The Life of Oharu (1952)
Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi
Genres - Drama |
Sub-Genres - Melodrama, Period Film |
Release Date - Apr 17, 1952 (USA - Unknown) |
Run Time - 136 min. |
Countries - Japan |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
Life of Oharu features Kinuyo Tanaka in the title role. Oharu is a middle-aged prostitute in 17th century Japan. As she prays before a statue of Buddha, Oharu reviews her past. Her road to degradation began when, as a teenager, she disgraced her family by falling in love with a samurai (Toshiro Mifune). Oharu became the mistress of a prince, who cast her off after she bore his son. She was then sold into prostitution by her father, and thus began a catch-as-catch-can existence alternating between brief happiness with those she genuinely loved and servitude to those she despised. A potential happy ending, reuniting her with her royal son, is dashed by the much-maligned Oharu herself, who opts for the life of a beggar. Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, a lifelong advocate of equitable treatment for Japanese women, Life of Oharu was adapted from a novel by Saikaku Ibara.
Characteristics
Keywords
abuse, sexual, bum, execution, exile, exploitation, humiliation, love, marriage, prostitute/prostitution, sexual-abuse, suicide, English [nationality], forces [military], Japan, life, Samurai, woman
Attributes
High Artistic Quality, High Historical Importance
