MUBI

Take Life of Oharu and sieve it through the screen of film noir and you get this, only less of a rewarding experience at the end. It’s usually risky business watching a film in the AM for me when the gust of sleep visits, but fortunately this film was somewhat resistant, although it certainly lacks the certain magic I’d eagerly expect from a Mizoguchi piece (I’m choosing the word “piece” here instead of “film” to give the reader the impression that I possess a sophisticated vocabulary, but don’t tell h(er)im). I found it hard to follow who the characters were or tell what was going on during parts, but when I didn’t, I found myself straightening from my crouched position (like when Mr. Asai WAS caught by his wife in the theater or when the police knock on the door near the end). Don’t feel like ever watch this again, but what I’m most thankful for this (and basically Japanese cinema in general) is the atmosphere of associating Japanese music during/after watching a film, it takes me somewhere else. For this one I think 電離層からの眼差し matches well. No doubt this moment in time will be nostalgic for me in the future.

Having seen 5 of Mizoguchi’s films, and mostly all from his last years (Lady from Musoshino, Life of Oharo, Sansho, Ugetsu, Street of Shame); and owning another 10 I figure that it is time for me to go on a Mizoguchi-binge, much like I had done with Ozu a few years ago, so that I could become better aquainted with the great director.

So, I started with Osaka Elegy, which I’m a little sorry to say, but I didn’t finish it. At only 71 minutes, it plays more like 3 hours, and not only is the pace of the film unnecessarily slow, but the film itself is extremely static. I would compare it to watching a bad Ozu film without the humor or the intersecting plotlines.

This being the earliest Mizoguchi that I have seen, I don’t know if I would consider this a hiccup for the director, or if he has still yet to find his groove, but I can say that after just finishing “Sisters of Gion” that ‘Sisters’ is a wholly better film, completed right after and in the same year as “Osaka Elegy”.

One day I will revisit this film, but for now I would have to give this lifeless film 2 stars out of 5.