So, the Kenji Mizoguchi deep dive has begun, as last night I watched his 1952 classic, The Life of Oharu. And it is definitely a film that deserves the designation: classic. It's based on Saikaku Ihara's 17th century novel The Life of an Amorous Woman, which it seems that I've discussed in passing in class for decades but have never read. The title of the novel would make you think that it's a sex romp or an oddly positioned rom-com, but instead it's a pretty heartbreaking story, as it chronicles the fall of the titular Oharu from woman of the central court to common prostitute. I think the film is more compassionate to Oharu (as one would expect from Mizoguchi, who tended to always take the side of his female characters and criticize society for its mistreatment of women) than the novel. The novel tends to blame all of her problems on her nature, whereas the film shows how one poor decision from her youth keeps pursuing and plaguing Oharu, so the problem is more in society than in her nature. Kinuyo Tanaka is brilliant in the lead role (she was in fifteen Mizoguchi films over the years, including several Ozu movies in her long career). The Life of Oharu also stars, briefly, a very young Toshiro Mifune, although he gets his head chopped off about ten minutes in. Essential viewing. I'll definitely be watching more - and thank you, Criterion Channel, for being generous in your collection of Kenji Mizoguchi films.
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