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Ugetsu

Ugetsu, also known as Tales of Moonlight and Rain, is a 1953 Japanese historical fantasy drama film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. Based on two tales from Ueda Akinari’s 1776 collection Ugetsu Monogatari, the film is set in the Sengoku period and examines the costs of ambition, love, and war through parallel stories of two peasants.

The plot follows Genjurō, a potter, and his fellow peasant in their quest for wealth during a

The film stars Masayuki Mori as Genjurō, Kinuyo Tanaka as Miyagino (Genjurō’s wife), and Machiko Kyō as

Ugetsu received international acclaim, winning the Silver Lion at the 1953 Venice Film Festival. It is widely

time
of
civil
conflict.
Genjurō
encounters
a
beautiful
noblewoman
who
appears
as
a
spirit,
drawing
him
away
from
his
domestic
life.
In
a
parallel
thread,
Tōbei,
a
farmer,
is
tempted
by
promises
of
prosperity
and
status.
Both
stories
unfold
as
their
wives
endure
hardship
and
seek
to
preserve
their
families,
with
the
supernatural
elements
underscoring
the
moral
themes
of
illusion
versus
reality
and
the
fragility
of
human
desires.
Wakasa,
the
enigmatic
noblewoman
who
appears
to
Genjurō.
Ugetsu
is
renowned
for
Mizoguchi’s
restrained,
flowing
long
takes,
subtle
camera
movement,
and
a
stark
black-and-white
visual
style
that
creates
a
luminous
sense
of
moonlight
and
rain.
regarded
as
a
masterpiece
of
Japanese
cinema
and
a
landmark
in
Mizoguchi’s
career,
noted
for
its
humane
portrayal
of
ordinary
people
and
its
humane,
elegiac
tone.