Ugetsu Monogatari

            Kenzi Mizoguchi’s “Ugetsu Monogatari”, or “Tales of Moonlight and Rain”, effectively portrays concepts and themes which are extremely applicable within a universally relatable context, despite its utilization of a setting that is quite distinctly separated from the setting occupied currently. The film’s presentation of the difficultly of balancing individual needs and aspirations with the needs of those one associates with is bound to be significant within any society. The ability of obsession with greed and ambition to distort priorities not only occurred during the time period the film is set, but also when the film was produced as well as in modern society.

            The film takes place in Omi Province during the 16^th century, which was a setting defined by feudalism and civil war. Thus, it can be considered an effective example of the jidaigeki genre of film. Because of the lack of stability within communities at the time; it is difficult for characters in the film to become consistently dependent on others within those communities. As a result, they are forced to adopt a certain degree of individualism in order to survive and become successful.

The film is primarily divided into two stories: one of Genjuro, his wife Miyagi and their son; and another of Tobei and his wife Ohama. Genjuro works hard to produce wares in order to provide necessities for his family. Miyagi frequently attempts to reassure him that she is satisfied by his companionship, and is less concerned with his generating resources, though Miyagi pays little attention. As a result, Genjuro seems to unwittingly sacrifice his family’s security in his greed and obsession, so they are unprepared when their village is attacked by roaming soldiers. Both families and their wares are unscathed, but they are forced to travel to a marketplace in another village to sell their products, and Genjuro and Tobei decide to leave their wives behind, believing it would be unsafe to bring them.

            While selling his pottery, Genjuro is summoned to the extravagant home of a noblewoman, Lady Wakasa, who is very appreciative of his craftsmanship and attempts to convince him to stay with her. Genjuro is humbled by her nobility and easily convinced. He seems to forget the family he left behind and agrees to marry her. He later encounters and speaks with a priest, who suggests that he return home and informs him that Lady Wasaka has departed, and that therefore he must be residing with her spirit. Genjuro begins to regret his decision, and admits to Lady Wasaka that he has another family that he has abandoned. She grows angry with him, and attempts to stop him from leaving. He flees, loses consciousness outside, and is awoken the next morning by a group of soldiers. Genjuro then sees that her home has clearly been destroyed long ago. When he returns home, Miyagi is overjoyed to see him again, and they and their son fall asleep. In the morning, Genjuro is unable to find Miyagi, and is then told by a neighboring villager that Miyagi had been killed by soldiers while he was away, and that he had been caring for their son since then.

            

Genjuro had been blinded by his lust for prosperity, and his resulting negligence towards his wife leaves her abandoned and unprotected, and therefore more susceptible to violence at the hands of rogue soldiers. Once he finally accepts the warnings of this directed at him in the beginning of the film and realizes his error, it is too late.

            Tobei seeks fame and glory, and wishes to become a powerful samurai, though both Ohama and Genjuro believe this to be a foolish goal, and that he should focus on more realistic, domestic matters. As soon as he receives enough money from the nearby marketplace, he purchases armor, and attempts to impress and join a group of samurai. Meanwhile, Ohama is attacked and assaulted by a group of soldiers, and afterwards grows desperate for subsistence.

            Tobei ambushes another soldier who has taken the head of a general, steals the head, presents to the group of samurai, and is praised when he convinces them that he killed the general himself. He becomes respected among the samurai, and when traveling with them back to his home to show Ohama how successful he has become, they decide to rest at a brothel. He encounters Ohama there, who has been forced into prostitution out of desperation. He immediately repents his selfishness. Out of guilt, Tobei renounces his dreams of becoming a samurai to atone for his misdeed by caring for and providing for Ohama.

            Tobei’s story reflects Genjuro’s in that both characters were corrupted by their desires and initially ignored the warnings of others concerning it. Both also eventually realized this and repented. The fact that they are attracted to completely different objectives and consider the other’s aspirations less legitimate make the presentation of this theme within “Ugetsu Monogatari” particularly compelling; because, it demonstrates that humankind can be corrupted by a wide variety of superficial desires and that it is always easier to recognize this superficiality in others than it is to recognize it in oneself.

            “Ugetsu Monogatari” was based on a collection of stories from 1776, and was released in Japan in 1953. Because Japan was experiencing a period of rebuilding, jidaigeki films depicting a somewhat deconstructed form of society would have been popular at the time, such as “Seven Samurai” or “Sansho the Bailiff”. It is entirely conceivable that while attempting to reconstruct a community, one could become overzealous in their materialism and experience the same sort of unconscious negligence Genjuro and Tobei succumbed to. Initially, Genjuro had honest intentions, in that he wanted to provide and care for his family. However, he was seduced by this materialism and lost sight of his family as a priority. This could have easily occurred in the period in Japan the film was developed in, just as it could easily occur in the hyperactive materialism we experience today.

            Throughout “Ugetsu Monogatari”, Mizoguchi utilizes a rather distinct visual stylization. For instance, many images are framed at a medium distance, in that they display multiple potential focal points, but generally not the entire scene in one shot. This is frequently done by layering or staggering objects within the image, such as by placing one character in front of another without completely obstructing the audience’s view of them. As a result he seems to position aspects of the shot in relation to each other, rather than use an excessive amount of cutting to portray each aspect individually. Because parts of the scene are related but not completely visible, the film uses a great deal of camera movement, particularly horizontal pans.

            The film deals primarily with the domestic relationships of its various characters, so it is very important to demonstrate how they pertain to one another. Positioning these characters in relation to each other gives the audience a very strong sense of body language and chemistry between the characters, which greatly improves how effectively different emotions are subtly and nonverbally communicated, such as guilt, disappointment and fear. For example, multiple times throughout the film while two characters are interacting, one of them will be speaking while the other turns away. Therefore, the focus of the image is on the character that is speaking rather than the one that is turned. In order to visually demonstrate the emotional distance between the two, the camera will rotate around the characters to face the one that has turned away before they respond, and change the focal point in doing so.

http://youtu.be/Pg6cd7U0onw?t=1h7m3s

            The scene in which Tobei discovers Ohama in the brothel makes extensive use of Mizoguchi’s distinctive visual style. The camera first pans to follow Ohama from left to right as she chases a man attempting to steal from her and it passes over Tobei when he first notices the commotion. When Ohama is pushed back from the man, the camera continues to follow her from right to left, and she and Tobei are brought physically closer together. When she again advances on the man, the camera and Tobei both follow her to the right again at the same rate, so although the image itself changes, Tobei physically remains in the same position in the shot. As he approaches her, the camera cuts for the first time to Ohama’s left side so that the audience can see her struggling on the right side of the frame, and Tobei’s amazed expression as he watches and recognizes her on the left side of the frame. Ohama recovers her money and shouts proudly at the other man, who is offscreen. Ohama then becomes the focal point because she is more active, but Tobei has not moved.

            She then turns back, and stops when she and Tobei are face to face. After a brief hesitation, suggesting that she also immediately recognizes him, she moves away from him and opposite the direction of the camera. He follows her as the camera does, so that the camera remains the same distance from them. She turns to bitterly respond to him, acknowledging his new status as a samurai. She continues to moves away and then stops to speak more, then moves away again. Each time Tobei follows her, and the camera moves with him rather than with her, which suggests that at this point the audience’s perspective identifies more with Tobei’s amazement. She exits, and the camera cuts for a second time outside facing them from the opposite direction, so that they move towards the camera rather than it following them.

            Because the cinematography mimics the physicality of the characters, the audience is able to feel and identify with the interaction between them. They are able to sense Ohama’s anguish and emotional distance as she continues to move further and further away, and they are able to sense Tobei’s remorse and astonishment as he continues to follow her. All this remains fluid through Mizoguchi’s use of consistent camera movement rather than sudden cuts.

            Overall, “Ugetsu Monogatari” portrays warnings of potential neglect and obsession caused by excessive unchecked desire. This is demonstrated thoroughly because of its narrative presentation of several different forms that obsession can adopt. It is also communicated effectively through a visual and editing style that reflects aspects of the narrative. Finally, the audience is extremely likely to connect with these concepts because of its significant and universal relevance. 

Seven Samurai Analysis

The scene in “Seven Samurai” in which Rikichi, Heihachi, Kyuzo and Kikuchiyo raid the bandits’ fort is significant for a number of reasons. For instance, this is the first time the audience sees the bandits attack, so this scene establishes their capabilities. The audience sees what moral decisions they’re capable of making in discovering that they kidnapped Rikichi’s wife, and also what their capable of in battle, since we first see them using guns. This is also the first large-scale fight scene, so it begins to increase the energy of the film for later battle scenes. The use of drums sounds in the beginning, along with the characters’ whispering also emphasizes the tension as they first approach the bandits. This scene also helps to give the audience a better understanding of the peasants’ relationship with the bandits’ and the cruelty they have had to endure.

Shot 1: We are shown a medium shot of Rikichi, Heihachi, Kyuzo, and Kikuchiyo looking into the fort through a crack in the wall. Their bodies take up a majority of the frame. The only sounds are the river behind them, and non-diegetic drums that one might hear at the beginning of a battle. The camera pans to the left with Kikuchiyo as he walks several feet away to investigate their surroundings for a moment, and then follows him back as he returns to the others. From behind Kikuchiyo, who has his back to the camera, we see the river behind them and another building on the other side of the river. When the camera pans back, the other characters reenter the frame at the same time. Kikuchiyo and Rikichi face each other, and we see them from the side, while Heihachi stands on the other side of them facing the camera, and Kyuzo stands behind Rikichi facing the left side of the screen. Whispering, they agree to set the fort on fire, and Kikuchiyo jumps with excitement while laughing quietly. Rikichi turns towards the camera and runs out the right side of the frame.

Shot 2: Extremely brief close-up of Kikuchiyo looking through a crack in the wall again. His expression is alert and enthusiastic.

Shot 3: Medium shot of people sleeping inside the fort. The left side of the frame is taken up by legs hanging off of a bed, and the right side includes a rope hanging in the foreground, and two people lying in the background behind it.

Shot 4: Same as shot two. Kikuchiyo steps away from the wall and the camera follows him. He struggles and uses his teeth to remove the cloth tied around his wrist, and ties it around his head.

Shot 5: A different medium shot of people lying inside the fort. A jug sits on the left side of the screen, and two people are lying on the ground behind it, though only their bare legs are distinguishable.

Shot 6: Same as shots 2 and 4. Kikuchiyo finishes tying his cloth and then looks up.

Shot 7: Another medium shot of people lying near the edge of an elevated loft. It is angled upwards as if to mimic Kikuchiyo’s perspective. We can see the faces of two people and the legs of a third.

Shot 8: Same as shots 2, 4 and 6. Kikuchiyo kneels down looking up, and once the camera follows him down, Heihachi’s face is in the forground, still looking through the wall.

Shot 9: Similar to shot 7 but with a different loft, and we can see various limbs of five or six people.

Shot 10: back to shot 8. Kikuchiyo smiles, laughs, and taps Heihachi’s shoulder, who then sushes him, and the both return to looking through the wall.

Shot 11: Through a thin, transparent curtain, a woman slowly sits up on the right side of the frame, facing the left. On the left side of the frame, a fire is burning in a small dish that is sitting on a few sticks. She emotionless stares and does not move for several seconds. As she sits up, the non-diegetic sound of a piercing flute is heard, which adds to the warlike quality of the drums.

Shot 12: shot 10 again, only slightly further back so Kyuzo’s face can be seen as well. The three of them are positioned diagonally, so all three of their face can be seen looking through the wall.

Shot 13: Close-up of the same woman still staring to the left with her head tilted downward. After several seconds, her eyes begin to move to the side, and then she turns to her left, towards the camera. She is still looking to the left side of the frame, then suddenly jerks backwards looking very startled. Because she is facing to the left, and the other characters are looking to the right, it feels as if they are looking directly at each other.

Shot 14: Shot 10 again. All three characters quickly turn away from the camera.

Shot 15: A medium shot of a pile of various armor pieces and weapons. Smoke is rising from behind them, and then they catch fire.

Shot 16: Shot 14 again. All three characters turn back to the crack in the wall.

Shot 17: Shot 15 again. The woman looks afraid, and quickly turns away from the camera. She then stops, turns back to face the left side of the frame, then tilts her face downward again with a menacing expression. She then turns back to the right and looks up.

Shot 18: Shot 16 again. Kyuzo has his hand on his sword which is on his back. He lowers it, and the three characters all exchange glances.

Shot 19: A long shot of Rikichi running from the left side of the frame towards the right as the camera pans with him. The entire roof of the fort is now on fire. He runs from the cave next to the fort to the other characters. All four of them quickly back away from the wall and draw their swords. They form a circle around the door to the fort. The crackling of the fire can be heard. Three franticly screaming women run out of the fort, and the samurai gesture for them to run past them. As their screams grow louder, the drums grow quieter, and eventually faded out completely. The women slide down an incline and continue running towards the camera. Two men run out of the fort and all four primary characters swing at them at the same time.

Shot 20: Extremely brief medium shot of the characters swinging their swords at the bandits as the run from right to left. A number of people can now be heard screaming.

Shot 21: Essentially the same as shot 20, only now the camera is further away. Another person runs out of the fort.

Shot 22: A very long shot from the other side of the river. We can again see that the entire roof of the fort is on fire, and it is producing a great deal of smoke. People are running into the river.

Shot 23: Another brief medium shot of the same thing, only the frame is partly obscured by a horse in the foreground. We hear it neigh.

Shot 24: A brief long-distance shot of mostly smoke, and a single tree on the right side of the frame.

Shot 25: The same as the end of shot 19. The characters swing at several more men running out of the fort, then begin to chase them as they run away.

Shot 26: The same as shot 21. The characters chase the bandits as they run away from the fort off-screen to the left. Kyuzo briefly hesitates, still watching the door of the fort, then also runs to the left.

Shot 27: Long distance shot of the river angled down from about. Kikuchiyo and Heihachi follow two bandits into the water, which is only about a foot deep. They run to the left, out of the river and towards the camera, and turn away from the camera to crouch behind a low boulder. All four characters gather here and duck behind the boulder while watching people running in the water. Kikuchiyo laughs loudly and swings his sword in the air. He gleefully shouts “serves you right” to the bandits. In the background on the other side of the river, two more buildings can be seen completely on fire.

Shot 28: Medium shot from behind Kikuchiyo and Heihachi. Kikuchiyo can still be heard laughing.

Shot 29: Medium shot of Rikichi from behind standing between Heihachi on his right, and Kyuzo on his left. He turns towards the fort, then suddenly stands with a startled expression.

Shot 30: Full-body shot of the same woman who first noticed the fire slowly exiting the fort. As she appears, the same flute from before can be heard. She stops several feet in front of the door.

Shot 31: Full-body shot from behind of Rikichi running off screen to the left while the other characters watch him, still crouching behind the boulder.

Shot 31: Long-distance shot of Rikichi running to the woman and stopping several feet away. He looks at her while she looks off to the left

Shot 32: Same as shot 31. Kikuchiyo is shouting unintelligibly.

Shot 33: Shot 31 again. Rikichi and the woman stand several feet apart and stare at each other for a moment. The fort can be seen burning behind her.

Shot 34: Medium shot of the woman. She looks very upset, then quickly turns around and runs back towards the fort. 

"I Was Born, But..." Assignment

            This image is in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. It is a full-body shot of eight young boys standing in a loose V-formation. They stand unevenly, arranged by height with the tallest in front and the smallest in the back on the right. The boy in front and center of their formation is on the left third of the shot. The shot is angled slightly below eye-level. All of the boys are wearing shorts and some sort of long-sleeved shirt, mostly sweaters, though one of them is wearing his school uniform. About half of them are wearing hats, in a variety of types. They are standing outside, in a mostly empty field with very little grass, and with a fence behind them. In the background on the right there are dark hills and a water tower in the distance, and houses on the left.

            This shot says quite a bit about the setting, since the field is obviously undeveloped, and the houses, fence and water tower are not particularly extravagant, with quite a bit of space in between them. This suggests that the characters and the area they are in are not very prosperous. The arrangement they are standing in, specifically in height order, demonstrates how power is distributed among them. They are all wearing long sleeves, but because they are also wearing shorts it does not seem to be because they are cold. Particularly because one boy is wearing his school uniform, it can be assumed that they are wearing sweaters to conceal their uniforms, and because they are still wearing shorts, it can also be assumed that they did not take the time to go home and change, so they were in a hurry to disassociate themselves from the rigidity of their school.