Eine Erzählung von Chikamatsu (1954)
58KEine Erzählung von Chikamatsu: Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. With Kazuo Hasegawa, Kyôko Kagawa, Eitarô Shindô, Eitarô Ozawa. Ishun is a wealthy, but unsympathetic, master printer who has wrongly accused his wife and best employee of being lovers. To escape punishment, the accused run away together, but Ishun is certain to be ruined if word gets out.
“I never heard of Mizoguchiu0026#39;s u0026quot;Chikamatsu monogatariu0026quot; before until a friend of mine who loves Mizoguchiu0026#39;s films showed it to me recently. It is a beautiful, haunting, and emotionally involving study of forbidden love between a rigid merchantu0026#39;s wife, Osan, and her devoted servant, Mohei, in 17th century Kyoto. The lovers are unfairly punished for having an affair; Osan escapes her husbandu0026#39;s home while Mohei is forced into exile. u0026quot;Chikamatsuu0026quot; is a highly charged work, but Iu0026#39;m not entirely sure if I would call it a masterpiece on par with u0026quot;Zangiku monogatariu0026quot;, u0026quot;The Life of Oharuu0026quot;, u0026quot;Ugetsuu0026quot;, u0026quot;Sansho dayuu0026quot;, and u0026quot;Princess Yang Kwei Feiu0026quot; – Mizoguchiu0026#39;s richest and most beautiful films. The photography is extraordinarily ravishing and evocative, with Mizoguchiu0026#39;s masterful fluid camera. Also, the sound quality of u0026quot;Chikamatsuu0026quot; is interestingly rich and astounding, but the film doesnu0026#39;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.”
