Osaka Elegy (1936) Kenji Mizoguchi ending

"This final view of Ayako is the most powerful image in the film, and is often cited as one of the most absorbing images in Mizoguchi's oeuvre. The image of Ayako staring into the camera and walking off, into the unknown, leaves the final outcome of the film open to viewer interpretation. However, one cannot resist the thought that her future will ultimately be bleak." Jason Dow

"Mizoguchi has been dubbed Japan's first "feminist" director -- the women in his films are central, he sculpts their characters with deep empathy, and he allows them a full range of emotions which give them the breadth of complex humanity, not the one-sidedness of mere martyrs or objects of love. Additionally, he directs his leading actresses, especially Yamada Isuzu, stellar here as the truly unfortunate Ayako, to transcendent performances." Michael Price

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Osaka
• Elegy
• (1936)
• Kenji
• Mizoguchi
• ending
• Naniwa
• erejî
• Isuzu
• Yamada

[alienbaroque]

@pkt171 I don't think it's lacking in today's film, I just think it's cheapened for a superficial effect, for superficial stories, for superficial audiences.

Namaste,

AB

[pkt171]

frame after frame is a study of light and shadow, art lacking today in film.

[JLDoggard]

I really like this film. It always fascinates me that while so many people (including me) in the West tend to see Japan in the 1930s as a repressive, warlike society, with the invasion of China, Nanking Massacre, etc., Japanese filmmakers were making brilliant humane films about the plight of women and films that were very lighthearted (like Osaka Elegy, Humanity and Paper Balloons and Zengiku Monogatari). Japanese films in the 30s are truly one of the great "lost" decades in cinema history.

[alexandregreenstreet]

in this final scene, ayako is throwing an object from the bridge. what is it? with best regards.

[Odya]

Now on youtube. And Sisters of Gion too. Two most powerful and thought provoking KM movies before war. I might add personally I think with message and idea those best his movies.

[sashalyons]

watching anything by Mizoguchi is feeding the mind, really....so much about his style just hasn't been paralleled anywhere. I am however, impressed with Tokyo!....a bit of old in the new....very well done.

[theone2088]

This movie used to be very rare. It was "destroyed" a long time ago. Many of Mizoguchi's early films were lost. My school has a laser disk copy that cost them a lot of money. But now with dvd technology, I'm sure its out there somewhere. (It's on netflix.)

[XiiviiX]

I had to say I enjoyed being able to see this film a few weeks ago. It was amazing, I'd recommend it for everyone.

[krisdecay]

Mind blowing, my first introduction to mizoguichi,is this film available anywhere? Kris decay

[gaidai13]

thanks for the fyi:p