You can’t talk about some of the greatest films ever made without mentioning Kenji Mizoguchi’s 1953’s atmospheric and poetic masterpiece Ugetsu. A wartime tragedy disguised as a haunting ghost story, the rather simple but profound film centers around two villagers Genjuro (Masayuki Mori) and Tobei (Sakae Ozawa) who pursue fame, fortune, and the affections of a mysterious woman (Machiko Kyō), which leads them astray from their loyal wives Miyagi (Kinuyo Tanaka) and Ohama (Mitsuko Mito) and to eventual ruin.
Buy Ugetsu 4K UHDNot just being a classic film with some of the most bewildering cinematography I’ve ever seen, it is also a universal and truthful portrait of resilience and the not-so-guaranteed promise of prosperity during a time of great despair. It’s about the horrors of creating monsters out of the most ordinary human beings by greed, guilt, and compromise. Every time I see it, I get more and hypnotized by its power. It’s a true cinematic work of art. Read Gordon S. Miller’s review of the Criterion DVD.
Making its 4K UHD debut from Criterion this week, I’m sure the powerful imagery will be a revelation to film collectors who don’t already own the original Blu-ray or DVD editions. The supplements aren’t new, but they are quite vital and informative. They include audio commentary by critic, filmmaker, and festival programmer Tony Rayns; Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director, a 1975 documentary by Kaneto Shindo; Two Worlds Intertwined, a 2005 appreciation of Ugetsu by Masahiro Shinoda; trailers, and more. It also has the great essay by film critic Phillip Lopate and three short stories that inspired the film.
If you love international cinema, the sublime work of Mizoguchi, and have a 4K UHD player, then this release is definitely for you!
Other releases:
A Complete Unknown (Disney/Searchlight): James Mangold directs this Oscar-nominated biopic of Bob Dylan’s (played by Timothee Chalamet) triumph of the 1960s music scene.
Companion 4K UHD (Warner): A modern AI thriller starring Sophie Thatcher as Iris, an android built for companionship who goes haywire and causes mayhem for Josh (Jack Quaid), the young man who rents her. Sorry about the spoiler plot.
Shoplifters (Magnolia): A beguiling portrait of a low-income family that survives by petty theft and a gentle love for each other. But when they take in a neglected child, the interpersonal dynamics change — some for the better, and some not.
Re-Animator 4K UHD (Ignite Films): A new 40th Anniversary Edition 2-disc release of Stuart Gordon’s 1985 splatter-comedy classic starring Jeffrey Combs as the iconic Dr. Herbert West, an eccentric madman obsessed with bringing the dead back to life. Experimenting with glowing green liquid, he does just that, but the dead become very difficult to control.
