Utamaro and His Five Women (1946)

Synopsis: Director Kenji Mizoguchi's biography of famed Japanese wood block painter Utamaro is perhaps his most erotic and autobiographical work. Minosuke Bandô stars as the eponymous painter who works amid... Director Kenji Mizoguchi's biography of famed Japanese wood block painter Utamaro is perhaps his most erotic and autobiographical work. Minosuke Bandô stars as the eponymous painter who works amid the bustle of the Yoshihara district, an upscale, licensed pleasure zone of bars and bordellos in 17th-century Edo. He finds fulfillment in painting five beautiful women, all of whom are seeking, if not emancipation, at least as much freedom as can be achieved in their oppressive society. Oran (Hiroko Kawasaki), unwilling to service a wealthy feudal lord, is in love with a impecunious apprentice artist. The innocent Yukie (Eiko Ohara), a member of an aristocratic family, challenges her father's authority by leaving his household to be close to her fiance. Oshin (Kiniko Shiratao), a prostitute who has is nearing the end of her term of service in the district, must decide how to use the freedom that awaits her. The fiery Okita (Kinuyo Tanaka) loses her indecisive lover to Takasode (Toshiko Iizuka) and the two women engage in a bitter confrontation. Linking the dramas is the endlessly patient, nearly inarticulate Utamaro, working painstakingly to capture the beauty that so haunts him. With its spectacularly expressive mise-en-scene and long, fluid sequence shots, Mizoguchi's film reveals the life of an artist whose goals clearly echoed his own. [More]

Starring: Minosuke Bandô, Kôtarô Bandô, Kinuyo Tanaka

Starring: Minosuke Bandô, Kôtarô Bandô, Kinuyo Tanaka

Director: Kenji Mizoguchi

Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Screenwriter: Yoshikata Yoda
Story: Kanji Kunieda
Composer: Toshio Osawa, Tanezo Mochizuki

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