Orizuru Osen
| Orizuru Osen | |
|---|---|
 Scene from the film | |
| Directed by | Kenji Mizoguchi |
| Produced by | Masaichi Nagata |
| Written by | Tatsunosuke Takashima |
| Based on |
Baishoku Kamo Nanban by Kyōka Izumi |
| Starring |
Isuzu Yamada Daijiro Natsukawa Ichiro Yoshizawa |
| Narrated by |
Suisei Matsui Midori Sawato |
| Cinematography | Minoru Miki |
Production company |
Daiichi Eiga |
| Distributed by | Shochiku |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Orizuru Osen (折鶴お千) (The Downfall of Osen) is a 1935 black and white Japanese silent film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, starring Isuzu Yamada.[1] It is based on Kyōka Izumi's novel Baishoku Kamo Nanban.[2]
Like most Japanese silent films, it played with benshi accompaniment. The film centers on the theme of the strength of a woman who gives everything to the man she loves; a theme which Mizoguchi explored his whole life. The moving camera technique and bold retrospective scenes greatly reflect Mizoguchi's experimental approach.
Cast
- Isuzu Yamada as Osen
- Daijiro Natsukawa as Sokichi Hata
- Ichiro Yoshizawa as Ukiki
- Shin Shibata as Kumazawa
- Genichi Fujii as Matsuda
- Eiji Nakano as the Professor
Reception
Japanese film scholar Chika Kinoshita noted that the film occupies a special place within the critical reception of Kenji Mizoguchi's oeuvre and it has been singled out as one of the earliest embodiments of his style in the late 1930s.[3]
References
- ↑ Bock, Audie (1978). Japanese Film Directors. Kodansha. p. 65. ISBN 0-87011-304-6.
- ↑ McDonald, Keiko (2000). From Book to Screen: Modern Japanese Literature in Films. p. 16.
- ↑ Kinoshita, Chika (Spring 2011). "The Benshi Track: Mizoguchi Kenji's The Downfall of Osen and the Sound Transition". Cinema Journal. 3. 50. Society for Cinema and Media Studies. p. 1.
External links
- Orizuru Osen on IMDb
- Orizuru Osen at the Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese)