Episode 176 – Kenji Mizoguchi’s The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum

Scott, David, and Ryan discuss heartache, sacrifice, gender roles, and performance in Mizoguchi's 1939 masterpiece.

This time on the podcast, Scott is joined by David Blakeslee and Ryan Gallagher to discuss Kenji Mizoguchi’s The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum.

This heartrending masterpiece by Kenji Mizoguchi about the give-and-take between life and art marked the first full realization of the hypnotic long takes and eloquent camera movements that would come to define the director’s films. Kikunosuke (Shotaro Hanayagi), the adopted son of a legendary kabuki actor who is striving to achieve stardom by mastering female roles, turns to his infant brother’s wet nurse for support and affection—and she soon gives up everything for her beloved’s creative glory. Offering a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of kabuki theater in the late nineteenth century, The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum provides a critique of the oppression of women and the sacrifices required of them, and represents the pinnacle of Mizoguchi’s early career.

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Scene

Episode Links

The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum (1939) – The Criterion Collection
The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum: A Cineaste’s Performance – From the Current – The Criterion Collection
The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum (1939) – IMDb
The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums – Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
Deep Focus: The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum – Film Comment
The Cinephiliacs: Episode #13 – C. Mason Wells (The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums)
Patterns of Time: Mizoguchi and the 1930s

Episode Credits

Scott Nye (Twitter / Battleship Pretension)
David Blakeslee (Twitter / Criterion Reflections)
Ryan Gallagher (Twitter)

Music from this episode is by Simon & Garfunkel.