after the ending of WWII that has Michiko Akiyama (Kinuyo Tanaka) inheriting property that belonged to her family for many generations. At the same time she is married to someone who simply does not love her back his name is Tadao Akiyama (Masayuki Mori). Tadao does however mixes himself up with another already married lady, Tomiko Ono (Yukiko Todoroki) married to factory owner, Eiji Ono (Sô Yamamura) both have a daughter Yukiko. Then one day Michiko's cousin, Tsutomu Miyaji (Akihiko Katayama) have just return from the army and he is then allowed to stay with them. And viewers are wondering why out of all places why Tsutomu Miyaji stopped there, and it mainly because of the village nearby called "Musashino" hence the title.

When there were no soap operas, the only soap operas available to watch are in movie form. I just did not care too much the way it ended despite there were no surprises.

Cor, this film is a bit of a downer as everyone ends up miserable but it also holds hope for the future as Akihiko Katayama (Tsutomu) is forced to face up to reality and take on the big wide world in Tokyo rather than be held back by his childlike dream of Musashino, a land that no longer exists. It's a sudden wake-up call for Katayama as he must experience tragedy in order to set himself a more fulfilled role in life. Hanging around to make love to your cousin? I mean, come on.

The film follows the story of Kinuyo Tanaka (Michiko) and how she wishes to live an honourable life. This is Japanese society so suicide is always somewhere in the background as a correct path to take.

You can tell where this film is headed and the acting is fine by all involved although you may need to keep reminding yourself of the relationship between the characters. It's an ok film.

intensely moving story about a woman trapped between her stoic/moral beliefs, and the changing times brought about by the end of WW2. Similar themes discussed in Ozu's films 'floating weeds' + 'end of summer', but with a more direct and stark style.

Fascinating look at how upper middle class in Japan react to war and its aftermath, as well as to adultery and suicide.

As in Ridley Scott's 'Gladiator', the image of tall grass serves to express the calm fertility of nature with a dream-like quality, in contrast to the malignant hustle and bustle of the city.

An excellent drama, despite the less than perfect quality of the print (even though it is a new print)

A pretty racy film about a family trapped by tradition and warped by modernity. I found our heroine to be too self-sacrificing to be truly interesting, though her situation (caught between illicit love and familial restraint) sympathetic. I did relate in a personal sense to her attachment to a rural past, and understood her inability and desire to transcend it. None of the characters was especially interesting, being there to represent types and ideas more than for nuanced development -- no subtle Ozu or Naruse moments here. A lot of interfamilial 1) love & 2) sleeping around. Fun! ... For me the film was too baldly nostalgic about traditional Japan & too overt about the warping of Western influences -- until the end, in which it all came together in a stunning, profound fashion. Not my favorite Mizoguchi, or the most beautiful, but I'm glad I saw it.