Customer Reviews

Princess Yang Kwei Fei [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mizoguchi once more dazzled the entire world with this artistic gem. A young servant girl is transformed into a princess and then destroyed by the shifting royalties, betrayal and revenge around her. Beauty as subject is the big frame around this legendary picture in which Kenji displays his wise domain around the expressive resources of the cinema as art and not mere entertainment's vehicle.

If you love Mizoguchi's art and even you just only know about Ugetsu, Fort seven ronin or Sancho, you should acquire this majuscule film of films.

I saw this film in New York -- I think at the New Yorker theater -- over 30 years ago. I saw it once again at some later date. It is a wonderfully touching, sad and all too human story with a Shakesperean quality about it, and the colors and fimography are dazzling. I am not a professional film critic, and I know Mizoguchi is highly ranked among Japanese directors, but I feel he should be even more highly ranked. How anyone could consider this film as less than an absolute materpiece is beyond me.

Kenji Mizoguchi is one of the few filmmakers in the history of cinema whose entire body of work is worth seeking out. Mizoguchi was referred to as the Shakespeare of cinema and in the pure breadth, diversity, brilliance and humanity of his films that title is not far from the truth. This is one of my least favorite of his films (altough I dislike The 47 Ronin) much more. A must-see if you are a die hard Mizoguchi fan (like myself) or a fan of period romances or tales of intrigue and corruption in 8th century Japan.

aside from the well-crafted story what i most appreciate about this feature is the way the visuals appear as paintings in motion. composition and framing are well thought out and not at all contrived. i am intent on studying more of mizoguchi's works as well as miyagawa's (his DOP). kurosawa isn't...