Directed by:
Kenji MizoguchiCinematography:
Kazuo MiyagawaComposer:
Fumio HayasakaCast:
長谷川一夫, Kyōko Kagawa, Haruo Tanaka, Chieko Naniwa, Tatsuya Ishiguro, Eitarô Ozawa, 進藤英太郎, 伊達三郎, 菅井一郎, Yôko MinamidaPlots(1)
Based on a centuries old tale with roots in real events, Chikamatsu Monogatari tells the hauntingly tragic story of a forbidden love affair between a merchant's wife, Osan (Kyoko Kagawa), and her husband's employee, Mohei (Kazuo Hasegawa), in an era when the punishment for adultery was crucifixion. When a series of innocent events lead to the false accusation of an affair between Osan and Mohei, the accused pair are forced to flee an almost certain death sentence. On the run, the outlaw couple grow closer together, drawn inexorably towards the romantic crime of which they are accused. In the hands of Mizoguchi, Chikamatsu Monogatari depicts two people caught up in a constricted world where true love and social obligation are at odds. His portrayal of the lovers' dilemma lead famed director Akira Kurosawa to describe the film as "a great masterpiece that could only have been made by Mizoguchi". (Eureka Entertainment)
(more)Cast
長谷川一夫
Japan
Best movies:
Crossways (1928)
The Crucified Lovers (1954)
Gate of Hell (1953)
Kyōko Kagawa
Japan
Best movies:
High and Low (1963)
Red Beard (1965)
Tokyo Story (1953)
Haruo Tanaka
Japan
Best movies:
Living (1952)
Early Spring (1956)
Samurai III: Duel on Ganryu Island (1956)
Chieko Naniwa
Japan
Best movies:
Equinox Flower (1958)
Twenty-Four Eyes (1954)
Throne of Blood (1957)
Tatsuya Ishiguro
Japan
Best movies:
Revenge (1963)
The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer (1961)
Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold (1964)
Eitarô Ozawa
Japan
Best movies:
The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959)
Zatoichi Challenged (1967)
Steel Edge of Revenge (1969) - narrator
進藤英太郎
Japan
Best movies:
Revenge (1964)
Sansho the Bailiff (1954)
Drunken Angel (1948)
伊達三郎
Japan
Best movies:
Revenge (1963)
Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold (1964)
Zatoichi and the Chess Expert (1965)
菅井一郎
Japan
Best movies:
Early Summer (1951)
Sansho the Bailiff (1954)
The Crucified Lovers (1954)
Yôko Minamida
Japan
Best movies:
The Crucified Lovers (1954)
The Sun Legend of the End of the Tokugawa Era (1957)
Pigs and Battleships (1961)