On Sep 8, 11:13=A0pm, william wrote:
> Hey,
>
> The reason -- at least to me -- that Mizoguchi isn't as popular in the
> west as he should be is because he may be too Japanese. What he
> learned from the west in terms of production values were subsumed into
> his aesthetic and that aesthetic is as influenced by woodcuts and
> paintings as much as anything else. As I slowly work my way through
> his catalog, I find I don't miss the use of the closeup that Mizoguchi
> rarely uses. That single choice is pretty much central to
> understanding his approach to films. He is one of the few directors
> who actually understands and utilizes mise-en-sc=E8ne (in the true
> definition) and yet the last things his films show is staginess.
>
> Obviously, a film titled "The Crucified Lovers" isn't going to end
> well for somebody. The story is from a Japanese play from the 17th
> century and the literal title of the film is "A Story From
> Chikamatsu." What is remarkable about this flick isn't in the story
> alone but how the film is made. To me, that's how it should be. There
> should be equal amounts of each and the more I watch this guy, the
> more I get what he's up to.
>
>
Try and catch Mizoguchi's 1939 film, "The Story of the Last
Chrysanthemums", if you can. Utterly brilliant; arguably the best of
his prewar films (which are much less frequently seen than his postwar
work).
GMW
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