Special Subject – The Wartime Mizoguchi – THE STORY OF THE LAST CHRYSANTHEMUM (1939) & THE 47 RONIN (1941)

For our June Special Subject we revisit the work of Kenji Mizoguchi, looking at two films from earlier than his best-known (in the West) period: The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums (1939), about cross-class lovers and what it takes to become a great artist, and The 47 Ronin (1941), based on a true story that became emblematic of samurai values. Topics discussed include King Vidor parallels, feminism, Marxism, revenge tragedy, and propaganda and its subversion.

Time Codes:

0h 00m 35s:      Brief Mizoguchi briefing

0h 08m 00s:      THE STORY OF THE LAST CHRYSANTHEMUM (1939) [dir. Kenji Mizoguchi]

0h 42m 11s:       THE 47 RONIN (1941) [dir. Kenji Mizoguchi]

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* Listen to our guest episode on The Criterion Project – a discussion of Late Spring

* Marvel at our meticulously ridiculous Complete Viewing Schedule for the 2020s

* Intro Song: “Sunday” by Jean Goldkette Orchestra with the Keller Sisters (courtesy of The Internet Archive)

* Read Elise’s piece on Gangs of New York – “Making America Strange Again”

* Check out Dave’s Robert Benchley blog – an attempt to annotate and reflect upon as many of the master humorist’s 2000+ pieces as he can locate – Benchley Data: A Wayward Annotation Project!

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