Ugetsu

Name: Ugetsu
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Genre: Fantasy, Drama, Mystery
Released: 1953
Duration: 1 h 36 min
Rating: 8.005

1953·Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi·4.2·1h 36m

Letterboxd Trailer Where to Watch

Fantasy Drama Mystery Japan

In 16th century Japan, peasants Genjuro and Tobei 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, as well as Tobei’s desire to become a samurai, run the risk of destroying both themselves and their wives, Miyagi and Ohama.

Recommended by 7 People

“When I was younger, I watched anything Scorsese recommended, and I saw an interview with him where he referenced Ugetsu. I just fell in love with Mizoguchi's work. Ugetsu is a beautiful, ethereal ghost story.”

Ari Aster

Director, Writer

“I mean the thing with Ugetsu, and the whole Apu Trilogy, that I was really looking at when I was making First Cow, was that they are super low-to-the-ground films. I love the way it's filmed, in the way the small villages are filmed, and the way you're in this hutch all the time and everyone is super low-to-the-ground.”

Kelly Reichardt

Director, Writer

“Mizoguchi is one of the greatest masters who ever worked in the medium of film; he's right up there with Renoir and Murnau and Ford. All of his artistry is channeled into the most extraordinary simplicity.”