FILMS. 4th EDItION UGETSU MONOGATARI Tessier, Max, Kenji Mizoguchi, Paris, 1971 Gaelen, H in Film en Televisie(Brussels ), March 1985 Mellen, Joan, Voices from the Japanese Cinema, New York, 1975 Alion,Y,""Les contes de la lune vague apres la pluie, in Revue du Mellen, Joan, The Waves at Kenji's Door: Japan Through Its Cinema Cinema(Paris), no 459, April 1990 New York, 1976. Burdeau, Emmanuel, and others, Mizoguchi Encore, in Cahiers Bock, Audie, Japanese Film Directors, New York, 1978; revised edition, Tokyo, 1985 Lopate, Philip, "A Master Who Could Create Poems for the Eye, in Burch, Noel, To the Distant Observer: Form and Meaning in the The New York Times, 15 September 1996 Japanese Cinema, Berkeley, 1979 MacNab, Geoffrey, in Sight Sound(London), vol. 8, no. 12, Garbicz. Adam and Jacek Klinowski editors December 1998 Vehicle: A Guide to Its Achievements: Journey Two, Metuchen New Jersey, 1979 Freiberg, Freda, Women in Mizoguchi Films, Melbourne, 1981 Sato, Tadao, Currents in Japanese Cinema, Tokyo, 1982 Serceau, Daniel, Mizoguchi: De la revolte aux songes, Paris, 1983 Ugetsu monogatari was not the first Kenji Mizoguchi film to be Andrew, Dudley, Film in the Aura of Art, Princeton, 1984 shown in the West, but it was the first to reveal him to the west as McDonald, Keiko, Mizoguchi, Boston, 1984 a major artist. Swiftly establishing itself(especially in France)on McDonald, Keiko, editor, Ugetsu: Kenji Mizoguchi, Director, New many critics'Ten Best'lists, the film opened the way for the Brunswick, New Jersey, 1993 acclamation of the work of Mizoguchi's final period. For some, he O Grady, Gerald, editor, Mizoguchi the Master, Ontario, 1996. became the supreme filmmaker, the cinematic Shakespeare, realizin Tomasi, Dario, Kenji Mizoguchi, Milano, 1998 to the fullest the potential of film as an art form. That was at the time when the potential of film'was generally felt to have been Articles identified and adequately expounded by Andre Bazin; and assessment which can still be accepted if we add the proviso that Bazin accounted Richie, Donald, and Joseph I. Anderson, ""Kenji Mizoguchi, in for only one of films many potentials Sight and Sound (London), Autumn 1955 However, the supremacy of his""late"period and the kind of Godard, Jean-Luc, in Arts(Paris), February 1958 achievement that it represents, has been increasingly challenged since the 1960s. Two factors help account for this: one is the discovery of Sadoul, Georges, "Diableries et miseres de la guerre. " in Lettres Mlizoguchi's earlier films, previ lously almost unknown; the other is francaises(Paris), 26 April 1959 the politicization of film criticism and the growth, within it, of an Mizoguchi Issue of Cahiers du Cinema(Paris), May 1959 deological awareness. In recent years, Noel Burch's To the Distant Gilson, Rene, in Cinema(Paris), May 1959. Observer, Joan Mellen's The Waves at Genji's Door, and Frieda Astruc, Alexandre, in Films and Filming(London), Summer 1961 Frieberg's useful pamphlet Women in Mizoguchi's Films-three Rotha, Paul, in Films and Filming(London), May 1962 books written from quite distinct critical positions, with quite distinct Mizoguchi Issue"of Cahiers du Cinema(Paris), August-Septem- estimates of Mizoguchi's work--have agreed on one point, the ber 1964 application(in a derogatory sense) of the termaestheticism'to Yoda, Yoshikata, Souvenirs sur Mizoguchi, in Cahiers du cinema Mizoguchi's late work. Films previously hailed as the greatest ever (Pais),no.174,1966 made-Ugetsul, Sansho dayu, The Life of Harare suddenly Iwasaki, Akira, ""Kenji Mizoguchi, "in Anthologie du Cinema(Paris), perceived as evidence of Mizoguchi's withdrawal from the radicalism November 196 of his work in the 1930s and 1940s, and a retreat from a social/ Yoda, Yoshikata, " The Density of Mizoguchi,s Scripts, in Cinema political viewpoint into the realm of aesthetic contemplation (Los Angeles), Spring 1971 The relationship between aesthetics and politics is incredibly Wood, Robin, Mizoguchi: The Ghost Princess and the seaweed complex: the critical problems it generates have never been success- Gatherer, in Film Comment(New York), March-April 1973. fully resolved. It is true that Ugetsu monogatari is ideologically more lism,"in Sight and Sound (Lon- conservative than, say, Sisters of Gion or My Love Has Been Burning don), Spring 1978 From the radical femini Godefroy, J C, in Cinematographe(Paris), November 1978. protest of his earlier films to the celebration of woman as self- Masson,A,""Revers de la quietude, "in Positif(Paris), Novem- sacrificer, redeemer, and mother in Ugetsu is certainly a large and ber 1978 disconcerting jump. (Mizoguchi's conversion to Buddhism in the Richie, Donald, " Kenji Mizoguchi, in Cinema, A Critical Diction- early 1950s is doubtlessly a related factor. )Further, Ugetsu can be ary, edited by Richard Roud, London, 1980 read as advocating the resignation to and the acceptance of one's lot. Sato, Tadao, and Dudley Andrew, ""On Kenji Mizoguchi, " in Film This withdrawal from the active struggle in favor of a spiritual Criticism(Edinboro, Pennsylvania), Spring 1980 transcendence makes the hardships of the material world not so much iogret, H, "Mizoguchi: Un art sans artifice, in Positif(Paris), endurable as irrelevant. The film encourages such a reading, ye December 1980 cannot be reduced to it Martin, Marcel, ""Rencontre avec Yoshikata Yoda, in image et Son Ugetsu contains within itself an answer to the charge of aestheti- Paris), October 1982. cism. The story of Genjuro the potter can be taken as Mizoguchi's Millar, Gavin,"The Climate of Beauty, in Listener (London), artistic testament. At the beginning of the film Genjuro is a materialis- 5May1983 tic artisan, mass-producing pots as a commodity. His encounter withFILMS, 4 UGETSU MONOGATARI th EDITION 1255 Tessier, Max, Kenji Mizoguchi, Paris, 1971. Mellen, Joan, Voices from the Japanese Cinema, New York, 1975. Mellen, Joan, The Waves at Kenji’s Door: Japan Through Its Cinema, New York, 1976. Bock, Audie, Japanese Film Directors, New York, 1978; revised edition, Tokyo, 1985. Burch, Noël, To the Distant Observer: Form and Meaning in the Japanese Cinema, Berkeley, 1979. Garbicz, Adam, and Jacek Klinowski, editors, Cinema, The Magic Vehicle: A Guide to Its Achievements: Journey Two, Metuchen, New Jersey, 1979. Freiberg, Freda, Women in Mizoguchi Films, Melbourne, 1981. Sato, Tadao, Currents in Japanese Cinema, Tokyo, 1982. Serceau, Daniel, Mizoguchi: De la revolte aux songes, Paris, 1983. Andrew, Dudley, Film in the Aura of Art, Princeton, 1984. McDonald, Keiko, Mizoguchi, Boston, 1984. McDonald, Keiko, editor, Ugetsu: Kenji Mizoguchi, Director, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 1993. O’Grady, Gerald, editor, Mizoguchi the Master, Ontario, 1996. Tomasi, Dario, Kenji Mizoguchi, Milano, 1998. Articles: Richie, Donald, and Joseph I. Anderson, ‘‘Kenji Mizoguchi,’’ in Sight and Sound (London), Autumn 1955. Godard, Jean-Luc, in Arts (Paris), February 1958. Rohmer, Eric, in Cahiers du Cinéma (Paris), March 1958. Sadoul, Georges, ‘‘Diableries et miseres de la guerre,’’ in Lettres Françaises (Paris), 26 April 1959. ‘‘Mizoguchi Issue’’ of Cahiers du Cinéma (Paris), May 1959. Gilson, René, in Cinéma (Paris), May 1959. Astruc, Alexandre, in Films and Filming (London), Summer 1961. Rotha, Paul, in Films and Filming (London), May 1962. ‘‘Mizoguchi Issue’’ of Cahiers du Cinéma (Paris), August-Septem￾ber 1964. Yoda, Yoshikata, ‘‘Souvenirs sur Mizoguchi,’’ in Cahiers du Cinéma (Paris), no. 174, 1966. Iwasaki, Akira, ‘‘Kenji Mizoguchi,’’ in Anthologie du Cinéma (Paris), November 1967. Yoda, Yoshikata, ‘‘The Density of Mizoguchi’s Scripts,’’ in Cinema (Los Angeles), Spring 1971. Wood, Robin, ‘‘Mizoguchi: The Ghost Princess and the Seaweed Gatherer,’’ in Film Comment (New York), March-April 1973. Cohen, R., ‘‘Mizoguchi and Modernism,’’ in Sight and Sound (Lon￾don), Spring 1978. Godefroy, J. C., in Cinématographe (Paris), November 1978. Masson, A., ‘‘Revers de la quietude,’’ in Positif (Paris), Novem￾ber 1978. Richie, Donald, ‘‘Kenji Mizoguchi,’’ in Cinema, A Critical Diction￾ary, edited by Richard Roud, London, 1980. Sato, Tadao, and Dudley Andrew, ‘‘On Kenji Mizoguchi,’’ in Film Criticism (Edinboro, Pennsylvania), Spring 1980. Niogret, H., ‘‘Mizoguchi: Un art sans artifice,’’ in Positif (Paris), December 1980. Martin, Marcel, ‘‘Rencontre avec Yoshikata Yoda,’’ in Image et Son (Paris), October 1982. Millar, Gavin, ‘‘The Climate of Beauty,’’ in Listener (London), 5 May 1983. Gaelen, H., in Film en Televisie (Brussels), March 1985. Alion, Y., ‘‘Les contes de la lune vague apres la pluie,’’ in Revue du Cinéma (Paris), no. 459, April 1990. Burdeau, Emmanuel, and others, ‘‘Mizoguchi Encore,’’ in Cahiers du Cinéma (Paris), no. 504, July-August 1996. Lopate, Philip, ‘‘A Master Who Could Create Poems for the Eye,’’ in The New York Times, 15 September 1996. MacNab, Geoffrey, in Sight & Sound (London), vol. 8, no. 12, December 1998. *** Ugetsu monogatari was not the first Kenji Mizoguchi film to be shown in the West, but it was the first to reveal him to the West as a major artist. Swiftly establishing itself (especially in France) on many critics’ ‘‘Ten Best’’ lists, the film opened the way for the acclamation of the work of Mizoguchi’s final period. For some, he became the supreme filmmaker, the cinematic Shakespeare, realizing to the fullest the potential of film as an art form. That was at the time when the ‘‘potential of film’’ was generally felt to have been identified and adequately expounded by André Bazin; and assessment which can still be accepted if we add the proviso that Bazin accounted for only one of film’s many potentials. However, the supremacy of his ‘‘late’’ period and the kind of achievement that it represents, has been increasingly challenged since the 1960s. Two factors help account for this: one is the discovery of Mizoguchi’s earlier films, previously almost unknown; the other is the politicization of film criticism and the growth, within it, of an ideological awareness. In recent years, Noël Burch’s To the Distant Observer, Joan Mellen’s The Waves at Genji’s Door, and Frieda Frieberg’s useful pamphlet Women in Mizoguchi’s Films—three books written from quite distinct critical positions, with quite distinct estimates of Mizoguchi’s work—have agreed on one point, the application (in a derogatory sense) of the term ‘‘aestheticism’’ to Mizoguchi’s late work. Films previously hailed as the greatest ever made—Ugetsu, Sansho dayu, The Life of Oharu—are suddenly perceived as evidence of Mizoguchi’s withdrawal from the radicalism of his work in the 1930s and 1940s, and a retreat from a social/ political viewpoint into the realm of aesthetic contemplation. The relationship between aesthetics and politics is incredibly complex: the critical problems it generates have never been success￾fully resolved. It is true that Ugetsu monogatari is ideologically more conservative than, say, Sisters of Gion or My Love Has Been Burning. The crux lies in the treatment of women. From the radical feminist protest of his earlier films to the celebration of woman as self￾sacrificer, redeemer, and mother in Ugetsu is certainly a large and disconcerting jump. (Mizoguchi’s conversion to Buddhism in the early 1950s is doubtlessly a related factor.) Further, Ugetsu can be read as advocating the resignation to and the acceptance of one’s lot. This withdrawal from the active struggle in favor of a spiritual transcendence makes the hardships of the material world not so much endurable as irrelevant. The film encourages such a reading, yet cannot be reduced to it. Ugetsu contains within itself an answer to the charge of aestheti￾cism. The story of Genjuro the potter can be taken as Mizoguchi’s artistic testament. At the beginning of the film Genjuro is a materialis￾tic artisan, mass-producing pots as a commodity. His encounter with