UGETSU MONOGATARI (1953)

Cast

Plot

Multi-award winning adaptation of two stories by 18th Century writer Akinari Ueda. Set in 16th Century Japan, it tells the tale of two potters who leave their wives and rural homes against their families' wishes. One is seeking glory as a Samurai warrior, while the other seeks only to make his fortune, but is seduced by a ghost princess. A rich and ravishing movie, Ugetsu won the Silver Lion Award for Best Direction at the Venice Film Festival in 1953. The film has made multiple appearances in Sight and Sound magazine's top ten critics poll of the greatest movies ever made, which is held once every decade. In 2000, The Village Voice newspaper ranked Ugetsu at #29 on their list of the 100 best films of the 20th century.