The Crucified Lovers
Encyclopedia
is a 1954
black-and-white Japanese film
directed by Kenji Mizoguchi
. It was adapted from Monzaemon Chikamatsu's 17th century play Daikyoji sekireki (大経師昔暦), hence the title.
, especially regarding his younger wife Osan (Kagawa), who was from an impoverished family, and married Ishun for money.
When Osan's brother asks for a loan, he is refused. Osan then seeks help from Mohei (Hasegawa) - one of Ishun's top apprentices, who forges a receipt in an attempt at obtaining the money from Ishun, but is caught. Ishun threatens to summon the authorities, but a maid (Minamida) asks him to forgive the act, claiming that she had asked for the money. Ishun has made advances toward the maid, who has refused him. Ishun then assumes the maid (who is secretly in love with Mohei) is sleeping with Mohei, and Ishun orders Mohei locked up in the attic.
When Osan thanks the maid for attempting to help, she discovers her husband's attempted infidelities. Hoping to confront him, she sleeps in the maid's room that night. To her surprise, Mohei, who has escaped, sneaks into the room, in an attempt as saying goodbye to the maid before fleeing. Osan attempts to persuade Mohei into staying, but the two are interrupted when the shop clerk enters the room, and immediately assumes the two to be having an affair.
Mohei is chased away, and Ishun - after being alerted to the incident - concludes that his wife is having an affair. Angered and insulted, Osan leaves the house, only to again encounter Mohei. They later discover that Ishun has alerted the police, and Mohei is now wanted for forgery and adultery (a capital offense). Rather than face such unjust accusations the two decide to commit suicide together. They change their minds, however, when Mohei confesses his love for Osan.
They continue to flee on foot, their now mutual love growing, while Ishun's men and the police continue to pursue them. They reach the home of Mohei's father where he reluctantly gives them food and shelter. By this time a traveling chestnut salesman has inadvertently notified Ishun's house of the whereabouts of the two lovers. Ishun's men arrive at Mohei's father's where the two are captured. Mohei is bound and left for the police to find the next day while Osan is taken to her family home en route to Ishun.
As Osan refuses to return to Ishun's house, Mohei arrives at her family home, having been freed by his father. Osan's mother tries to convince Mohei to turn himself in while her brother goes to fetch Ishun and his men. Just as Ishun arrives, the lovers escape one last time. In the film's final sequence it is revealed Mohei and Osan have turned themselves into the police and confessed to adultery. As Ishun did not report his wife's misdeeds, only Mohei's forgery, he has been found guilty of deceiving the authorities and - as Osan and Mohei are paraded through the streets en route to their crucifixion
– all Ishun's property and wealth are being seized. The other servants watch the parade and note that Mohei and Osan look happier than ever before.
at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival
, The Crucified Lovers was one of several of late-career films (Life Of Oharu, Ugetsu
, Sansho the Bailiff
) that brought Mizoguchi to the attention of non-Japanese audiences.
Photographed by Kazuo Miyagawa
(Rashomon
, Floating Weeds
, Tokyo Olympiad
), The Crucified Lovers features Mizoguchi's sequence shot aesthetic, recalling Japanese woodcut
s and scroll paintings.
1954 in film
The year 1954 in film involved some significant events and memorable ones.-Events:*May 12 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces wife Marion Benda...
black-and-white Japanese film
Cinema of Japan
The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world – as of 2009 the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramen arrived...
directed by Kenji Mizoguchi
Kenji Mizoguchi
Kenji Mizoguchi was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His film Ugetsu won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and appeared in the Sight & Sound Critics' Top Ten Poll in 1962 and 1972. Mizoguchi is renowned for his mastery of the long take and mise-en-scène...
. It was adapted from Monzaemon Chikamatsu's 17th century play Daikyoji sekireki (大経師昔暦), hence the title.
Synopsis
Ishun (Shindo) is a wealthy but miserly scroll-maker in KyotoKyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, especially regarding his younger wife Osan (Kagawa), who was from an impoverished family, and married Ishun for money.
When Osan's brother asks for a loan, he is refused. Osan then seeks help from Mohei (Hasegawa) - one of Ishun's top apprentices, who forges a receipt in an attempt at obtaining the money from Ishun, but is caught. Ishun threatens to summon the authorities, but a maid (Minamida) asks him to forgive the act, claiming that she had asked for the money. Ishun has made advances toward the maid, who has refused him. Ishun then assumes the maid (who is secretly in love with Mohei) is sleeping with Mohei, and Ishun orders Mohei locked up in the attic.
When Osan thanks the maid for attempting to help, she discovers her husband's attempted infidelities. Hoping to confront him, she sleeps in the maid's room that night. To her surprise, Mohei, who has escaped, sneaks into the room, in an attempt as saying goodbye to the maid before fleeing. Osan attempts to persuade Mohei into staying, but the two are interrupted when the shop clerk enters the room, and immediately assumes the two to be having an affair.
Mohei is chased away, and Ishun - after being alerted to the incident - concludes that his wife is having an affair. Angered and insulted, Osan leaves the house, only to again encounter Mohei. They later discover that Ishun has alerted the police, and Mohei is now wanted for forgery and adultery (a capital offense). Rather than face such unjust accusations the two decide to commit suicide together. They change their minds, however, when Mohei confesses his love for Osan.
They continue to flee on foot, their now mutual love growing, while Ishun's men and the police continue to pursue them. They reach the home of Mohei's father where he reluctantly gives them food and shelter. By this time a traveling chestnut salesman has inadvertently notified Ishun's house of the whereabouts of the two lovers. Ishun's men arrive at Mohei's father's where the two are captured. Mohei is bound and left for the police to find the next day while Osan is taken to her family home en route to Ishun.
As Osan refuses to return to Ishun's house, Mohei arrives at her family home, having been freed by his father. Osan's mother tries to convince Mohei to turn himself in while her brother goes to fetch Ishun and his men. Just as Ishun arrives, the lovers escape one last time. In the film's final sequence it is revealed Mohei and Osan have turned themselves into the police and confessed to adultery. As Ishun did not report his wife's misdeeds, only Mohei's forgery, he has been found guilty of deceiving the authorities and - as Osan and Mohei are paraded through the streets en route to their crucifixion
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
– all Ishun's property and wealth are being seized. The other servants watch the parade and note that Mohei and Osan look happier than ever before.
Cast
- Kazuo HasegawaKazuo Hasegawawas a Japanese film actor. He appeared in 290 films between 1927 and 1963.-Filmography:Filmography of Kazuo Hasegawa include :* also known as Crossroads, Crossways, Shadows of the Yoshiwara or Slums of Tokyo...
- Mohei - Kyôko KagawaKyôko Kagawais a Japanese actress. She has appeared in leading and supporting roles in such films as Akira Kurosawa's The Bad Sleep Well and High and Low, Yasujiro Ozu's Tokyo Story, and Kenji Mizoguchi's Sansho the Bailiff.- Filmography :...
- Osan - Eitarô ShindôEitaro Shindowas a Japanese film actor. He appeared in 93 films between 1936 and 1966.-Selected filmography:* Miss Oyu * The Crucified Lovers * Sansho the Bailiff...
- Ishun - Eitarô Ozawa - Sukeemon (as Saka Ozawa)
- Yōko MinamidaYoko Minamidawas a Japanese actress. She was diagnosed with Alzheimers in November 2008, and a TV documentary was made about her condition and the efforts of her husband, actor Hiroyuki Nagato, to care for her...
- Otama - Haruo TanakaHaruo Tanakawas a Japanese film actor noted for his supporting roles in a career that spanned seven decades.-Career:Tanaka was born in Kyoto and quit school in order to become a film actor, joining the Nikkatsu studio in 1925. He eventually moved up to secondary leads and even into leading roles against...
- Gifuya Dôki - Chieko Naniwa - Okô
- Ichirô Sugai - Gembei
- Tatsuya Ishiguro - Isan
- Hiroshi Mizuno - Kuroki
- Hisao Toake - Morinokoji
- Ikkei Tamaki - Jushiro Umegaki
- Kimiko Tachebana - Umetatsu Akamatsu
- Keiko Koyanagi - Okaya
- Sayako Nakagami - Osono
Impact
Nominated for the Palme d'OrPalme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival
1955 Cannes Film Festival
-Jury:*Marcel Pagnol *Marcel Achard *Juan Antonio Bardem *A. Dignimont *Jacques-Pierre Frogerais *Leopold Lindtberg *Anatole Litvak *Isa Miranda *Leonard Mosley...
, The Crucified Lovers was one of several of late-career films (Life Of Oharu, Ugetsu
Ugetsu
Ugetsu is a 1953 Japanese film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. Set in 16th century Japan, it stars Masayuki Mori and Machiko Kyō, and is inspired by short stories by Ueda Akinari and Guy de Maupassant...
, Sansho the Bailiff
Sansho the Bailiff
-External links:* at the Japanese Movie Database* * and QuickTime trailer* essay by Mark Le Fanu...
) that brought Mizoguchi to the attention of non-Japanese audiences.
Photographed by Kazuo Miyagawa
Kazuo Miyagawa
is generally recognized as having been one of the finest Japanese cinematographers.Miyagawa is best known for his tracking shots, particularly those in Rashomon , the first of his three collaborations with preeminent filmmaker Akira Kurosawa....
(Rashomon
Rashomon (film)
The bandit's storyTajōmaru, a notorious brigand , claims that he tricked the samurai to step off the mountain trail with him and look at a cache of ancient swords he discovered. In the grove he tied the samurai to a tree, then brought the woman there. She initially tried to defend herself with a...
, Floating Weeds
Floating Weeds
is a 1959 film by Yasujiro Ozu and shot in colour by Kazuo Miyagawa, one of Japan's most highly regarded cinematographers. It is a remake of Ozu's own black-and-white silent film A Story of Floating Weeds ....
, Tokyo Olympiad
Tokyo Olympiad
Tokyo Olympiad is a 1965 documentary film directed by Kon Ichikawa which documents the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Like Leni Riefenstahl's Olympia, which documented the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Ichikawa's film was considered a milestone in documentary filmmaking...
), The Crucified Lovers features Mizoguchi's sequence shot aesthetic, recalling Japanese woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
s and scroll paintings.