UDJU AZUL DI YONTA economic liberalization in the late 1980s created new hardships. The film graphically conveys the run-down poverty of Bissau, the nations CThe Blue Eyes of Yonta) capital: it may not look it, but all the action but one short scene takes place in the city. The contrast with an extravagant wedding reception at the local Sheraton Hotel illustrates the deep inequality that charac- Guinea-Bissau. 1992 terizes Guinea-Bissau less than a generation after independence was Director: Flora gomes achieved at the cost of great sacrifices. The blue Eyes of Yonta takes a critical look at the infatuation with things Western. Ze copies his letter to Yonta out of a Europear Production: Vermedia(Lisbon), Cooperativa Arco-iris(Bissau), brochure of love letters meant to be addressed to beauties with blue Eurocreation Production(Paris). and radiotelevisao Portuguesa(lis eyes, to be written while the snow falls. The poet wallows in his bon): color, 35mm: running time: 90 minutes. Released 1992. longing for the Swedish girl with the blue eyes. And a war hero returns with presents from Portugal that follow European fashion and Producer: Paulo de Sousa; screenplay: Flora Gomes, Ina Cesair, taste rather than African needs. At the same time we see acomfortable David Lang, and Manuel Rambout Barcelos; assistant directors: amalgamation of tradition and Western import. We hear a few references to God but we also see tradition observed with a libation of phy: Dominique Gentil: editor: Dominique Paris: sound: Pierre wine at a wedding ceremony that strikingly combines traditiona Donnadieu; sound mixer: Anita Fernandez; costumes: Seco Faye marriage transactions between the spouses's families and a civil and Teresa Campos; music: Adriano G. Ferreira-Atchutchi; set marriage. The bride's white gown and her African hairdo beautifully demonstrate the felicitous integration of old and new The various characters present different responses to the state of Cast: Maysa Marta(Yonta): Pedro Dias(Ze): Antonio Sima Mendes Guinea-I Guinea-Bissau nearly two decades after independence. Yonta stands (Vicente); Mohamed Lamine Seidi(Amilcar): Bia Gomes(Belante); at the center of this comedy of misplaced affections. Yonta's frivolity Dina Vaz(Mana). reflects the city and its superficiality. She admires Vicente but does not share his dreams: "If your ideals have been spoiled, it's not my Awards: Audience Award, wurzburg International Filmwe fault. We respect the past, but we cant live in it. In the end Yonta is end,1994 rejected by both Vicente and Ze, but she remains secure in the affection of her parents and her younger brother, however much he tease her Publications Vicente is a war hero. But he has not been able to stick to the ideals he fought for. MOney is the weapon now, he tells Amilcar, " The Articles. war is over. He drives a Volvo and brings the gifts from Europe, however inappropriate, that people will enjoy. When he is finally Deffontaines, Therese- Marie, Les Yeux bleus de Yonta, in Ecrans reunited with Nando, his comrade-in-arms, he observes resignedly: d'afrique, vol 1, 1992 In the jungle we thought it would be for everyone. But its not. What Libiot, Eric, review in Premiere(Paris), June 1993 can I do?" The fruits of independence have come to some, here in the D'Yvoire, Christophe, review in Studio(Paris), June 1993 capital, and Vicente asks Nando to join him to get his share. But Ukadike, N. Frank, "" In Guinea-Bissau, Cinema Trickles Down: An Nando has been marked even more profoundly by the struggle. He Interview with Flora Gomes, " in Research in African Literatures, wants no part of Bissau and returns to Catio, once at the center of the vol.26,no.3,1995 war for liberation. His quiet departure confronts Vicente with the failure of their struggle. As he talks to the sculpture he cradles and dances to circling vultures, we wonder whether he has gone out of The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde ze is moonstruck by Yonta but comes to realize that they live in (PAIGC)that liberated Guinea-Bissau was more successful than any different worlds. Though her radiance bewitches him, he eventually other guerrilla movement in Africa. In Those Whom Death Refused rejects the conspicuous, Western-oriented consumption of Bissau she Flora Gomes had contrasted guerrilla warfare and nonchalant bureau- represents. He does not share the dream of the young who want to rats. Four years later he created a beautiful film that reminds us of the emigrate to Europe; he affirms that the place he came from-Bolama, acrifices made during the war but focuses on the present in Bissau. the war-time capital, symbol of the struggle for independence-is as The Blue Eyes of Yonta shows that the socialist transformation good as Bissau, and he is prepared to return there. If Yonta's glamor promised at independence failed to materialize and that the shift to recalls the glittering promises that came with independence nearly
1253 UDJU AZUL DI YONTA U (The Blue Eyes of Yonta) Guinea-Bissau, 1992 Director: Flora Gomes Production: Vermedia (Lisbon), Cooperativa Arco-Íris (Bissau), Eurocréation Production (Paris), and Rádiotelevisão Portuguesa (Lisbon); color, 35mm; running time: 90 minutes. Released 1992. Producer: Paulo de Sousa; screenplay: Flora Gomes, Ina Césair, David Lang, and Manuel Rambout Barcelos; assistant directors: Manuel João Ěcuas, Odete Somedo, and Gildo Mendes; photography: Dominique Gentil; editor: Dominique Páris; sound: Pierre Donnadieu; sound mixer: Anita Fernandez; costumes: Seco Faye and Teresa Campos; music: Adriano G. Ferreira-Atchutchi; set design: Miguel Mendes. Cast: Maysa Marta (Yonta); Pedro Dias (Zé); António Simã Mendes (Vicente); Mohamed Lamine Seidi (Amílcar); Bia Gomes (Belante); Dina Vaz (Mana). Awards: Audience Award, Würzburg International Filmweekend, 1994. Publications Articles: Deffontaines, Thérèse-Marie, ‘‘Les Yeux bleus de Yonta,’’ in Ecrans d’Afrique, vol. 1, 1992. Libiot, Eric, review in Première (Paris), June 1993. D’Yvoire, Christophe, review in Studio (Paris), June 1993. Ukadike, N. Frank, ‘‘In Guinea-Bissau, Cinema Trickles Down: An Interview with Flora Gomes,’’ in Research in African Literatures, vol. 26, no. 3, 1995. *** The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) that liberated Guinea-Bissau was more successful than any other guerrilla movement in Africa. In Those Whom Death Refused Flora Gomes had contrasted guerrilla warfare and nonchalant bureaucrats. Four years later he created a beautiful film that reminds us of the sacrifices made during the war but focuses on the present in Bissau. The Blue Eyes of Yonta shows that the socialist transformation promised at independence failed to materialize and that the shift to economic liberalization in the late 1980s created new hardships. The film graphically conveys the run-down poverty of Bissau, the nation’s capital: it may not look it, but all the action but one short scene takes place in the city. The contrast with an extravagant wedding reception at the local Sheraton Hotel illustrates the deep inequality that characterizes Guinea-Bissau less than a generation after independence was achieved at the cost of great sacrifices. The Blue Eyes of Yonta takes a critical look at the infatuation with things Western. Zé copies his letter to Yonta out of a European brochure of love letters meant to be addressed to beauties with blue eyes, to be written while the snow falls. The poet wallows in his longing for the Swedish girl with the blue eyes. And a war hero returns with presents from Portugal that follow European fashion and taste rather than African needs. At the same time we see a comfortable amalgamation of tradition and Western import. We hear a few references to God, but we also see tradition observed with a libation of wine at a wedding ceremony that strikingly combines traditional marriage transactions between the spouses’s families and a civil marriage. The bride’s white gown and her African hairdo beautifully demonstrate the felicitous integration of old and new. The various characters present different responses to the state of Guinea-Bissau nearly two decades after independence. Yonta stands at the center of this comedy of misplaced affections. Yonta’s frivolity reflects the city and its superficiality. She admires Vicente but does not share his dreams: ‘‘If your ideals have been spoiled, it’s not my fault. We respect the past, but we can’t live in it.’’ In the end Yonta is rejected by both Vicente and Zé, but she remains secure in the affection of her parents and her younger brother, however much he may tease her. Vicente is a war hero. But he has not been able to stick to the ideals he fought for. ‘‘[M]oney is the weapon now,’’ he tells Amilcar, ‘‘The war is over.’’ He drives a Volvo and brings the gifts from Europe, however inappropriate, that people will enjoy. When he is finally reunited with Nando, his comrade-in-arms, he observes resignedly: ‘‘In the jungle we thought it would be for everyone. But it’s not. What can I do?’’ The fruits of independence have come to some, here in the capital, and Vicente asks Nando to join him to get his share. But Nando has been marked even more profoundly by the struggle. He wants no part of Bissau and returns to Catio, once at the center of the war for liberation. His quiet departure confronts Vicente with the failure of their struggle. As he talks to the sculpture he cradles and dances to circling vultures, we wonder whether he has gone out of his mind. Zé is moonstruck by Yonta but comes to realize that they live in different worlds. Though her radiance bewitches him, he eventually rejects the conspicuous, Western-oriented consumption of Bissau she represents. He does not share the dream of the young who want to emigrate to Europe; he affirms that the place he came from—Bolama, the war-time capital, symbol of the struggle for independence—is as good as Bissau, and he is prepared to return there. If Yonta’s glamor recalls the glittering promises that came with independence nearly
UGETSU MONOGATARI FILMS. 4 EDITIoN two decades before, then his disappointment stands for all those whose aspirations have been frustrated. Flora Gomes named his youngest protagonist for Amilcar Cabral, the distinguished guerrilla leader and intellectual. Young Amilcar is quick and witty, boisterous and ingenious, full of initiative, mischief and energy. And he shows signs of following in the steps of his famous namesake. He is afraid of no one. his older sister. a truck driver, government authority. He leads the children in putting an evicted widow back into her house. If this rebellion against the callous disregard of people's needs suggests the prospect of a better future, Gomes does not tell us what it might look like:"'I do not suggest observations and remarks on issues. But with Nando and Ze he has firmly established that the country at large rejects the compromises that mark the capital Gomes created a beautiful and funny film. We follow the entan- discover Bissau. Through most of the film we revel in the caring among the adults and the prospect of romance among the young. Then, in the last fifteen minutes, the idyll unravels: Nando confronts Vincente with the betrayal of the ideals for which they fought, Vicente denounces Yonta and the consumer culture she represents and Ze rejects Yonta in turn. Only at the very end do the children reassure us that all is not lost The actors Gomes chose and trained are key to the success of his film. Bia Gomes, who appears in the role of Yonta's mother Belante had played a lead role in Those Whom Death Refused, but most of the actors in The Blue Eyes of Yonta were amateurs. Soon after he had ompleted Those Whom Death Refused, Gomes set out to search for actors amongst his friends, in the women associations, at the exit of Ugetsu monogatari schools, in poor neighborhoods, and also in some government minis- tries. He then spent nine months with the actors in regular work sessions. In the film they use the local Portuguese creole they are Sugisaku Aoyama(Old priest): Kikue Nori (Ukon): Mitsu comfortable with. Gomes complimented the beauty of his actors by Ramon( Commander of the clan NIWA): Ryosuke Kagawa using soft colors to good advantage chief); Kichijiro Tsuchida (Silk merchant): Syozo Nanbu priest): Ichiisaburo Sawamura( Genichi -Josef gugler Awards: Venice Film Festival. Silver Prize Winner and Italian Critics Award, 1953: Edinburgh Film Festival, Gold Medal wir UGETSU MONOGATARI ner,1955 Japan, 1953 Publications Director: Kenji Mizoguchi Production: Daiei studios; black and white, 35mm; running time: 96 minutes; length: 8622 feet. Released Filmed 26 January-13 Kawaguchi, Matsutaro, Les Contes de la lune vague apres la pluie, in March 1953 Avant-Scene du Cinema(Paris), 1 January 1977. Producer: Masaichi Nagata: screenplay: Matsutaro Kawaguchi, Books from Yoshikata Yodas adaptation of two stories, Asaji ga yado ("The Inn at Asaji")and"Jasei-no in("Serpent of Desire"), from the collection of stories Ugetsu monogatari by Akinari Ueda(1768); Tsumura, Hideo, A Certain Mizoguchi Kenji(in Japanese), Japan, 1958 photography: Kazuo Miyagawa; editor: Mitsuji Miyata; sound Anderson, Joseph, and Donald Richie, The Japanese Film: Art and Iwao Otani; production designer: Kisaku Ito; music: Fumio Hayasaka Industry, Rutland, Vermont, 1960; revised edition, Princeton, 1982 and Ichiro saito Ve-Ho, Mizoguchi, Paris, 1964. Mesnil, Michel, Kenji Mizoguchi, Paris, 1965; revised edition, 1971 Cast: Machiko Kyo(Wakasa); Kinuyo Tanaka(Miyagi): Mitsuki Yoda, Yoshikata, Mizoguchi Kenji no hito to geijutsu(Kenji Mizoguchi Mito(Ohama): Masayuki Mori(Genjuro): Sakae Ozawa(Tobei); The Man and His art), Tokyo, 1970 1254
UGETSU MONOGATARI FILMS, 4th EDITION 1254 two decades before, then his disappointment stands for all those whose aspirations have been frustrated. Flora Gomes named his youngest protagonist for Amilcar Cabral, the distinguished guerrilla leader and intellectual. Young Amilcar is quick and witty, boisterous and ingenious, full of initiative, mischief, and energy. And he shows signs of following in the steps of his famous namesake. He is afraid of no one: his older sister, a truck driver, government authority. He leads the children in putting an evicted widow back into her house. If this rebellion against the callous disregard of people’s needs suggests the prospect of a better future, Gomes does not tell us what it might look like: ‘‘I do not suggest alternatives. As a ‘contester,’ I am someone who, above all, makes observations and remarks on issues.’’ But with Nando and Zé he has firmly established that the country at large rejects the compromises that mark the capital. Gomes created a beautiful and funny film. We follow the entanglements of our protagonists, relish their grace, enjoy the music, and discover Bissau. Through most of the film we revel in the caring among the adults and the prospect of romance among the young. Then, in the last fifteen minutes, the idyll unravels: Nando confronts Vincente with the betrayal of the ideals for which they fought, Vicente denounces Yonta and the consumer culture she represents, and Zé rejects Yonta in turn. Only at the very end do the children reassure us that all is not lost. The actors Gomes chose and trained are key to the success of his film. Bia Gomes, who appears in the role of Yonta’s mother Belante, had played a lead role in Those Whom Death Refused, but most of the actors in The Blue Eyes of Yonta were amateurs. Soon after he had completed Those Whom Death Refused, Gomes set out to search for actors amongst his friends, in the women associations, at the exit of schools, in poor neighborhoods, and also in some government ministries. He then spent nine months with the actors in regular work sessions. In the film they use the local Portuguese creole they are comfortable with. Gomes complimented the beauty of his actors by using soft colors to good advantage. —Josef Gugler UGETSU MONOGATARI Japan, 1953 Director: Kenji Mizoguchi Production: Daiei studios; black and white, 35mm; running time: 96 minutes; length: 8622 feet. Released 1953. Filmed 26 January-13 March 1953. Producer: Masaichi Nagata; screenplay: Matsutaro Kawaguchi, from Yoshikata Yoda’s adaptation of two stories, ‘‘Asaji ga yado’’ (‘‘The Inn at Asaji’’) and ‘‘Jasei-no in’’ (‘‘Serpent of Desire’’), from the collection of stories Ugetsu monogatari by Akinari Ueda (1768); photography: Kazuo Miyagawa; editor: Mitsuji Miyata; sound: Iwao Otani; production designer: Kisaku Ito; music: Fumio Hayasaka and Ichiro Saito. Cast: Machiko Kyo (Wakasa); Kinuyo Tanaka (Miyagi); Mitsuki Mito (Ohama); Masayuki Mori (Genjuro); Sakae Ozawa (Tobei); Ugetsu monogatari Sugisaku Aoyama (Old priest); Kikue Nori (Ukon); Mitsusaburo Ramon (Commander of the clan NIWA); Ryosuke Kagawa (Village chief); Kichijiro Tsuchida (Silk merchant); Syozo Nanbu (Shinto priest); Ichiisaburo Sawamura (Genichi). Awards: Venice Film Festival, Silver Prize Winner and Italian Critics Award, 1953; Edinburgh Film Festival, Gold Medal Winner, 1955. Publications Script: Kawaguchi, Matsutaro, Les Contes de la lune vague après la pluie, in Avant-Scène du Cinéma (Paris), 1 January 1977. Books: Tsumura, Hideo, A Certain Mizoguchi Kenji (in Japanese), Japan, 1958. Anderson, Joseph, and Donald Richie, The Japanese Film: Art and Industry, Rutland, Vermont, 1960; revised edition, Princeton, 1982. Ve-Ho, Mizoguchi, Paris, 1964. Mesnil, Michel, Kenji Mizoguchi, Paris, 1965; revised edition, 1971. Yoda, Yoshikata, Mizoguchi Kenji no hito to geijutsu (Kenji Mizoguchi: The Man and His Art), Tokyo, 1970
FILMS. 4th EDItION UGETSU MONOGATARI Tessier, Max, Kenji Mizoguchi, Paris, 1971 Gaelen, H in Film en Televisie(Brussels ), March 1985 Mellen, Joan, Voices from the Japanese Cinema, New York, 1975 Alion,Y,""Les contes de la lune vague apres la pluie, in Revue du Mellen, Joan, The Waves at Kenji's Door: Japan Through Its Cinema Cinema(Paris), no 459, April 1990 New York, 1976. Burdeau, Emmanuel, and others, Mizoguchi Encore, in Cahiers Bock, Audie, Japanese Film Directors, New York, 1978; revised edition, Tokyo, 1985 Lopate, Philip, "A Master Who Could Create Poems for the Eye, in Burch, Noel, To the Distant Observer: Form and Meaning in the The New York Times, 15 September 1996 Japanese Cinema, Berkeley, 1979 MacNab, Geoffrey, in Sight Sound(London), vol. 8, no. 12, Garbicz. Adam and Jacek Klinowski editors December 1998 Vehicle: A Guide to Its Achievements: Journey Two, Metuchen New Jersey, 1979 Freiberg, Freda, Women in Mizoguchi Films, Melbourne, 1981 Sato, Tadao, Currents in Japanese Cinema, Tokyo, 1982 Serceau, Daniel, Mizoguchi: De la revolte aux songes, Paris, 1983 Ugetsu monogatari was not the first Kenji Mizoguchi film to be Andrew, Dudley, Film in the Aura of Art, Princeton, 1984 shown in the West, but it was the first to reveal him to the west as McDonald, Keiko, Mizoguchi, Boston, 1984 a major artist. Swiftly establishing itself(especially in France)on McDonald, Keiko, editor, Ugetsu: Kenji Mizoguchi, Director, New many critics'Ten Best'lists, the film opened the way for the Brunswick, New Jersey, 1993 acclamation of the work of Mizoguchi's final period. For some, he O Grady, Gerald, editor, Mizoguchi the Master, Ontario, 1996. became the supreme filmmaker, the cinematic Shakespeare, realizin Tomasi, Dario, Kenji Mizoguchi, Milano, 1998 to the fullest the potential of film as an art form. That was at the time when the potential of film'was generally felt to have been Articles identified and adequately expounded by Andre Bazin; and assessment which can still be accepted if we add the proviso that Bazin accounted Richie, Donald, and Joseph I. Anderson, ""Kenji Mizoguchi, in for only one of films many potentials Sight and Sound (London), Autumn 1955 However, the supremacy of his""late"period and the kind of Godard, Jean-Luc, in Arts(Paris), February 1958 achievement that it represents, has been increasingly challenged since the 1960s. Two factors help account for this: one is the discovery of Sadoul, Georges, "Diableries et miseres de la guerre. " in Lettres Mlizoguchi's earlier films, previ lously almost unknown; the other is francaises(Paris), 26 April 1959 the politicization of film criticism and the growth, within it, of an Mizoguchi Issue of Cahiers du Cinema(Paris), May 1959 deological awareness. In recent years, Noel Burch's To the Distant Gilson, Rene, in Cinema(Paris), May 1959. Observer, Joan Mellen's The Waves at Genji's Door, and Frieda Astruc, Alexandre, in Films and Filming(London), Summer 1961 Frieberg's useful pamphlet Women in Mizoguchi's Films-three Rotha, Paul, in Films and Filming(London), May 1962 books written from quite distinct critical positions, with quite distinct Mizoguchi Issue"of Cahiers du Cinema(Paris), August-Septem- estimates of Mizoguchi's work--have agreed on one point, the ber 1964 application(in a derogatory sense) of the termaestheticism'to Yoda, Yoshikata, Souvenirs sur Mizoguchi, in Cahiers du cinema Mizoguchi's late work. Films previously hailed as the greatest ever (Pais),no.174,1966 made-Ugetsul, Sansho dayu, The Life of Harare suddenly Iwasaki, Akira, ""Kenji Mizoguchi, "in Anthologie du Cinema(Paris), perceived as evidence of Mizoguchi's withdrawal from the radicalism November 196 of his work in the 1930s and 1940s, and a retreat from a social/ Yoda, Yoshikata, " The Density of Mizoguchi,s Scripts, in Cinema political viewpoint into the realm of aesthetic contemplation (Los Angeles), Spring 1971 The relationship between aesthetics and politics is incredibly Wood, Robin, Mizoguchi: The Ghost Princess and the seaweed complex: the critical problems it generates have never been success- Gatherer, in Film Comment(New York), March-April 1973. fully resolved. It is true that Ugetsu monogatari is ideologically more lism,"in Sight and Sound (Lon- conservative than, say, Sisters of Gion or My Love Has Been Burning don), Spring 1978 From the radical femini Godefroy, J C, in Cinematographe(Paris), November 1978. protest of his earlier films to the celebration of woman as self- Masson,A,""Revers de la quietude, "in Positif(Paris), Novem- sacrificer, redeemer, and mother in Ugetsu is certainly a large and ber 1978 disconcerting jump. (Mizoguchi's conversion to Buddhism in the Richie, Donald, " Kenji Mizoguchi, in Cinema, A Critical Diction- early 1950s is doubtlessly a related factor. )Further, Ugetsu can be ary, edited by Richard Roud, London, 1980 read as advocating the resignation to and the acceptance of one's lot. Sato, Tadao, and Dudley Andrew, ""On Kenji Mizoguchi, " in Film This withdrawal from the active struggle in favor of a spiritual Criticism(Edinboro, Pennsylvania), Spring 1980 transcendence makes the hardships of the material world not so much iogret, H, "Mizoguchi: Un art sans artifice, in Positif(Paris), endurable as irrelevant. The film encourages such a reading, ye December 1980 cannot be reduced to it Martin, Marcel, ""Rencontre avec Yoshikata Yoda, in image et Son Ugetsu contains within itself an answer to the charge of aestheti- Paris), October 1982. cism. The story of Genjuro the potter can be taken as Mizoguchi's Millar, Gavin,"The Climate of Beauty, in Listener (London), artistic testament. At the beginning of the film Genjuro is a materialis- 5May1983 tic artisan, mass-producing pots as a commodity. His encounter with
FILMS, 4 UGETSU MONOGATARI th EDITION 1255 Tessier, Max, Kenji Mizoguchi, Paris, 1971. Mellen, Joan, Voices from the Japanese Cinema, New York, 1975. Mellen, Joan, The Waves at Kenji’s Door: Japan Through Its Cinema, New York, 1976. Bock, Audie, Japanese Film Directors, New York, 1978; revised edition, Tokyo, 1985. Burch, Noël, To the Distant Observer: Form and Meaning in the Japanese Cinema, Berkeley, 1979. Garbicz, Adam, and Jacek Klinowski, editors, Cinema, The Magic Vehicle: A Guide to Its Achievements: Journey Two, Metuchen, New Jersey, 1979. Freiberg, Freda, Women in Mizoguchi Films, Melbourne, 1981. Sato, Tadao, Currents in Japanese Cinema, Tokyo, 1982. Serceau, Daniel, Mizoguchi: De la revolte aux songes, Paris, 1983. Andrew, Dudley, Film in the Aura of Art, Princeton, 1984. McDonald, Keiko, Mizoguchi, Boston, 1984. McDonald, Keiko, editor, Ugetsu: Kenji Mizoguchi, Director, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 1993. O’Grady, Gerald, editor, Mizoguchi the Master, Ontario, 1996. Tomasi, Dario, Kenji Mizoguchi, Milano, 1998. Articles: Richie, Donald, and Joseph I. Anderson, ‘‘Kenji Mizoguchi,’’ in Sight and Sound (London), Autumn 1955. Godard, Jean-Luc, in Arts (Paris), February 1958. Rohmer, Eric, in Cahiers du Cinéma (Paris), March 1958. Sadoul, Georges, ‘‘Diableries et miseres de la guerre,’’ in Lettres Françaises (Paris), 26 April 1959. ‘‘Mizoguchi Issue’’ of Cahiers du Cinéma (Paris), May 1959. Gilson, René, in Cinéma (Paris), May 1959. Astruc, Alexandre, in Films and Filming (London), Summer 1961. Rotha, Paul, in Films and Filming (London), May 1962. ‘‘Mizoguchi Issue’’ of Cahiers du Cinéma (Paris), August-September 1964. Yoda, Yoshikata, ‘‘Souvenirs sur Mizoguchi,’’ in Cahiers du Cinéma (Paris), no. 174, 1966. Iwasaki, Akira, ‘‘Kenji Mizoguchi,’’ in Anthologie du Cinéma (Paris), November 1967. Yoda, Yoshikata, ‘‘The Density of Mizoguchi’s Scripts,’’ in Cinema (Los Angeles), Spring 1971. Wood, Robin, ‘‘Mizoguchi: The Ghost Princess and the Seaweed Gatherer,’’ in Film Comment (New York), March-April 1973. Cohen, R., ‘‘Mizoguchi and Modernism,’’ in Sight and Sound (London), Spring 1978. Godefroy, J. C., in Cinématographe (Paris), November 1978. Masson, A., ‘‘Revers de la quietude,’’ in Positif (Paris), November 1978. Richie, Donald, ‘‘Kenji Mizoguchi,’’ in Cinema, A Critical Dictionary, edited by Richard Roud, London, 1980. Sato, Tadao, and Dudley Andrew, ‘‘On Kenji Mizoguchi,’’ in Film Criticism (Edinboro, Pennsylvania), Spring 1980. Niogret, H., ‘‘Mizoguchi: Un art sans artifice,’’ in Positif (Paris), December 1980. Martin, Marcel, ‘‘Rencontre avec Yoshikata Yoda,’’ in Image et Son (Paris), October 1982. Millar, Gavin, ‘‘The Climate of Beauty,’’ in Listener (London), 5 May 1983. Gaelen, H., in Film en Televisie (Brussels), March 1985. Alion, Y., ‘‘Les contes de la lune vague apres la pluie,’’ in Revue du Cinéma (Paris), no. 459, April 1990. Burdeau, Emmanuel, and others, ‘‘Mizoguchi Encore,’’ in Cahiers du Cinéma (Paris), no. 504, July-August 1996. Lopate, Philip, ‘‘A Master Who Could Create Poems for the Eye,’’ in The New York Times, 15 September 1996. MacNab, Geoffrey, in Sight & Sound (London), vol. 8, no. 12, December 1998. *** Ugetsu monogatari was not the first Kenji Mizoguchi film to be shown in the West, but it was the first to reveal him to the West as a major artist. Swiftly establishing itself (especially in France) on many critics’ ‘‘Ten Best’’ lists, the film opened the way for the acclamation of the work of Mizoguchi’s final period. For some, he became the supreme filmmaker, the cinematic Shakespeare, realizing to the fullest the potential of film as an art form. That was at the time when the ‘‘potential of film’’ was generally felt to have been identified and adequately expounded by André Bazin; and assessment which can still be accepted if we add the proviso that Bazin accounted for only one of film’s many potentials. However, the supremacy of his ‘‘late’’ period and the kind of achievement that it represents, has been increasingly challenged since the 1960s. Two factors help account for this: one is the discovery of Mizoguchi’s earlier films, previously almost unknown; the other is the politicization of film criticism and the growth, within it, of an ideological awareness. In recent years, Noël Burch’s To the Distant Observer, Joan Mellen’s The Waves at Genji’s Door, and Frieda Frieberg’s useful pamphlet Women in Mizoguchi’s Films—three books written from quite distinct critical positions, with quite distinct estimates of Mizoguchi’s work—have agreed on one point, the application (in a derogatory sense) of the term ‘‘aestheticism’’ to Mizoguchi’s late work. Films previously hailed as the greatest ever made—Ugetsu, Sansho dayu, The Life of Oharu—are suddenly perceived as evidence of Mizoguchi’s withdrawal from the radicalism of his work in the 1930s and 1940s, and a retreat from a social/ political viewpoint into the realm of aesthetic contemplation. The relationship between aesthetics and politics is incredibly complex: the critical problems it generates have never been successfully resolved. It is true that Ugetsu monogatari is ideologically more conservative than, say, Sisters of Gion or My Love Has Been Burning. The crux lies in the treatment of women. From the radical feminist protest of his earlier films to the celebration of woman as selfsacrificer, redeemer, and mother in Ugetsu is certainly a large and disconcerting jump. (Mizoguchi’s conversion to Buddhism in the early 1950s is doubtlessly a related factor.) Further, Ugetsu can be read as advocating the resignation to and the acceptance of one’s lot. This withdrawal from the active struggle in favor of a spiritual transcendence makes the hardships of the material world not so much endurable as irrelevant. The film encourages such a reading, yet cannot be reduced to it. Ugetsu contains within itself an answer to the charge of aestheticism. The story of Genjuro the potter can be taken as Mizoguchi’s artistic testament. At the beginning of the film Genjuro is a materialistic artisan, mass-producing pots as a commodity. His encounter with
UMBERTO D FILMS. 4 EDITIoN the Lady Wakasa introduces him to the world of the aesthetic. She L'ULTIMO TANGO A PARIGI shows him fragile and exquisite vessels that she presents, and he accepts, as his creations, but that are totally unlike the crude, See THE LAST TANGo IN Paris functional wares we have seen him almost brutally shape earlier. The complexity of response that this whole central segment evokes sufficient in itself to call into question the reduction of the film to a single clear-cut statement. The Lady Wakasa is both evil spirit and ULYSSES GAZE pathetic, victimized woman; the world of the aesthetic(which is also See TO VLEMMA TOU ODYSSEA the world of the erotic)has a fascination and authentic beauty that nake it far from easily dismissible. That alluring world, however, has three negative connotations. First, it is presented as a possible option only if one turns one's back on reality. It is a world of fantasy and UMBERTO D illusion where the suffering of human beings in a material world of oppression, cruelty, greed, and human exploitation cannot be permit- ted to intrude. ( One of the most expressive cuts in the history of the Italy, 1952 cinema is that from the exquisite scene of love-making on the cultivated lawn beside the lake to Miyagi, fearfully peering out from Director: Vittorio De Sica a society created by men. ) Second, Wakasa herself is not presented as production: Rizzoli -De Sica-Amato and Dear films. black and an autonomous character, even in her appreciation of beauty. Every- white. 35mm: running time. 90 minutes. some sources state 80 ing she knows, her father had taught her. Her father (long since minutes. Filmed 1951 in Cinecitta studios, and in and around Rom dead) appears in the film as a hideous, emaciated skull-like mask Cost: about 140 million lire. Released 1952 peaking in a disturbingly strange subterranean voice. The aestheti be is cl taste"is what women are taught by men. Finally, the father is linked Director of production: Nino Misiano: screenplay: Cesare Zavattini to war, damnation, and imperialism. Wakasa's father had the misfor- tune to lose, and have his clan exterminated but the film makes clear Aldo): editor: Eraldo di roma: sound engineer: Ennio Sensi that he would have inflicted precisely the same fate on his enemies, production designer: Virgilio Marchi; music: Alessandro Cigognini had the outcome been reversed The overall effect of the film is to suggest, not that the aesthetic is Cast: Carlo Battisti (Umberto); Maria-Pia Casilio(Maria): Lina invalid in itself, but that it cannot validly exist in this world. (The Inari(Landlord); Alberto Albani Ba films contemporary relevance is by no means compromised by its (Sister at the hospital); Memo Carotenuto(Voice of light for Umberto setting in the sixteenth century. ) The pot Genjuro is making at the end in the hospital); Ileana Simova( Surprised woman in the bedroom f the film, under Miyagi's spiritual supervision, is significantly plus many non-professional actors different from the two previous kinds of work: it is made with loving care, but also the product of experience; work of art yet made to Awards: New York Film Critics Award, Best Foreign Film(shared be used by Genjuro's peers rather than admired by a cultivated elite. with Diabolique), 1955 The great beauty of the film is of an order altogether different from the aestheticism of the Wakasa world. Mizoguchi never aestheticizes pain and suffering (in the manner of, say, David Lean in Dr. Zhivago). The extraordinary sequence-shot showing the mortal wounding of Publications Miyagi is a case in point: the aesthetic strategies(long take, distance, complex camera movement, depth of field showing simultaneous Script actions in foreground and background) serve to sustain the character stic Mizoguchian tension between involvement and contemplation, Zavattini. Cesare, and Vittorio De Sica. Umberto D Milan. 1953 but do not in any way mitigate the horror of the scene. published in"Umberto D Issue of Avant-Scene du Cinema If on one level Ugetsu tends to reinforce traditional myths of (Paris), 15 April 1980. yoman, on another it remains true to the radical spirit of Mizoguchi's earlier Marxist-feminist principles. The actions of both Genjuro and Tobei are motivated by the values forced upon them by patriarchal Books. capitalism. They both seek success( Genjuro through the acquisition of wealth, Tobei through the prestige of becoming a Samurai)in order Castello,G. C, l Cinema Neorealistico italiano, Turin, 1956 to impress their wives, neither of whom shows the smallest interest in Rondi, Brunello, II Neorealismo italiano, Parma, 1956. such ambitions. The film is a systematic critique of the kind of male Hawald, Patrice, Le Neo-realisme italien et ses createurs, Paris, 1959 egoism(expressing itself in greed and violence and the destruction of Agel, Henri. Vittorio De Sica, 2nd edition, Paris, 1964. human relationships, always at the expense of women) that a patriar- Leprohon, Pierre, Vittorio De Sica, Paris, 1966 chal capitalist civilization promotes Bazin, Andre, What Is Cinema? I and 2, Berkeley, 1967 Armes, Roy, Patterns of Realism, New York, 1972. -Robin wood Samuels, Charles Thomas, Encountering Directors, New York, 1972. 1256
UMBERTO D FILMS, 4th EDITION 1256 the Lady Wakasa introduces him to the world of the aesthetic. She shows him fragile and exquisite vessels that she presents, and he accepts, as his creations, but that are totally unlike the crude, functional wares we have seen him almost brutally shape earlier. The complexity of response that this whole central segment evokes is sufficient in itself to call into question the reduction of the film to a single clear-cut statement. The Lady Wakasa is both evil spirit and a pathetic, victimized woman; the world of the aesthetic (which is also the world of the erotic) has a fascination and authentic beauty that make it far from easily dismissible. That alluring world, however, has three negative connotations. First, it is presented as a possible option only if one turns one’s back on reality. It is a world of fantasy and illusion where the suffering of human beings in a material world of oppression, cruelty, greed, and human exploitation cannot be permitted to intrude. (One of the most expressive cuts in the history of the cinema is that from the exquisite scene of love-making on the cultivated lawn beside the lake to Miyagi, fearfully peering out from her hiding-place, a woman vulnerable to attack from all sides of a society created by men.) Second, Wakasa herself is not presented as an autonomous character, even in her appreciation of beauty. Everything she knows, her father had taught her. Her father (long since dead) appears in the film as a hideous, emaciated skull-like mask speaking in a disturbingly strange subterranean voice. The aesthetic, whatever else it may be, is clearly defined as a patriarchal imposition: ‘‘taste’’ is what women are taught by men. Finally, the father is linked to war, domnation, and imperialism. Wakasa’s father had the misfortune to lose, and have his clan exterminated, but the film makes clear that he would have inflicted precisely the same fate on his enemies, had the outcome been reversed. The overall effect of the film is to suggest, not that the aesthetic is invalid in itself, but that it cannot validly exist in this world. (The film’s contemporary relevance is by no means compromised by its setting in the sixteenth century.) The pot Genjuro is making at the end of the film, under Miyagi’s spiritual supervision, is significantly different from the two previous kinds of work: it is made with loving care, but also the product of experience; it is a work of art yet made to be used by Genjuro’s peers rather than admired by a cultivated elite. The great beauty of the film is of an order altogether different from the aestheticism of the Wakasa world. Mizoguchi never aestheticizes pain and suffering (in the manner of, say, David Lean in Dr. Zhivago). The extraordinary sequence-shot showing the mortal wounding of Miyagi is a case in point: the aesthetic strategies (long take, distance, complex camera movement, depth of field showing simultaneous actions in foreground and background) serve to sustain the characteristic Mizoguchian tension between involvement and contemplation, but do not in any way mitigate the horror of the scene. If on one level Ugetsu tends to reinforce traditional myths of woman, on another it remains true to the radical spirit of Mizoguchi’s earlier Marxist-feminist principles. The actions of both Genjuro and Tobei are motivated by the values forced upon them by patriarchal capitalism. They both seek success (Genjuro through the acquisition of wealth, Tobei through the prestige of becoming a Samurai) in order to impress their wives, neither of whom shows the smallest interest in such ambitions. The film is a systematic critique of the kind of male egoism (expressing itself in greed and violence and the destruction of human relationships, always at the expense of women) that a patriarchal capitalist civilization promotes. —Robin Wood L’ULTIMO TANGO A PARIGI See THE LAST TANGO IN PARIS ULYSSES’ GAZE See TO VLEMMA TOU ODYSSEA UMBERTO D Italy, 1952 Director: Vittorio De Sica Production: Rizzoli-De Sica-Amato and Dear Films; black and white, 35mm; running time: 90 minutes, some sources state 80 minutes. Filmed 1951 in Cinecittà studios, and in and around Rome. Cost: about 140 million lire. Released 1952. Director of production: Nino Misiano; screenplay: Cesare Zavattini with Vittorio De Sica; photography: Aldo Graziati (a.k.a. G. R. Aldo); editor: Eraldo di Roma; sound engineer: Ennio Sensi; production designer: Virgilio Marchi; music: Alessandro Cigognini. Cast: Carlo Battisti (Umberto); Maria-Pia Casilio (Maria); Lina Gennari (Landlord); Alberto Albani Barbieri (The Fiancé); Elena Rea (Sister at the hospital); Memo Carotenuto (Voice of light for Umberto in the hospital); Ileana Simova (Surprised woman in the bedroom); plus many non-professional actors. Awards: New York Film Critics Award, Best Foreign Film (shared with Diabolique), 1955. Publications Script: Zavattini, Cesare, and Vittorio De Sica, Umberto D, Milan, 1953; published in ‘‘Umberto D Issue’’ of Avant-Scène du Cinéma (Paris), 15 April 1980. Books: Castello, G. C., Il Cinema Neorealistico Italiano, Turin, 1956. Rondi, Brunello, Il Neorealismo Italiano, Parma, 1956. Hawald, Patrice, Le Neo-realisme Italien et ses createurs, Paris, 1959. Agel, Henri, Vittorio De Sica, 2nd edition, Paris, 1964. Leprohon, Pierre, Vittorio De Sica, Paris, 1966. Bazin, André, What Is Cinema? 1 and 2, Berkeley, 1967. Armes, Roy, Patterns of Realism, New York, 1972. Samuels, Charles Thomas, Encountering Directors, New York, 1972
FILMS. 4th EDItION UMBERTO D 系 Umberto d Mercader, Maria, La mia vita con Vittorio De Sica, Milan, 1978. De Sica, Vittorio, ""Money, the Public, and Umberto D, in Films Darreta, John, Vittorio De Sica: A Guide to References and Resources, and Filming(London), January 1956 Boston. 1983 Village Voice(New York ), 8 February 1956 Bolzoni, Francesco, Quando De Sica era Mister Brown, Turin, 1984. Sargeant, W,"Bread. Love, and Neo-Realism, "in New Yorker, 29 Darreta, John, Vittorio De Sica: A Guide to References and Resources June and 6 July 1957. oston 1988 Rhode, Eric, Why Neo-Realism Failed, in Sight and Sound ficciche. Lino. Sciuscia di vittorio De Sica: letture. documen London ), winter 1960-61 testimonianze, Turin, Italy, 1994 Mc Vay, D," Poet of Poverty, in Films and Filming (London). Nuzzi. Paolo, and Ottavio lemma, editors, De Sica and zavattini. October - November 1964 Entire Issue of Articles by De Sica'in Bianco e Nero(Rome), Fall 1975 articles. La polla, F, La citta e lo spazio, 'in Bianco e Nero(rome), September-December 1976. Sadoul, Georges, in Lettres francaises(Paris), October 1952 Passalacqua, J, Vittorio De Sica, in Films in Review(New York), ilms in Review(New York). November 1952. Reisz, Karel, in Sight and Sound ( London), October-November 1953 Agel, Henri, "Vittorio De Sica 1902-1974. special issue of Avant- De la Roche, Catherine, in Films and Filming (London), Decem- Scene du Cinema(Paris ), 15 October 1978 ber 1954 Agel, Henri, "Vittorio De Sica, in Anthologie du cinema 10 Lambert, Gavin, *" Italian Notes, ' in Sight and Sound (London). Goodman, Walter, in The New York Times, vol. 136, section 2. H22. Fenin, George in Film Culture(New York), winter 1955
FILMS, 4 UMBERTO D th EDITION 1257 Umberto D Mercader, Maria, La mia vita con Vittorio De Sica, Milan, 1978. Darreta, John, Vittorio De Sica: A Guide to References and Resources, Boston, 1983. Bolzoni, Francesco, Quando De Sica era Mister Brown, Turin, 1984. Darreta, John, Vittorio De Sica: A Guide to References and Resources, Boston, 1988. Micciche, Lino, Sciuscia di Vittorio De Sica: letture, documenti, testimonianze, Turin, Italy, 1994. Nuzzi, Paolo, and Ottavio Iemma, editors, De Sica and Zavattini: parliamo tanto di noi, Rome, 1997. Articles: Sadoul, Georges, in Lettres Françaises (Paris), October 1952. Films in Review (New York), November 1952. Reisz, Karel, in Sight and Sound (London), October-November 1953. De la Roche, Catherine, in Films and Filming (London), December 1954. Lambert, Gavin, ‘‘Italian Notes,’’ in Sight and Sound (London), 1 January 1955. Fenin, George, in Film Culture (New York), Winter 1955. De Sica, Vittorio, ‘‘Money, the Public, and Umberto D,’’ in Films and Filming (London), January 1956. Village Voice (New York), 8 February 1956. Sargeant, W., ‘‘Bread, Love, and Neo-Realism,’’ in New Yorker, 29 June and 6 July 1957. Rhode, Eric, ‘‘Why Neo-Realism Failed,’’ in Sight and Sound (London), Winter 1960–61. McVay, D., ‘‘Poet of Poverty,’’ in Films and Filming (London), October-November 1964. ‘‘Entire Issue of Articles by De Sica’’ in Bianco e Nero (Rome), Fall 1975. La Polla, F., ‘‘La citta e lo spazio,’’ in Bianco e Nero (Rome), September-December 1976. Passalacqua, J., ‘‘Vittorio De Sica,’’ in Films in Review (New York), April 1978. Agel, Henri, ‘‘Vittorio De Sica 1902–1974,’’ special issue of AvantScène du Cinéma (Paris), 15 October 1978. Agel, Henri, ‘‘Vittorio De Sica,’’ in Anthologie du cinéma 10, Paris, 1979. Goodman, Walter, in The New York Times, vol. 136, section 2, H22, 30 August 1987