The type of late wartime movie of which Mizoguchi told Donald Richie: ‘Most of the staff members had been drafted. I avoided the draft by making films like this.’ At barely over an hour, The Famous Sword is a slim fable of magic and myth about obsessed swordmakers who seek perfection by a fanatic loyalty to the Emperor rather than harboring personal grudges. The mid-nineteenth century late Tokugawa period is recreated through sets reminiscent of Genroku Chushingura, but most interesting is the manner in which the aristocratic lady Sasae appears first in ghostly form to shore up the flagging spirits of the loyalist swordsmiths, then fights the climactic duel herself with a treacherous samurai. Even in this piece of period propaganda, the strongest image is of a strong woman taking her fate in her hands. —Village Voice
Kenji Mizoguchi entered the film world as a promoter of Western novelty in Japanese cinema and exited it as an acclaimed international director who exemplified Japan at its most traditional. After The Life of Oharu and Ugetsu won prizes in successive Venice Film Festivals in the early ‘50s, Mizoguchi became an icon for the nascent French New Wave. His mastery of mise-en-scène was lauded by Jacques Rivette, while Jean-Luc Godard praised his metaphysics and his stylistic elegance. Mizoguchi is still recognized as one of the 20th century’s greatest filmmakers. Born in Tokyo, in 1898, Mizoguchi was the middle child of a roofer/carpenter. His family’s financial situation went from modest to desperate when his erratic, dreamer father tried to make a killing by selling raincoats to the military during the Russo-Japanese war. Not having enough money for food, Mizoguchi’s older sister was put up for adoption at age 14. She was later sold to a geisha house. Mizoguchi himself… read more
