Ugetsu (1953) strikes Criterion gold on Blu-Ray

March 10, 2020

340 1 minute read

On June 6, 2017, the Criterion Collection released Ugetsu on DVD. Kenji Mizoguchi directed the film starring Masayuki Mori, Machiko Kyô, and Kinuyo Tanaka.

‘Ugetsu’ Criterion Summary

By the time he made Ugetsu, Kenji Mizoguchi was already an elder statesman of Japanese cinema, fiercely revered by Akira Kurosawa and other directors of a younger generation. And with this exquisite ghost story, a fatalistic wartime tragedy derived from stories by Akinari Ueda and Guy de Maupassant, he created a touchstone of his art, his long takes and sweeping camera guiding the viewer through a delirious narrative about two villagers whose pursuit of fame and fortune leads them far astray from their loyal wives. Moving between the terrestrial and the otherworldly, Ugetsu reveals essential truths about the ravages of war, the plight of women, and the pride of men.

Read the full summary.

SPECIAL FEATURES

New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
Audio commentary by critic, ﬁlmmaker, and festival programmer Tony Rayns
Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director, a 1975 documentary by Kaneto Shindo
Two Worlds Intertwined, a 2005 appreciation of Ugetsu by Masahiro Shinoda
Process and Production, a 2005 interview with Tokuzo Tanaka, ﬁrst assistant director on Ugetsu
Interview from 1992 with cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa
Trailers
An essay by film critic Phillip Lopate (Blu-ray and DVD) and three short stories that influenced Mizoguchi in making the film (Blu-ray only)

Cover by Michael Boland

Also available on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.

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