Kenji Mizoguchi (æº å £ å ¥äºŒ, Mizoguchi Kenji, May 16, 1898 â€"
August 24, 1956) was a Japanese film director and
screenwriter.Mizoguchi's work is renowned for its long takes and
mise-en-scène. According to writer Mark Le Fanu, "His films have an
extraordinary force and purity. They shake and move the viewer by the
power, refinement and compassion with which they confront human
suffering."His film Ugetsu (1953) brought him international attention
and appeared in the Sight & Sound Critics' Top Ten Poll in 1962 and
1972. Other acclaimed films of his include The Story of the Last
Chrysanthemums (1939), The Life of Oharu (1952), Sansho the Bailiff
(1954), and The Crucified Lovers (1954). Today, Mizoguchi is one of
the most acclaimed filmmakers in cinema history.Mizoguchi was born in
Hongo, Tokyo, one of three children. His father was a roofing
carpenter. The family was modestly middle-class until his father tried
to make a living selling raincoats to soldiers during the
Russo-Japanese war. The war ended too quickly for the investment to
succeed; his family circumstances turned abject and they gave his
older sister up "for adoption" and moved from Hongo to Asakusa, near
the theatre and brothel quarter. In effect, his sister Suzuko, or
Suzu, was sold into geishadom - an event which profoundly affected
Mizoguchi's outlook on life. Between this and his father's brutal
treatment of his mother and sister, he maintained a fierce resistance
against his father throughout his life.
August 24, 1956) was a Japanese film director and
screenwriter.Mizoguchi's work is renowned for its long takes and
mise-en-scène. According to writer Mark Le Fanu, "His films have an
extraordinary force and purity. They shake and move the viewer by the
power, refinement and compassion with which they confront human
suffering."His film Ugetsu (1953) brought him international attention
and appeared in the Sight & Sound Critics' Top Ten Poll in 1962 and
1972. Other acclaimed films of his include The Story of the Last
Chrysanthemums (1939), The Life of Oharu (1952), Sansho the Bailiff
(1954), and The Crucified Lovers (1954). Today, Mizoguchi is one of
the most acclaimed filmmakers in cinema history.Mizoguchi was born in
Hongo, Tokyo, one of three children. His father was a roofing
carpenter. The family was modestly middle-class until his father tried
to make a living selling raincoats to soldiers during the
Russo-Japanese war. The war ended too quickly for the investment to
succeed; his family circumstances turned abject and they gave his
older sister up "for adoption" and moved from Hongo to Asakusa, near
the theatre and brothel quarter. In effect, his sister Suzuko, or
Suzu, was sold into geishadom - an event which profoundly affected
Mizoguchi's outlook on life. Between this and his father's brutal
treatment of his mother and sister, he maintained a fierce resistance
against his father throughout his life.
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