Kenji Mizoguchi was a brilliant and influential filmmaker. Besides his movies being visual marvels, he was a master of emotional storytelling. The projects of Mizoguchi were also vey much ahead of their time, especially regarding the themes and issues they often tackled. Much of the artist's work is character studies of women forced into suffering and pushing through struggles in Japanese society. He frequently worked with brilliant actress Kinuyo Tanaka who starred in a substantial amount of his filmography. Gender inequality and sexism in Japan date far back in history and remain an issue there to this day. An advocate of equality, Mizoguchi would be one of the first Japanese directors to raise awareness of these issues while tearing down the facade that Japanese society is perfect, all while giving a voice to those forced to comply with social injustices. Such matters are brought to the forefront in one of his essential works: “The Life of Oharu.”
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The emotionally enthralling historical drama is based on a collection of stories from the novel “The Life of an Amorous Woman” by Ihara Saikaku. Saikaku was an influential poet known for creating the “floating world” literature genre that would become a popular form of storytelling. In the novel, an aging woman recounts her experiences enduring continuous struggles in 17th century Japan. Kenji Mizoguchi's adaptation of these historical tales was a passion project for the director, yet filming was far from easy due to production struggles. It didn't help that Mizoguchi and the film's leading actress Kinuyo Tanaka were both experiencing financial struggles at the time. Yet, the two of them who frequently collaborated, helped support one another. Their efforts would certainly pay off with this project. “The Life of Oharu” would go on to be a hit and win the International Award at the 1952 Venice Film Festival.
In 17th century Japan, a fifty-year-old woman named Oharu takes refuge in a Buddhist temple and recounts her life, one full of constant misfortune and cruelty. She was in love with a man named Katsunosuke, but her family and society didn't approve of,due to class differences, resulting in her lover being executed and her family being banished, and Oharu attempting suicide. Oharu is sold off by her father to serve as a mistress to a daimyo to bear the lord a son, which she does but is then sent back home with minimal support. She becomes a courtesan, but her dismay continues as she struggles to survive in a world that ostracizes her. She even attempts to become a nun but is eventually forced into prostitution. The brave woman pulls through all this but is left with nothing. Unfortunately, her story doesn't conclude in the Buddhist temple, as more is to come. However, she does not give up.
“The Life of Oharu” is one of the saddest films ever made. What could have been a tedious tale of heavy-handed drama is instead a powerful, emotionally engaging, and touching story of survival. A lot of this is thanks to the brilliant directing and superb screenplay. In addition, it gives a glimpse at what life was like in the Edo period of Japan for a woman, and shows just how harsh society truly was during that time. Class, appearance, and reputation were taken rather seriously during this period, to a disturbingly extreme degree. Mizoguchi critiques all of these matters without pulling any punches, while raising awareness of Japan's harsh political corruption and sexism. What enhances the drama is how brilliant of a character Oharu is, as she is relatable, likable, compassionate, and empathetic. Seeing the world around her continually force her into malaise is heartbreaking. She merely wants to live her life happily, but society robs her of individuality. Yet, through all this, she prevails.
Kinuyo Tanaka gives an incredible performance as Oharu. She brings a wide range of emotions to her character, so much so that it is like the audience is witnessing a real-life story unfolding. The rest of the acting in the movie is also top-notch. Beloved actor Toshiro Mifune notably appears in the film as Oharu's fallen lover Katsunosuke, and is very good even with the minimal screen time he is given. The scenes with him and Tanaka are gut-wrenching and only make how their love story concludes all the more tragic.
Kenji Mizoguchi was a master of mise-en-scene, and like many of his other projects, “The Life of Oharu” is a gorgeous movie. The sets and costumes are beautiful, with phenomenal historical attention to detail. Yoshimi Hirano's camerawork is top-notch, and the brilliant lighting and editing enhance this painting in motion. In addition, Ichiro Saito's music score for the movie is elegant and effective. One scene towards the film's end is incredibly intense and enthralling and further enhanced by Saito's great scoring.
“The Life of Oharu” is a phenomenal movie and one of Kenji Mizoguchi's finest works. It is an engaging story about a woman's struggle to overcome the odds against her. The role of Oharu would stand as a major shining point in Kinuyo Tanaka's acting career. She would continue to surprise the Japanese film industry in the following years. Tanaka would go on to become a filmmaker, directing six films, further showing her versatility as an artist. One could say the pre-conditioned odds of the entertainment industry in Japan were against her, but she would overcome them.
