UGETSU MONOGATARI directed by Kenji Mizoguchi (Japan, 1953)
This is not so much a ghost story as a story with ghosts and a far cry from mainstream horror flicks such as Paranormal Activity.
The depth and lyricism of classic Japanese movies like this make most contemporary films look shallow and superficial. It is justifiably included in the BFI/Sight & Sound list of the top 50 greatest ever films.
Mizoguchi began making films in the silent era, then with a burst of creativity in the last decade of his life, he made six celebrated films before his death in 1956 aged 58.
This masterpiece works on so many different levels that to focus on just one risks reducing the overall impact.
The plot centres on two couples whose simple lives are disrupted by civil war. It is based on two short novels by Akinari Ueda (from his collection Tales of Moonlight and Rain) and a story titled Décoré by Guy de Maupassant. Continue reading
