Mizoguchi's film full of rage, ambivalence about sex roles<\/p>\n
By Yenni Kwok<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Kenji Mizoguchi is ambivalent. On one hand, he
\ncommiserates with women, but on the other he keeps a distance
\nfrom them. He condemns male chauvinism, but respects the male
\npride.<\/p>\n
These characteristics were observed during Kenji Mizoguchi's
\nfilm week, from July 19 to 26, at Taman Ismail Marzuki Art
\nCenter, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Most of Mizoguchi's films feature women who have to sell their
\nbodies as prostitutes or mistresses for their survival.<\/p>\n
Indonesian film critic Marselli Sumarno said Mizoguchi's
\nsympathy towards them might originate from the trauma of his
\nsister being sold as a geisha.<\/p>\n
His rage against the male-chauvinist tradition persists, and
\nhe expresses it through the image of successful men in society.
\nIn his films, samurais, feudal lord characters or rich
\nbusinessmen are not good, noble characters. Instead they are
\ncorrupt and opportunist.<\/p>\n
In Ugetsu Monogatari (The Ugetsu Story), which is set during
\nthe 1853's Civil War, the samurais are nothing but looters,
\nkillers and rapists. The two main female characters are their
\nvictims; Miyagi is killed while Ohama is raped by the samurais.<\/p>\n
The brutality of the samurais is the extreme of the common
\nexpectation for men to be heartless. In Saikaku Ichidai Onna (The
\nLife of Oharu), Lord Matsudaira has to let Oharu, his mistress,
\ngo because his love for Oharu is so great that \"she drains his
\nenergy,\" as said by the palace council.<\/p>\n
Goddess<\/p>\n
Indeed, the lessons of Mizoguchi's films seem to be:
\ncompassion is exclusively female, after all the deity of mercy is
\na goddess. Moreover, the men who show their compassion have no
\nplace in society.<\/p>\n
In Sansho Dayu (Sansho the Bailiff), Governor of Mutsu is
\nbanished because he sympathizes with the peasants. Taro Sansho,
\nwho disagrees with slavery, becomes a monk. In The Life of Oharu,
\nevery man who loves Oharu dies.<\/p>\n
Although Zushio Taira, a character in Sansho the Bailiff,
\nsucceeds to free Bailiff Sansho's slaves, Taira has to resign
\nfrom his position as the governor of Tango. The cruel Bailiff
\nSansho is exiled, but the actual owner of the slaves, the
\nMinister of Right, still prevails.<\/p>\n
Even though Mizoguchi was very critical towards heartless men,
\nhe still respects the cultural expectation for men not to be
\noverly emotional.<\/p>\n
When Governor of Mutsu hears he is to be exiled, his face
\nhardly shows any emotion, he just sits still and remains calm.
\nInstead, it is the Governor's wife whose face shows anxiety.<\/p>\n
In Gion no Shimai (Sisters of Gion), Shimbei Furusawa hardly
\nshows any gestures of shock when Omocha tells him that her
\nsister, Umekichi, does not love him anymore.<\/p>\n
On the contrary, when Umekichi hears that Furusawa abandons
\nher, the audience can see her gestures of surprise and agony.<\/p>\n
Mizoguchi tended to portray the women's emotions intensively.
\nWhen Lady Matsudaira sees Oharu as the new concubine, her
\njealousy is very obvious. She repeatedly watches Oharu with envy,
\nand her breathing is so intense and heavy.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, Mizoguchi still kept some distance from his
\nfemale characters. He very rarely used a close-up shot to capture
\na character's emotion. The use of a medium shot or a long shot
\nwas more common, such as the medium shot for Lady Matsudaira and
\nlong shot for Umekichi.<\/p>\n
Not a pro-feminist<\/p>\n
Long shots are common in Mizoguchi's pieces, especially in
\nSisters of Gion. On one hand, the viewers tend to be observers
\ninstead of associating themselves with the characters.<\/p>\n
Koichi Sato's style, however, is the contrary of Mizoguchi's.
\nIn Tabi no Omosa (Journey into Solitude), Sato used many close-up
\nshots to capture the girl's emotions.<\/p>\n
For Kenji Iwamoto, a film critic, Mizoguchi's preference of
\nlong shots gave an impression that Mizoguchi still views the
\nwomen of his age and time from a certain distance. Thus, Iwamoto
\nconcluded Mizoguchi cannot be called pro-feminist.<\/p>\n
Most of Mizoguchi's heroines are women who try to break away
\nfrom their family circle. The consequence is bitter and nothing
\nlike The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Some of the characters have to
\nendure hardships, such as Oharu or Ayako of Naniwa Erejii (The
\nOsaka Elegy).<\/p>\n
Some viewers may argue Iwamoto's comment that Mizoguchi's
\npieces are mostly about \"women's tragedies, victimization in a
\nman's world.\" In some films, men are victimized as well. For
\nexample, Oharu's first lover, Katsunosuke, is beheaded, while
\nOharu and her family are outcast.<\/p>\n
However, Katsunosuke's punishment is lighter than Oharu's. His
\ndeath is swift while Oharu must bear agony for dozens of years.<\/p>\n
The vulnerability of the women is depicted through the use of
\nhigh-angle camera shots. Mizoguchi uses this technique to portray
\nmen's exploitation of women.<\/p>\n
For example, when Ohama is raped by some samurais, the scene
\nis shot from a higher angle. This conveys the idea of her
\nvulnerability. The scene of the defenseless Oharu's being
\ninspected by Lord Matsudaira's people also uses the high-angle
\nshot.<\/p>\n
Lighting<\/p>\n
Though most of Mizoguchi's female characters had to sell their
\nbodies in order to survive, they raise no sense of pity nor
\nhelplessness. Hanae, a house-wife who falls into prostitution to
\nsupport her family in Akasen Chimai (Street of Shame) is never
\nfilmed with any high-angle shots.<\/p>\n
Besides camera angles, Mizoguchi also manipulates lighting to
\ncreate a certain mood. In The Osaka Elegy, Mizoguchi uses
\nextremely bright lighting in Oharu's house. This gives an
\nimpression of unnatural atmosphere in Oharu's house.<\/p>\n
The deviant nature of the villains is also conveyed by the
\nlighting, and sometimes with mise-en-scene. In some scenes,
\nactors faces are illuminated amidst the dark background, giving a
\nsense of fear and bizarre. The obvious examples are the
\npriestesses in Sansho the Bailiff and the ghostly Princess Wakasa
\nin The Story of Ugetsu.<\/p>\n
The evil character of Bailiff Sansho, on the other hand, is
\nsymbolized through his ugly face, added by his thorn-like
\nmoustache. With his cruel attitude and ugly face, undoubtedly no
\nsingle viewer would sympathize with him.<\/p>\n
Iwamoto said Mizoguchi is a realist because Mizoguchi hardly
\never uses symbolic images to convey his ideas. Most of his images
\nare straight-forward.<\/p>\n
For instance, in The Ugetsu Story, the audience can easily
\ngrasp the ghostly and mysterious atmosphere when they see the
\nmist surrounding the lake, the Wakasa Palace and Genjuro's house.<\/p>\n
Masayuki Suo's Fancy Dance, however, is contradictory of
\nMizoguchi's films. Suo's is fast, funny and full of symbols. For
\nexample, the scene of bird's droppings on the novice, Yohei
\nShiono, is symbolic and indirectly connected with the story. This
\nsymbolic scene will not be found in Mizoguchi's.<\/p>",
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