Mohei is a dutiful scroll maker, for his master, Ishun. When his master’s wife, Osan, asks Mohei to procure money for her brother he fakes his master’s seal, but, unable to go through with the theft he admits all. But before he can take the blame on himself Otama, a servant girl, lies for him, saying that she asked him for the money. This starts a chain of events which eventually leads Mohei and Osan to runaway under an unfounded accusation of adultery, a crime which is dealt with by crucifixion. As the fugitives head for Kyoto to procure the money that Osan needs to save her families business the two find that the accusation may not be as baseless as they thought…

Chikamatsu Monogatari (1954) was directed by Kenji Mizoguchi and was adapted by Matsutaro Kawaguchi from a puppet play by Monzaemon Chikamatsu. The film won a Blue Ribbon for Mizoguchi, who was also nominated for a Golden Palm.

The film is essentially about honour and love in a dishonourable society; those that have power and presumably moral authority are seen to be corrupt. Ishun (Eitaro Shindo) spends his days using the considerable wealth that his scroll making business gives him to loan money to the nobility so that they are in his debt. They, in turn, hope that some bad fate will befall him so that they need not repay him the money that they have borrowed.

He will not use his wealth to help either his own, or his wife’s, family and this is one of the reasons that Osan (Kyoto Kagawa) asks Mohei (Kazuo Hasagawa) to fraudulently borrow money to help her brother Doki (Haruo Tanaka) out of debt and save her family's honour. Ishun’s corruption even extends to his own household, where he lies to his wife, whilst at the same time trying to use his influence over Otama (Yoko Minamida) to make her his mistress.

The three characters which act the most honourably are Otama who, following Mohei’s confession to the plot, lies for him saying that it was she who had asked for the money for her father. Although it is a selfless act it is not enough to save Mohei and Ishun imprisons him. He is finally rescued and goes on the run with Osan, both of whom feel bound by the promise to get the money which will save her family. It is only whilst on the journey that the two fall in love, making a truth to the lie that they are guilty of adultery.

With such themes the film is quite accessible to a western audience. One of the reasons you should watch the introduction first is because of the use of space and angles in the construction of the shots, otherwise you’ll know something is up with the film but not what. Mizoguchi has taken the shot construction from the original puppet play, so the shots contain a lot of rectangles and angles not normally seen in such profusion in the real world, to reflect its genesis in puppetry. For the same reason most of the actor’s movements happen on a horizontal line.

The film is presented in black and white 4:3 aspect ratio with a Japanese mono audio track with optional subtitles. There is the teaser trailer and the theatrical trailer, bigging up the film, which are illuminating in the language used, which gives a taste of just how hierarchical Japanese society was at that time. There is also as an introduction to the film by Tony Rayns (13 min 18 sec) which, as mentioned previously, is well worth watching before you watch the film.

The film is not without its problems, though it is well constructed and well acted, it remains, more than a little, passionless for what is essentially a love story. It remains a beautiful construct without a heart. Still, if you’re a fan of the director, or of Japanese cinema, its well worth a look.

8

Hatsuko appears to be running a respectable boarding house which is in fact a front for a brothel. With a longing for a better life, and aware of her fading beauty, she sets her sights on an eligible young Doctor. The man, however, has set his sights on her more attractive and educated daughter Yukiko...

Uwasa no Onna (1954) is another movie from Kenji Mizoguchi (1898-1956) and is one of his lesser known films. The confrontation between the women forces them to examine their differing attitudes both to each other and Hatsuko’s business.

The film is set in modern Japan, where there was little in the way of a moral condemnation of men using prostitutes. In fact, when a man attained a certain station in life it was expected. Like Chikamatsu Monogatan, which was made in the same year, Mizoguchi shows his sensibility towards the position of women in society by showing the business of prostitution from the perspective of his two female protagonists. The juxtaposition of traditional and modern is one of the central themes of the film along with the way that women, in general, are treated.

Hatsuko Mabuchi (Kinuyo Tanaka) has a very traditional view of her business; her family have been brothel owners for many generations. From her perspective the house not only provides pleasure for men but also provides employment for the girls, who work to keep their families out of poverty. When one of her geishas becomes sick she is well looked after, even allowing her sister to come and work in her stead so that the family would not starve.

Yukkio (Yoshiko Kuga) is very torn. On the one hand the house has provided her with the clothes on her back, the money in her purse and an excellent education. However, it is this very same education, and the rejection of a previous lover because of her background, which leads her to question the morality of running a brothel.

Hatsuko’s desire for the young doctor, and his desire for Yukkio, set the stage for the two women to take a protracted look at the way that women are treated depending on their age and station in life. In the end both mother and daughter reconcile aware that, ultimately, they have both been rejected by men.

The film is presented in black and white and, like Chikamatsu Monogatan, the print has been restored providing a clear, if a little soft, picture. The extras are pretty much the same on both discs with the teaser trailer, the theatrical trailer and an excellent introduction to the film by Tony Rayns (12 min 42 sec) - though to be honest he spends rather too much time on the directors relationships than on the film.

7

Charles Packer