Ugetsu

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Albert D A towering classic of Japanese history and atmosphere! Watch it! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/16/24 Full Review Tom F A beautiful parable about the tragedy of getting what you ask for. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/10/24 Full Review Dani G Interesting story, in the most japanese way of 50's cinema. Unique as always Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/15/23 Full Review dave s Set during a period of civil war in late 16th century Japan, two peasants, a potter and a farmer, against the advice of others, sacrifice more than they expected in order to fulfil their selfish dreams, Genjuro hoping to get rich by selling his wares as a war profiteer and Tobei willing to sacrifice his family ties in order to become a samurai. Combining gritty realism with supernatural elements, Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu sets its sights on mankind's misguided delusions of grandeur and the price that is ultimately paid for folly. Despite an abundance of embarrassingly overwrought acting (why must everyone yell?) typical of Japanese movies of the time, Ugetsu is filled with memorably stark images and an important message and remains one of Mizoguchi's more memorable films. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Watching "Ugetsu" is like becoming enveloped in a dream; its as though we assimilate with the the story as the camera drifts through the opaque mists and rolling landscapes. The film's greatness derives from its exquisite mixture of qualities both pervasively eerie and progressively tragic; its as though we grow enraptured in a nightmare that is both unsettling and undeniably beautiful. From the outset, we are alert to the film's awareness that it is telling a story with an inherent moral, and we sense the universal nature of that moral before it is eventually spelled out to us with devastating clarity. "Ugetsu" thus hypnotizes us with the alluring shimmer of its aesthetic, while preparing to haunt us with the poignancy of its wisdom. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review andres s Lmao. It starts out with those stereotypical Japanese yells, accompanied by a squealing flute and the wooden blocks. I really like the flower-patterned backgrounds during the opening credits. Very impressive sweeping shot they did there at the beginning. Showing the rice fields and then pans to the old houses on the other side. It looks like Genjuro has a nice family with a lovingly supportive wife. Tobei also seems to have a good wife, but it seems like his head is too high up in the clouds. It's interesting what that village elder said to Genjuro's wife: "A little money inflames a man's greed". That seems to be the overall theme. I can admire Genjuro's hard work that he's put into making all the pots but how far is he willing to go to make more money? And how much is enough? That's the real question. That scene with the troops storming into the village reminds me so much of the beginning of ‘Kuroneko' where the samurais rape, pillage and take whatever they want. It's so insane to think about how that actually happened back then. Corruption. Wow, I wasn't expecting the movie to take such a somber and dark turn so suddenly like that. It's interesting. Genjuro's insane to risk everything to go check on the pots - with the samurai's still in the village. He's so desperate to make money. It's going to end up being the end of him. That lake scene was so eerie. Really well done, I thought a ghost was going to appear. Even though you can kind of tell they filmed on a set with a painted wall in the background, the whole vibe and look was on point. What I don't understand is why does Tobei want to be a samurai so bad? Like is he a fucking idiot? Did he not see what they do to villages and people? Didn't he see how corrupt and vile they are? Why does he regard them so highly? From the look of that raggedy old house gate, the old lady and the creepy young pretty looking girl, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say they're ghosts. The inside of the estate is actually gorgeous. With a zen garden and everything. I like how the young girl appreciates the craftsmanship of Genjuro's ceramics. They do look beautiful. Genjuro should tell this girl that he's married and has a kid. Wtf is he under some kind of spell being in that estate? That whole seance with the girl dancing and then her deceased fathers voice singing was so eerie. What a great shot there by the lakeside when they're having their picnic, and that ominous tree in the background. Really nice. Wow, this guy Genjuro is over here getting laid and married to some pretty young girl in some fine ass place, basically in paradise, while his wife is getting pillaged and stabbed with a spear by savage samurai. Lmao, wow great job being a supportive and helpful husband/father. Tobei's so stupid and simple minded. All he wants is fame and glory. That's the only reason he's so desperate of becoming a samurai. Oh shit! Tobei found Ohama in the brothel and she's serving as a prostitute there! Wow, that was haunting how Genjuro was imagining the whole thing with the young girl and the Katsuki Manor. The place was burned down and they had perished a while ago. What remained were the ashes of the estate. That was poetic how it starts and ends in the same place with the same shot of the rice fields. I love the look of everything. What they were able to capture with all the lighting, cinematography, actual sets and locations is something beautiful. I love how this movie takes the perspective of the simple lower class workers during 16th century Japan. Usually with Japanese movies that are set during this time, we always see things from the perspective of the higher class or samurais that are fighting in wars. It's wonderful to see a fresh perspective on things. This story proves why the man of the house should never abandon his family to pursue his personal selfish desires and dreams. Especially during a fucking civil war! A man should stay and protect his family. I did love the whole idea of how we see ghosts of the things we want most. In Genjuro's case, he wanted luxury and money so he imagined seeing Lady Wakasa who could give him the desires he wanted. Then when he returned home, he was longing to see his wife whom he was able to see but he only imagined her in ghostly form since samurais killed her. What a tragic and sad tale but an impactful one. I don't think I'd watch it again but it was great. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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