Ugetsu

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Ugetsu

1953

1h 36m

Fantasy

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100%

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34 Reviews

93%

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5,000+ Ratings

In 16th century Japan, peasants Genjuro (Masayuki Mori) and Tobei (Sakae Ozawa) sell their earthenware pots to a group of soldiers in a nearby village, in defiance of a local sage's warning against seeking to profit from warfare. Genjuro's pursuit of both riches and the mysterious Lady Wakasa (Machiko Kyō), as well as Tobei's desire to become a samurai, run the risk of destroying both themselves and their wives, Miyagi (Kinuyo Tanaka) and Ohama (Mitsuko Mito).

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Critics Consensus

With its thought-provoking themes, rich atmosphere, and brilliant direction, Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu monogatari is a towering classic of world cinema.

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Jonas Mekas

Village Voice

04/20/2022

Ugetsu, with its many adventures and accidents and stories, is a well-constructed work of art, growing out of a sense of drama.

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Alan Scherstuhl

Village Voice

02/28/2017

With rare humanity, Mizoguchi reveals the toll these misadventures take on the souls of both men and their wives, many moments an uncanny synthesis of the realistic and the otherworldly.

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Variety Staff

Variety

09/16/2008

Tale of two men in seething 16th-century Japan has a color and panorama which makes this absorbing film fare.

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Douglas Davidson

Elements of Madness

04/18/2025

... always-connected digital communication that we live in, there’s a belief that one must be seen in order to be real and being seen must be shuffled through a myriad of filters before clicking publish, the message from 1953 remains a poignant one.

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Penelope Gilliatt

Observer (UK)

03/05/2024

Mizoguchi was trained as a painter, and his deep-focus shots often remind one of a Dutch interior.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

02/14/2022

4/4

Mizoguchi's blend of historicity, artistic refinement, and human observation combines with his rare embrace of the spiritual in Ugetsu, and its effect is entrancing, affecting, and unforgettable.

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Abro A

@Ozuuu Jul 7

Fantastic little gem. Made by a master of cinema. I loved everything about this film.

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Lao M

@bowserlord Jul 7

Very stirring film. Flows like a water painting, but that shouldn't be a surprise coming from a master director like Mizguchi. Filled with haunting visuals and dark subplots. A ghost story and a Samurai film in equal measure. Loved it!

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Par H

@Parhwy Jun 26

Ugetsu (1953) is a 96-minute-long Japanese drama I saw on Plex in June 2026. This film is quite depressing due to the nature of the world and the time in which the main characters live. They live on struggle street at the best of times; the film is set in the worst of times. There is hope however there is also superstition and soothsaying. I absolutely loved the scene where the husband decides to buy a kimono for his wife and she appears in the shop; this is his imagination, yet it was done so smoothly on camera. The end of the film uses a similar technique, and my experience was incredible sadness. A lot of the acting felt weak by quality and pace: so many actors were talking and moving at pace. Ok, I get it, it’s a frenetic time in your world, not everything needs mania and yelling. The two main stories were told in large, almost unlinked blocks of cinema time. Rewatch? No. Recommend? No. 5/10.

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Homu L

@AkemiLord May 3

Fantastic movie. I really enjoyed watching this. Great film!

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Werner K

@wernerrrrr12 Jan 30

Tales of Moonlight and rain. Do you know? A great Japanese ghost movie!

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Fumi A

@Lordoflords Jan 30

Literally the best Japanese movie ever made. Mizguchi was a master. My most highest recommendation for this film! Very good!

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Kenji Mizoguchi

Director

Machiko Kyō

Lady Wakasa

Masayuki Mori

Genjurô

Kinuyo Tanaka

Miyagi

Sakae Ozawa

To^bei

Ikio Sawamura

Genichi

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Synopsis

In 16th century Japan, peasants Genjuro (Masayuki Mori) and Tobei (Sakae Ozawa) sell their earthenware pots to a group of soldiers in a nearby village, in defiance of a local sage's warning against seeking to profit from warfare. Genjuro's pursuit of both riches and the mysterious Lady Wakasa (Machiko Kyō), as well as Tobei's desire to become a samurai, run the risk of destroying both themselves and their wives, Miyagi (Kinuyo Tanaka) and Ohama (Mitsuko Mito).

Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Producer: Masaichi Nagata
Screenwriter: Matsutarô Kawaguchi
Distributor: Criterion Collection, Video Yesteryear, Edward Harrison [us]
Production Co: Daiei Studios
Genre: Fantasy
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 7, 1953, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 23, 2017
Runtime: 1h 36m