Chikamatsu monogatari (1954)

Réalisateur:

Kenji Mizoguchi

Writers:

Monzaemon Chikamatsu (play)
Matsutarô Kawaguchi (adaptation)

Release Date:

novembre 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Drame

Plot:

In 17th century Kyoto, Osan is married to Ishun, a wealthy miserly scroll-maker. When Osan is falsely accused of having an affair with the best worker...

Plot Keywords:

Greed | 1600s | Crucifixion | Embezzler | Honor

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Avis des utilisateurs:

Beautiful, but inferior to Mizoguchi's Masterpieces

Ensemble

Kazuo Hasegawa	...	Mohei
Kyôko Kagawa	...	Osan
Eitarô Shindô	...	Ishun
Eitarô Ozawa	...	Sukeemon (as Saka Ozawa)
Yôko Minamida	...	Otama
Haruo Tanaka	...	Gifuya Dôki
Chieko Naniwa	...	Okô
Ichirô Sugai	...	Gembei
Tatsuya Ishiguro	...	Isan
Hiroshi Mizuno	...	Kuroki
Hisao Toake	...	Morinokoji
Ikkei Tamaki	...	Jushiro Umegaki
Kimiko Tachebana	...	Umetatsu Akamatsu
Keiko Koyanagi	...	Okaya
Sayako Nakagami	...	Osono

Autre(s) titre(s) :

A Story from Chikamatsu
The Crucified Lovers
The Tale of the Crucified Lovers
Amants crucifiés, Les (France) [fr]

Durée:

102 min

Pays:

Japan

Langue:

Japonais

Couleur:

Noir et Blanc

Son:

Mono

Classification:

UK:PG (2007) | UK:A (1977) | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-12 | Hong Kong:I

Company:

Daiei Studios

Connexions De Film:

Referenced in Aru eiga-kantoku no shogai (1975)

Beautiful, but inferior to Mizoguchi's Masterpieces

I never heard of Mizoguchi's "Chikamatsu monogatari" before until a friend of mine who loves Mizoguchi's films showed it to me recently. It is a beautiful, haunting, and emotionally involving study of forbidden love between a rigid merchant's wife, Osan, and her devoted servant, Mohei, in 17th century Kyoto. The lovers are unfairly punished for having an affair; Osan escapes her husband's home while Mohei is forced into exile. "Chikamatsu" is a highly charged work, but I'm not entirely sure if I would call it a masterpiece on par with "Zangiku monogatari", "The Life of Oharu", "Ugetsu", "Sansho dayu", and "Princess Yang Kwei Fei" - Mizoguchi's richest and most beautiful films. The photography is extraordinarily ravishing and evocative, with Mizoguchi's masterful fluid camera. Also, the sound quality of "Chikamatsu" is interestingly rich and astounding, but the film doesn't stay with you for a while like those aforementioned films. Overall, this is a minor Mizoguchi: beautiful and haunting at times, but inferior to his renowned masterpieces.