VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

ShangLuda Admirable film.

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

lokko53 A hauntingly told melodrama of how one woman ended up in the life of prostitution in her 50's. Mizoguchi is famous for many films, but especially Life of Oharu, Ugetsu and Sansho the Bailiff. He uses many long shots throughout the film which have a surprising effect on the viewer. It both draws the viewer into the drama and pushes the viewer away in unexpected ways. One could use this film to explore the male gaze from a number of perspectives, including the viewer, that pronounce judgment at all levels. The Buddhist elements in this film are also explored in intricate ways. It is a film that deserves more than one viewing; but will only be appreciated by those who are interested in exploring our humanity, rather than seeking entertainment.SPOILERS I have yet to see Sansho, but whereas Ugetsu is mesmerizing in a tragic way, Oharu is unrelenting on the tragic developments in her life. Oharu has no way of escaping the feudal and aristocratic imposed rules of society from her youth to her old age. At every turn, her life outcome is outside of her hands. The patriarchal values of male strength, authoritarianism and honor at all costs thwart any chances of Oharu having control over her life.The long shots keep the viewer from making the narrative too personal and at the same time indict the viewer for any preconceived notions he/she holds about the life of prostitution. One sees the tragedy of true love unfulfilled and rejected by society as it reverberates through the rest of her life. Her refusal to comply with societal expectations of class and gender place her at odds with all.At the same time the viewer sees that Oharu truly tries to change herself in order to fit with the society. Unfortunately, the viewer sees as Oharu fails time after time. It can be a depressing film, but at the same time it could be a powerful film to expose the hypocrisy and social structures that empower a male dominated elitist society. A truly remarkable film for its time that continues to expose how little we have advanced as a society.This is a film I hope to re-watch and explore more in depth the male gaze and Buddhist themes of impermanence, arhats and compassion.

gavin6942 The tale of a 17th century samurai's daughter.This film is known for its long takes and notoriously was filmed with no sound stage -- the cast and crew were working largely within a warehouse. They made it work, apparently, as the sound is as close to perfect as one could want.I love the theme of the samurai in Japanese films. Of course, no other country could tackle it, but I am surprised how many Japanese directors have returned to this part of their culture. And it always works.Some have said that the film tells a story that uses the experiences of a struggling courtesan to examine the issues of class and rigid hierarchy in Japanese society in the Edo period. Is this accurate? I am not sure. Mizoguchi was no stranger to class struggle, but how consciously he was working in metaphor is unknown to me.

GyatsoLa This is a deeply moving film, essentially a set of tableau, small episodes representing the fall and degradation of a naive noblewoman, brought down by her love for a commoner, desperate bad fortune, and the hypocrisy of a feudal society that condemned her for making the choices forced upon her. The camera-work is beautifully fluid, with long flowing takes, so different from what we expect from that other great director of the period, Ozu. It is carefully paced, allowing the force of the story to carry the viewer along to the desperately sad ending. The movie is far more restrained than you would expect for the topic, it avoids any didacticism, but still makes undeniably clear the directors disgust at how a society can force someone into such degradation. A very beautiful movie, essential viewing for anyone interested in the period.

ali gara The movie is about dramatic tale of a girl from noble samurai family at the service of Imperial Court in Kyoto, who fells in love with a man from a lover rank, and with her love unleashes the calamities emanating from conservative Japanese society and fate. After her fault was discovered she and her family were exiled and her beloved got executed for his transgression. Before his execution he sends Oharu a message instructing her to be happy with a man she would love and not to submit to the authority of the feudal structure by surrendering herself to the dictum of society. With the combined forces of society and fate Oharu experiences most tragic things that may befall on a woman. She gets sold as a concubine to a noble court to breed a heir for the Lord, then her son was taken away from her and she was dismissed. Later in order to pay his debts her father sells her into Shimabara to be a courtesan. Afterwards she was forced to prostitution and once lady at imperial court Oharu's calamitous life of ends up as a beggar. So we see a steep fall of a woman from top of the society to the bottom. However she stays loyal to the request of her beloved – all the time she was forced to surrender her body, but she keeps her soul. In this utterly materialistic and cruel world, with its stunning means of subjugation – she rejects all these values. Oharu rejects going to house of Lord as a commodity although she may well gain her lost status and favor of the Lord there. She cries only when her son was taken away from her, she cries when her fan maker husband gets killed, etc. For e.g. when she was living in destitute as a prostitute – her mother comes and brings her good news that the Lord wants to live with her. Her mother also puts emphasis on material aspects of this news, whereas this only instigates hope in Oharu for a chance to meet her son but for nothing else in material terms. But again it comes out that she was summoned for the shame she brought to the royal court and she was convicted to be exiled. They do not give her a chance to meet her son. She runs away and ends her tumultuous career as a beggar.So, Mizoguchi represents life of a woman who was made subject to customs of utterly materialistic and oppressive feudalistic society. In a sense Oharu emerges as a victorious from this struggle, she keeps what her first beloved asked from her. But she is not represented as an active actor – struggling and showing resistance. She is very passive, submissive and docile. So her victory is not in material sense. She experiences a downfall from the highest rank of being lady at imperial court to be a concubine at a lover court, and then she becomes a courtesan, then a prostitute and ends up as a beggar. But alongside with this fall there is rise of Oharu in idealistic terms with her denial and defiance in the face of this materialistic dictum. She never surrenders to and internalizes the values of the society she lives in. So this fall in materialist terms is accompanied with the rise of her soul with its lofty values. In this sense it is meaningful that she ends up as a beggar which can be seen as total rejection of material life.Lastly, it is interesting that events are not presented from the point of view of Oharu. Neither it is from the other – feudalistic side. Actually Oharu herself is a passive actor. It is more like an objective camera representing us a tale of a women. This respect of the movie makes it one sui generis among many others that were shot on the similar topics.