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Life of Oharu

Play trailer Poster for Life of Oharu Released Apr 3, 1952 2h 26m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
In feudal Japan, Oharu (Kinuyo Tanaka), the daughter of royal samurai Shinzaemon (Ichiro Sugai), secretly has a passionate romance with Katsunosuke (Toshirô Mifune), a man with a meager social standing. When the couple is found out, the law comes down hard on this breach of class: Katsunosuke is put to death and Oharu and her family are banished from the kingdom. Destitute and disgraced, Shinzaemon sells Oharu into prostitution, and she spends years searching for love.

Critics Reviews

View All (14) Critics Reviews
Richard Brody New Yorker Mizoguchi's limpid heartbreaker is also a fierce denunciation of the subjugation of women, the power of wealth, and Japan's unjust though splendid traditions. Apr 8, 2016 Full Review Scott Tobias The Dissolve It's a devastating journey, and for Mizoguchi, a direct, blunt statement of purpose. Rated: 4.5/5 Jul 11, 2013 Full Review Empire Magazine Rated: 4/5 Apr 1, 2006 Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia Mizoguchi's aesthetics frames Oharu's tragedy through the compositional control that is his formalist hallmark, avoiding sentimentality without losing traces of subtlety. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 7/10 Oct 20, 2021 Full Review Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com Mizoguchi's The Life of Oharu ranks as one of the most enduringly harrowing tales committed to screen, all the more powerful for its lack of melodramatic flourish. Nov 13, 2020 Full Review Christopher Machell CineVue The Life of Oharu is a quiet and stately picture, but no less a passionate, searing critique of society's treatment of women Rated: 5/5 May 3, 2017 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Alvise F Mizoguchi Kenji confirms himself as the most authoritative voice of women's struggles in Japanese cinema. The unlucky vicissitudes of his heroines are always bound to an accurate critic analysis of the Era in which they take place: a ruthless world when the women are easy targets of men's tyranny and violence, ending up falling out of favor or even sacrifice their lives. Although the women efforts to improve their status, they are unable to escape their sad fate and their tragic destiny is to succumb to pitiless Japanese patriarchy society. The pessimist vision of Mizoguchi's work founds its aesthetic perfection in frequent long-shots, that accompanying the subjects' sufferings keeping the camera on a respectful distance. The protagonists are also in persistent struggle with a constant of Japanese cinema: the "social obligation" and the "human emotion", in Japanese respectively "giri" (義理) and "ninjō" (人情). The heroines' choices are always conditioned by this principle: forced to suppress their feelings and sacrifice themselves to maintain the social order that wants them submissive and oppressed. Mizoguchi could be considered a feminist author, nevertheless, his stories merely represent brutal reality as well as it is, without committing to actively change it. His works are permeated by a negative fatalism that leaves no hope to the audience. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/25/22 Full Review william d Wow, Oharu has it pretty rough in this well-made, 17th century Japanese chick flick. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member As this film opens, Oharu (Kinuyo Tanaka), a 50 year old prostitute, goes into a Buddhist temple and looks back at her life. We see that she was once loved, but because her young suitor (the great Toshiro Mifune) was of a lower caste, it was forbidden, resulting in her being banished and him being beheaded. As her family has been shamed, her father jumps on the chance to send her to a local Lord who is looking for a mistress who can be a surrogate mother. Unfortunately, she's abruptly dismissed after bearing him a son, and from there she steadily declines. The film was highly personal to director Kenji Mizoguchi since his own sister (who had raised him) was sold by their father to be a geisha, which is one of the things that happens to Oharu. Like 'Ugetsu', the film Mizoguchi made the following year, 'The Life of Oharu' is a morality tale, and while it's less heavy-handed than 'Ugetsu', it is fairly melodramatic. The central message is one of Buddhist compassion, and not just for those who we know have had a sad, unfair life - but also those who appear derelict or decrepit to us, and who we might otherwise judge, not knowing what they've experienced. While there is depth to that message, and it's certainly nice seeing a film that empathizes with woman and the misogyny they endure, 'The Life of Oharu' is dark and hard to watch for 148 minutes. The plot is quite linear and we see her used and abused in every single societal role she plays: daughter, lover, concubine, courtesan, wife, nun, and common prostitute. I also don't think Tanaka was well utilized in this role - she simply doesn't look young enough in early scenes, or old enough in later scenes. The filmmaking is good and the film has a solid place in film history for its message, but it's too bleak, and too simplistically so, for a film of this length. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review s r Despite its sad drawn out story, it is a well made film. The moving camera shots alone make this worth seeing. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This chick just can't catch a break! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member This masterpiece from Kenji Mizoguchi is not an easy film to watch, but it is a rewarding one for film buffs as it is created by a master at the top of his game. The story follows a woman who is repeatedly abused and taken advantage of by men, starting g with her father. Kinuyo Tanaka gives an outstanding performance in the title role of Oharu, and it is quite heartbreaking to watch. This is a must watch for serious film lovers! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Life of Oharu

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Movie Info

Synopsis In feudal Japan, Oharu (Kinuyo Tanaka), the daughter of royal samurai Shinzaemon (Ichiro Sugai), secretly has a passionate romance with Katsunosuke (Toshirô Mifune), a man with a meager social standing. When the couple is found out, the law comes down hard on this breach of class: Katsunosuke is put to death and Oharu and her family are banished from the kingdom. Destitute and disgraced, Shinzaemon sells Oharu into prostitution, and she spends years searching for love.
Director
Kenji Mizoguchi
Producer
Kenji Mizoguchi, Hideo Koi
Screenwriter
Saikaku Ihara, Kenji Mizoguchi, Yoshikata Yoda
Production Co
Koi Productions
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 3, 1952, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Jul 9, 2013
Runtime
2h 26m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.37:1)