Ugetsu

Ugetsu Review My impression of Ugetsu Monogatari was an overall positive one. There was a lot of things done right such as the cinematography, set design, and acting; however, there was a definite issue with a certain plot element of the film and support character acting. I adjusted my review of this movie to account for the fact it is a black and white movie from 1950s Japan. Things like a much slower story telling pace and lack of great audio quality were ignored. Let’s move on to a summary of the film. Ugetsu Monogatari (Tales of Moonlight and Rain) is an interesting story about the greed of man and how it leads to tragic demise. The story follows two couples in an era of war whose work is creating pottery. One of the Husbands, Genjurō,…

Step inside the arena and grab a seat. We have a great show for you tonight! Prepare yourself because the most anticipated fight in Edo era Japan begins immediately. This fight will involve the supernatural, in one corner, and societal norms, in the other. Tonight, the term supernatural refers to anything that exists beyond scientific understanding or natural laws. Furthermore, the term, “myth,” interchanges with the term, “supernatural,” throughout the night. The setting of this bout occurs…

the gendaimono, a depiction of "contemporary circumstances in which picking individual joy over obedient and primitive devotion regularly prompted suicide" (Balmain, 2008). As per Balmain, two of the most vital after war motion pictures of Japanese loathsomeness are Godzilla and Tales of Ugetsu (Balmain, 2008, p. 47). Both movies manage an interruption of the harmony in the middle of man and nature and in the middle of man and society that must be restored through the female figure. Godzilla…

divergence between kaiki films and their English counterparts. As such, it can be assumed that Kaiki films focus on embodying the Japanese concept of karmic retribution brought about by a person not adhering to social order and propriety which differs significantly from English language horror films that focus on fear and a violation of innocence. The basis for this assertion can be seen in how several Japanese kaiki films start off with a form of violation, someone not following proper social…