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A peerless chronicler of the soul who specialized in supremely emotional, visually exquisite films about the circumstances of women in Japanese society throughout its history, Kenji Mizoguchi (Ugetsu) had already been directing movies for decades when he made THE LIFE OF OHARU in 1952. But this epic portrait of an inexorable fall from grace, starring the incredibly talented Kinuyo Tanaka (The Ballad of Narayama) as an imperial lady-in-waiting who gradually descends to street prostitution, was the movie that gained its director international attention, ushering in a new golden period for him.

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That Dirty Black Bag - Season 1 A story over eight long days describes the encounter and clash between two men: McCoy, an apparently incorruptible sheriff with a dark past, and Red Bill, a dirty, taciturn bounty killer trapped in a desire for vengeance that cannot be fulfilled. Starring: Douglas Booth, Dominic Cooper, Niv Sultan “What ultimately makes That Dirty Black Bag both entertaining and intriguing isn’t its adherence to westerns past, but its own tweaks on the genre.” – Wall Street Journal “darkly funny” – Slant Magazine

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One of a string of late-career masterworks made by Kenji Mizoguchi in the early 1950s, A Story from Chikamatsu (a.k.a. The Crucified Lovers) is an exquisitely moving tale of forbidden love struggling to survive in the face of persecution. Based on a classic of eighteenth-century Japanese drama, the film traces the injustices that befall a Kyoto scroll maker's wife and his apprentice after each is unfairly accused of wrongdoing. Bound by fate in an illicit, star-crossed romance, they go on the run in search of refuge from the punishment prescribed them: death. Shot in gorgeous, painterly style by master cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa, this subtly sensuous indictment of societal oppression was heralded by Akira Kurosawa as a great masterpiece that could only have been made by Mizoguchi.

Description

This heartrending masterpiece by Kenji Mizoguchi (Ugetsu) about the give-and-take between life and art marked the director s first use of the hypnotic long takes and eloquent camera movements that would come to define his films. The adopted son of legendary kabuki actor Kikunosuke (Shotaro Hanayagi), who is striving to achieve stardom by mastering female roles, turns to his infant brother s wet nurse (Kakuko Mori) for support and affection and she soon gives up everything for her beloved s creative glory. Featuring fascinating glimpses behind the scenes of kabuki theater in the late nineteenth century, The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum is a critique of the oppression of women and the sacrifices required of them, and the pinnacle of Mizoguchi s early career. BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES - New, restored 4K digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack - New interview with critic Phillip Lopate about the evolution of director Kenji Mizoguchi s style - New English subtitle translation - PLUS: An essay by film scholar Dudley Andrew

Description

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. 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features 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 PLUS: An essay by film critic Phillip Lopate and three short stories that inspired the film

Description

Having refined his craft in the silent era, Kenji Mizoguchi was an elder statesman of Japanese cinema fiercely revered by Akira Kurosawa and other younger directors by the time he made Ugetsu. 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. BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES -New 4K digital restoration undertaken by The Film Foundation, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack -Audio commentary by filmmaker, critic, and festival programmer Tony Rayns -Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director (1975), a 150-minute documentary by Kaneto Shindo -Two Worlds Intertwined, a 2005 appreciation of Ugetsu by filmmaker 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 and three short stories that influenced Mizoguchi in making the film