Influential and capable of breathtaking work, Japanese director Kenji Mizoguchi was revolutionary as both a filmmaker and a social commentator. Together with Akira Kurosawa, Mizoguchi ushered in a golden age that introduced the west to Japanese film. Born in 1898, Mizoguchi’s films were characterized by the modernization and war he saw occur during his lifetime. Themes of social upheaval and old traditions meeting new morals course through his work, including the sort of proto-feminism he became famed for. As a child, Mizoguchi witnessed his sister being sold off as a geisha, an event which disturbed him deeply. Perhaps as a result, films like OYUKI THE VIRGIN gave a voice to the horrors the geisha were subjected to, while others, like MY LOVE BURNS, showed optimism for the future of women in post-war Japan. Screening from May into June, drop by the HFA for one of his masterpieces.

– Alex Schab

THE TALES AND TRAGEDIES OF KENJI MIZOGUCHI

Harvard Film Archive
24 Quincy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138