Kenji Mizoguchi - Life of Oharu

(aka "Saikaku ichidai onna" or "Diary of Oharu" or "The Life of Oharu" or "Saikaku: Life of a Woman")

directed by Kenji Mizoguchi
Japan 1952

Oharu (Kinuyo Tanaka) is an elegant courtesan, unable to compromise and exist outside her own rigid moral code. She's confined as a helpless submissive in a world of exaggerated masculinity that's steeped in feudal traditions. Opposed to the social order in which she's born, she attempts to obtain a more equitable status in society, and only requires a small dignity for her limited personal boundaries. Director Kenji Mizoguchi tells the story in the form of flashbacks that define her subjugated life. We first see the tragic figure of a fifty-year-old Oharu in a Buddhist temple, where she dreams of the face of her past lover Katsunosuke (Toshiro Mifune), who was beheaded thirty years earlier for seducing her-an act regarded as an attempt to rise above his station as a lowly page. She and her family are sent into exile for her sin of crossing class boundaries. Her crime is being loved and reciprocating that love with desire and passion. Oharu's father later incurs some substantial debts that force him to sell his beautiful daughter Oharu as compensation. She's now bearing the yoke of concubinal servitude, and it's something she can never escape from.

The actress Kinuyo Tanaka's diminutive frame and body language exude her character's uncompromising nature as well as her grace and charm, despite the fact that she will never be free of the strict hierarchical regime under which she lives. Perhaps the most affirming definition of her character's struggle bursts forth as she announces to a group of indignantly surprised men "I gave him life!" She's referring to her bastard son, who is now a lord several steps beyond her own social status and hence, indifferent to her existence. This proud validation of her womanhood rings as her truest voice, embodying the most basic of her demands for acknowledgment.

Mizoguchi produces a lengthy and poignant series of biases and struggles of attitude, figuratively butting heads with human design-our will to be free and our constant struggle against oppression. In Oharu's case, the battle culminates in distress, affliction, torment, and our voyeuristic discouragement of our heroine's plight. It becomes not only an understanding of restrictions in seventeenth-century Japan, but also a juxtaposition of female limitations that have existed since our arrival as a species. The desire for perhaps even the most basic personal dignities is essential to our existence. In the end that dignity is the only thing poor Oharu has left.

Life of Oharu is a touching and indiscreet examination of human violation, suffering, and humiliation. It's a vision that should never be omitted or disregarded from our constantly altering perspectives of daily life. out of

Gary W. Tooze

Poster

Theatrical Release: April 3rd, 1952 - Japan

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DVD Review: Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Artificial Eye - Region 2- PAL
Runtime	2:10:36
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.5 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Dolby)
Subtitles	English (ingrained)
Features	Release Information: Studio: Artificial Eye Film Company Aspect Ratio: Original aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Mizoguchi filmography DVD Release Date: April 26th, 2004 Transparent Keep Case Chapters: 12

Comments:

The image is quite dark, but sharper than I had anticipated. Now that doesn't mean it's stunning, but just that I had limited expectations after hearing rumors about this release (and Lady of Musashino whose subs are NOT ingrained!) . The subtitles are, unfortunately, ingrained, but are of decent quality. The contrast could be improved (akin to the AE 'Apu Trilogy').

I am pretty happy with the image but appalled that there are no Extras. Mizoguchi has had a huge delay on DVD with English subtitles (aside from Image Entertainments 'The 47 Ronin'). A great film and one worthy of better treatment in my mind. Still, it could have been as bad as the Columbia Tri-star Apu Trilogy. We will take what we can get. out of