ADDITION: Criterion 4K UHD (April 2025): Criterion have transferred Kenji Mizoguchi's "Ugetsu Monogatari" to 4K UHD. This package comes with one 4K UHD disc of the film and optional commentary and the previous 2017 Criterion Blu-ray with the film in 1080P and special features.

Like 4K UHD transfers of The Long Wait, and I, the Jury, and many others below, Criterion's 2160P transfer of "Ugetsu Monogatari"  does not have HDR applied (no HDR10, HDR10+, nor Dolby Vision.) We have seen many other 4K UHD transfers without HDR; Mondo Macabro's Dr. Jekyll and the Werewolf, Cult Film's Django 4K UHD, Umbrella's 4K UHD transfer of Peter Weir's The Last Wave and Criterion's 4K UHD transfers of Winchester 73', The Mother and the Whore, I Am Cuba, The Others, Rules of the Game, Branded to Kill, In the Mood For Love, Night of the Living Dead and, further examples, Masters of Cinema's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and Kino's 4K UHDs of Bob le Flambeur, Last Year at Marienbad, Nostalghia, The Apartment, For a Few Dollars More, A Fistful of Dollars, In the Heat of the Night, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly as well as Koch Media's Neon Demon + one of the 4K UHD transfers of Dario Argento's Suspiria. This non-HDR choice can stem from a preservation of the original aesthetic and/or the source material limitations.

The Criterion 4K UHD release of Ugetsu Monogatari offers a pristine 2160P image that elevates an already visually masterful film. The 4K digital restoration, with its improved clarity and detail, enhances Mizoguchi’s long takes, painterly compositions, and symbolic imagery, making the film’s themes of impermanence and human folly even more impactful. It’s a worthwhile investment for those with 4K setups who want to experience Ugetsu in its fullest visual glory. The improved image quality enhances Ugetsu’s visual storytelling, which is central to Mizoguchi’s artistry. This landmark of Japanese cinema has never looked better for home theatre viewing.

NOTE: 44 more full resolution (3840 X 2160) 4K UHD captures, in lossless PNG format, for Patrons are available HERE

The 4K UHD audio transfer duplicates the 2017 Blu-ray - a linear PCM mono track in the original Japanese (at 24-bit.) The sound design and score of Ugetsu are integral to its haunting, ethereal atmosphere, complementing the film’s visual beauty and deepening its emotional and thematic resonance. Mizoguchi, working with composer Fumio Hayasaka (Stray Dog, Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Ikiru) who served as a musical mentor to Masaru Satō (Kurosawa's High and Low) and Tōru Takemitsu (Shinoda's Pale Flower, Teshigahara's Pitfall.) Additionally there is supplemental music by Taro Takahashi and Ichiro Saito - and sound designer Iwao Otani, who craft an auditory experience that blends traditional Japanese music, naturalistic sound effects, and strategic silences to create a soundscape that feels both timeless and deeply rooted in the film’s historical and cultural context. The sound enhances the narrative’s exploration of war, desire, and the supernatural, while also reflecting Mizoguchi’s interest in tradition in performing arts like noh theater. The film's score is a masterful blend of traditional Japanese music - koto (a stringed instrument), shakuhachi (a bamboo flute), and taiko drums - and Western orchestral elements, creating a sound that is both culturally specific and universally evocative. The sound on the 4K UHD disc is clean evocative. Both discs offer optional English subtitles - and the 4K UHD is region FREE, playable worldwide and the second disc Blu-ray is Region 'A' / 'B'.

The Criterion 4K UHD and Blu-ray offer the older commentary by festival programmer Tony Rayns. He provides a scholarly yet accessible analysis of Ugetsu Monogatari. Rayns, a renowned expert on Asian cinema who has written extensively on Japanese film (including for Sight & Sound), offers a detailed, scene-by-scene breakdown of the film, blending historical context, cultural insights, and critical interpretation. Recorded for Criterion’s 2005 DVD release and carried over to the 2017 Blu-ray and 2025 4K UHD editions, this commentary remains a definitive resource for understanding the film. Rayns begins by situating Ugetsu within Mizoguchi’s career, noting that it came at a peak period following The Life of Oharu (1952) and just before Sansho the Bailiff (1954), often considered his greatest works. He discusses Mizoguchi’s “one scene, one shot" philosophy, explaining how the long takes and fluid camera movements reflect the director’s desire to capture the flow of life and emotion in a single, unbroken moment. Rayns also delves into the film’s historical setting - the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568–1600) - and its parallels to post-World War II Japan, where the devastation of war and the critique of male ambition resonated with audiences in 1953. The commentary remains particularly valuable for its attention to technical details, such as Kazuo Miyagawa’s cinematography and Fumio Hayasaka's score, which Rayns analyzes in the context of their contributions to the film's ethereal atmosphere. He also provides biographical insights into Mizoguchi, discussing how the director’s personal experiences - such as his sister’s struggles as a geisha and his own guilt over her suffering - shaped his empathetic portrayal of female characters. Two Worlds Intertwined by Masahiro Shinoda is the 14-minute video appreciation, by the director Masahiro Shinoda of Double Suicide (1969) and Samurai Spy (1965). Recorded for Criterion in 2005, Shinoda offers a personal and poetic reflection on Ugetsu, focusing on its blending of the real and the supernatural - two worlds that “intertwine" in the film’s narrative and visual style. Shinoda, a key figure in Japan’s New Wave cinema of the 1960s, brings a filmmaker’s perspective to his analysis, emphasizing Mizoguchi’s influence on his own work and on Japanese cinema as a whole. A significant portion of Shinoda’s appreciation focuses on the film’s anti-war message, which he sees as a reflection of Mizoguchi’s experiences during World War II. Process and Production is a 20-minute video interview with Tokuzo Tanaka, who later became a director himself (but known as an assistant director on A Story from Chikamatsu, Sansho the Bailiff , Ugetsu, and Rashomon,), who provides a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Ugetsu, offering valuable insights into Mizoguchi's working methods and the production challenges faced by the crew. Tanaka begins by describing Mizoguchi’s meticulous approach to directing, noting his insistence on authenticity in every detail, from the set design to the actors’ performances. He recounts how Mizoguchi shot much of the film on location near Kyoto, using real villages and natural landscapes to create a sense of historical realism. Tanaka also discusses the challenges of filming the Lake Biwa scenes, where the crew had to contend with unpredictable weather - fog, rain, and wind - that made shooting difficult. Also repeated is the 10-minute video interview with cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa, recorded in 1995 for a Japanese television program and included in Criterion’s releases since 2005, which offers a firsthand account of the visual artistry behind Ugetsu. Miyagawa, who also shot Rashomon and Yojimbo for Akira Kurosawa, is widely regarded as one of Japan’s greatest cinematographers, and his work on Ugetsu is often cited as a pinnacle of his career. A highlight of the interview is Miyagawa’s discussion of the hot spring scene, where Genjuro and Lady Wakasa share an intimate moment. He explains how he used reflective surfaces - like the water and surrounding reeds - to create a shimmering effect, enhancing the scene’s sensuality while hinting at its supernatural undertones. At nearly two and a half hours, the documentary is a substantial commitment, but it’s a treasure trove for Mizoguchi enthusiasts. The centerpiece of the Criterion supplements is Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director, a two-and-a-half-hour documentary directed by Kaneto Shindo in 1975, a year before Shindo’s death. Shindo, a prolific Japanese filmmaker known for films like Onibaba (1964) and Kuroneko (1968), was a contemporary of Mizoguchi and offers an intimate, comprehensive look at the director’s life and career. The documentary is structured chronologically, tracing Mizoguchi’s journey from his early days in the 1920s, when he directed over 80 films (many of which are now lost), to his later masterpieces in the 1950s, including Ugetsu. Shindo uses a mix of archival footage, film clips, and interviews with Mizoguchi’s collaborators - actors, crew members, and family - to paint a portrait of a complex, driven artist. Key interviewees include actress Kinuyo Tanaka, who played Miyagi in Ugetsu and worked with Mizoguchi on several films, and cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa, who shares additional insights into their collaboration. There are also theatrical trailers (in Japanese + Spanish.) Lastly is a booklet with original short stories and an essay by Phillip Lopate (My Affair with Art House Cinema: Essays and Reviews.) These are short stories that inspired Ugetsu - Akinari Ueda’s "The House in the Thicket" and "Lust of the Serpent" from his 1776 collection Ugetsu Monogatari, and Guy de Maupassant’s "How He Got the Legion of Honor" - along with a new essay by Lopate. This booklet, a staple of Criterion releases, provides literary and critical context for the film. The Criterion 4K UHD release of Ugetsu Monogatari offers a robust set of supplements that cater to a wide range of interests, from scholarly analysis to behind-the-scenes insights to historical context. While some fans have expressed a desire for new 4K-specific extras, the existing materials are so thorough that they remain highly valuable.

Kenji Mizoguchi's "Ugetsu Monogatari" is considered one of the greatest films ever made for its profound thematic depth, visual artistry, and cultural resonance. The film’s structure is episodic, reflecting the storytelling tradition of monogatari (narrative tales), but Mizoguchi unifies the episodes through thematic parallels and a cyclical return to the village, symbolizing a return to humility and familial values after the men’s ill-fated pursuits. The film blends historical realism with supernatural elements, exploring themes of greed, war’s devastation, and the suffering of women, while offering a poignant critique of male pride and societal values in feudal Japan. The Criterion release ensures that Ugetsu is not only preserved in stunning 4K UHD quality, but also contextualized in a way that honors its status as a cinematic masterpiece, making this package a definitive edition for fans and scholars alike. It cannot get anything but our very highest recommendation.

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ADDITION: Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - May 17: There is quite a difference between the 2012 Masters of Cinema 1080P and the new Criterion 4K restoration transfer. The Criterion starts with a screen that says "Restored by The Film Foundation and KADOKAWA Corporation at Cineric, Inc. in New York. Special thanks to Masahiro Miyajima and Martin Scorsese for their consultation" and this Blu-ray is advertised as a "New 4K digital restoration". The Criterion has far less in the way of scratches as compared to the UK transfer. It is also darker and cropped on the left, top and bottom edges. Beside it, at times, the Masters of Cinema visuals looks waxy. The Criterion 4K restoration is significantly tighter with richer, deeper, black levels and impressively layered contrast. It is in the 1.37:1 aspect ratio. Despite the cropping - it is the winner in terms of video image looking brilliant in-motion as well as superior in the, expanded, static captures below.

Criterion also win in the audio with a linear PCM mono track in the original Japanese - but at 24-bit, as opposed to MoC's 16-bit. The music in the film is credited to Fumio Hayasaka (Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Ikiru), Tamekichi Mochizuki (Sansho the Bailiff, An Actor's Revenge) and Ichirô Saitô (The Life of Oharu, Floating Clouds) and sounds authentically flat and a bit tinny. There are optional English subtitles on Criterion's Region 'A'-locked disc.

Extras duplicate Criterion 2-disc DVD package from 2008 with the informative audio commentary by filmmaker, critic, and festival programmer Tony Rayns, a 1/4 hour appreciation of Ugetsu by director Masahiro Shinoda entitled Two Worlds Intertwined, plus 20-minutes of a video interview with Tokuzo Tanaka, first assistant director on Ugetsu, about the making of the film. It is entitled Process and Production. There is a separate 10-minute piece with cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa. There are trailers in both Japanese and Spanish but the big inclusion is the 2.5 hour, documentary by Kaneto Shindo, Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director from 1975. Criterion have it in 1080P with lossy Dolby audio. The package has a liner notes booklet featuring the original short stories on which the film is based—Akinari Ueda’s “The House in the Thicket" and “Lust of the Serpent" and Guy de Maupassant’s “How He Got the Legion of Honor"—and an essay by critic Phillip Lopate.

The Criterion is another step up in a/v with the cleaner 4K restoration and it has the appealing Mizoguchi documentary and other extras. This is highly important cinema and we give this Blu-ray package our highest recommendation! It should be on every cinephile's shelf... buy with extreme pleasure.

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ADDITION Masters of Cinema Blu-ray - April 2012: Not  much to address - we get a Mizoguchi classic in hi-def courtesy of MoC! The improved resolution is a significant improvement in-motion - the image is brighter, more detailed via the layered contrast - it shows a shade more information in the frame. Audio gets the HD-bump and ratchets up a notch closer to purity. Optional subtitles are at MoC's usual high standard.

On the supplements they have included Mizoguchi’s Oyu-sama in 1080P plus the Rayns discussions on both films (see below). There is also the included booklet. The Dual-format package also contains a DVD of the feature.

This film always floors me - and it have it in such a wonderful Blu-ray package makes it a true keepsake for the digital library. We rate this 'Essential'.

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ADDITION: Masters of Cinema (2-disc) - April 08: The Criterion was prior to their days of pictureboxing and shows marginal improvement, in the image, over the new Masters of Cinema Ugetsu Monogatari. This is mostly apparent in terms of the (boosted) black levels and lighter damage marks. Frankly, the differences are there but I don't consider them overt. Bottom line is the Criterion appears slightly cleaner and gives the appearance of being minutely sharper. The extras for Ugetsu obviously lean towards Criterion with the Rayns commentary and the 2.5 hour documentary Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director on their second disc.

Not unlike the respective Sansho the Bailiff releases, MoC have gone a different, but very appreciated, route. They have included another Mizoguchi film - the brilliant 1951 love-triangle melodrama Oyû-sama as part of their package. It looks very acceptable image-wise with minimal damage and excellent subtitles (see image captures at very bottom). Along with both films MoC have included video discussions from the reliable expert Tony Rayns (about 9 minutes and 13 minutes respectively). As per their custom - a scholarly book is included (64-pages) - this time featuring writing by Keiko I. McDonald (author of Mizoguchi and editor of Ugetsu) and award-winning translations of Ueda Akinari’s The Reed-Choked House and A Serpent’s Lust, tales adapted by Mizoguchi in Ugetsu Monogatari. My only complaint would be that the font is somewhat small (and my eyes are not what they used to be). It has photos and color posters as the cover. I have enjoyed what I have read so far.

Personally, I am content owning both - but if I was forced to choose one I would lean toward the MoC with the inclusion of Oyû-sama which I was quite struck with in my first viewing. For Mizoguchi fans I see no option but to own both. Ugetsu is too important and the Criterion package is definitive, but MoC are offering yet another Mizoguchi masterpiece. It seems only a short time ago my ListServ were lamenting the lack of Mizoguchi on DVD.  It is ecstasy indeed to be a Japanese cinema fan these past few years. We can see how far we have come from the analog, bare-bones Bo-Ying of 2004. I, for one, am immensely appreciative of MoC's fine work in presenting us with these immortal classics. I'll be buying a second copy (beyond my free screener) to continue to support their projects. I encourage fans, who can, to do so as well.

NOTE: The MoC Ugetsu appears to run longer via the bitrate info as immediately following the 'end' (no credits) is an interlaced trailer.      

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ADDITION: Criterion - Region 1 - Oct 05:  The Criterion includes the 2.5 hour documentary Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director on the second disc. We have reviewed the Asmik Ace edition of the same documentary HERE. It is great addition to the Criterion package.

The Bo Ying image has been obviously boosted and it looks even more prominent next to the stellar Criterion. The more muted contrast of the Criterion does show its superior sharpness to a strong degree, but it also has a tendency to make scratches more visible. Actually I noticed them most at the beginning of the film (especially the title sequence and credits) and, although there is some minor flickering after, it settles to be an extremely consistent and beautiful image thereafter. In an unusual surprise it is the Bo Ying that suffers from some minor cropping - mostly on the top and left edge. One of the many big differences between these two presentations are the vast improvement of the Criterion subtitle translations.

Although I was prepared for a rather dry commentary - Tony Rayns' audio accompaniment is fabulous - one of the best I can recall from this year. He touches on the film and a lot about Mizoguchi - sometimes very intellectual and formal but a wealth of key information. Great preparation and great delivery.

Pricing - the Boy Ying is only $3.99 US now but, of course, we still recommend the Criterion which somehow has maintained a relatively reasonable price (Pre-order from Amazon at $27.97) with a second disc feature and stunning booklet plus better image, subtitles and extras. A fabulous and classy package from the great Criterion - an easy must-own purchase for any true cinema fan.

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Bo Ying - Region 0 - PAL (2004): As far as DVDBeaver is aware this is presently the only English subtitled DVD of this masterpiece film available anywhere in world. Mizoguchi continues to be the least represented master film director in this digital medium. In this, regarded as his masterpiece film, he explores his major themes of oppression of women and the roles they play in society, the struggling under-class, and avarice.

The DVD appears to be of a decent source and I am not displeased. It has no ghosting or combing that I can see and the bitrate indicates it may very well be progressive. It will, most likely, be eclipsed one day by a Criterion release. Otherwise this is a ridiculously reasonably priced DVD from YesAsia at only $6 and a must-see film for all. Certainly at this point this is the deal of the year!

NOTE: Yes, there are some flaws in the subs ('owen' instead of 'oven' etc.) and the grammar is quite weak. Just be prepared to take a little bad with the good for your $3.99.

Gary W. Tooze