Utamaro and His Five Women

Infobox Film
name = Utamaro and His Five Women


caption =
director = Kenji Mizoguchi
producer =
writer = Yoshikata Yoda
starring = Minosuke Bandô
Kinuyo Tanaka
Kôtarô Bandô
Hiroko Kawasaki
Toshiko Iizuka
music =
cinematography = Minoru Miki
editing = Shintarô Miyamoto
distributor =
released = flagicon|Japan 17 December, 1946
runtime = 106 min.
country = flagicon|Japan Japan
awards =
language = Japanese
budget =
preceded_by =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0039074

"Utamaro and His Five Women" or "Five Women Around Utamaro" ("Utamaro o meguru gonin no onna") is a 1946 Japanese film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. It is based on the novel of the same title by Kanji Kunieda, itself a fictionalized account of the life of printmaker Kitagawa Utamaro. It was Mizoguchi's first film made under the American occupation.

Production History

"Utamaro and His Five Women" was made during the 7-year Allied occupation of Japan which followed World War II. At the time, film production was overseen by representatives of the Occupation forces, and period films like "Utamaro" were rarely made, as they were seen as being inherently nationalistic or militaristic. [ [http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/cteq/03/25/utamaro.html Utamaro and his Five Women, by Freda Freiberg] ]

The Film as Autobiography

Though "Utamaro and His Five Women" is based on the life of Kitagawa Utamaro, it is frequently seen as being an autobiographical work. [ [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/utamaro_and_his_five_women/ Rotten Tomatoes: Utamaro and His Five Women Synopsis] ] [ [http://cinema.wisc.edu/series/2007_fall/mizoguchi.htm Distant Observer: Films of Kenji Mizoguchi] ] [ [http://www.cinemathequeontario.ca/filmdetail.aspx?filmId=197&archives=1&season=Fall2006 Cinematheque Ontario:UTAMARO AND HIS FIVE WOMEN] ]

In her article on the film for the Australian film journal "Senses of Cinema", film critic Freda Freiberg writes: "Mizoguchi's regular scriptwriter Yoda, who worked with him (more precisely, "for" him) for 20 years, claimed in his memoirs that in the script for this film he was “almost unconsciously” drawing a portrait of Mizoguchi through Utamaro. The equation Utamaro=Mizoguchi has been irresistible to most critics as the two artists did have a lot in common. Both of them worked in a popular mass-produced medium operated by businessmen, and chafed under oppressive censorship regimes; both frequented the pleasure quarters and sought the company of geishas; but, most significantly, they both achieved fame for their portraits of women. In a highly charged scene in this film, Utamaro paints, directly on the back of a beautiful courtesan, a sketch that is later tattooed into her skin. One could say that this creative act (and the passion the artist displays in executing it) literalises the fact that both artists achieved fame on the backs of women – relying on them to arouse and express themselves, emotionally and aesthetically." [ [http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/cteq/03/25/utamaro.html Utamaro and his Five Women, by Freda Freiberg] ]

References

External Links

* [http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/cteq/03/25/utamaro.html Utamaro and his Five Women, by Freda Freiberg] at Senses of Cinema