Quantity:

More Buying Choices

12 new from �5.30

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

See larger image

Share your own customer images

The Life Of Oharu [DVD] [1952]

DVD ~ Kinuyo Tanaka

3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

RRP:	�19.99
Price:	�5.98 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save:	�14.01 (70%)
	o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Friday, November 13? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details

12 new from �5.30

Christmas Offers--Up to 70% Off DVD and Blu-ray
Low-priced gift ideas, TV box sets, Blu-ray documentaries and recent drama, action and sci-fi hits. Go easy on your wallet this Christmas. Shop now

› See more product promotions

Rent DVDs from LOVEFiLM.com

Amazon's choice for DVD rental.
With a 14 day FREE trial. Learn more

Frequently Bought Together

Ugetsu Monogatari / Oyu-Sama [Masters Of Cinema] [1951] [DVD]

Total RRP: �64.97
Price For All Three: �29.94

Show availability and delivery details

This item: The Life Of Oharu [DVD] [1952] DVD ~ Kinuyo Tanaka
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
The Lady Of Musashino [1951] [DVD] DVD ~ Masayuki Mori
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
Ugetsu Monogatari / Oyu-Sama [Masters Of Cinema] [1951] [DVD] DVD ~ Kinuyo Tanaka
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	69% buy the item featured on this page: The Life Of Oharu [DVD] [1952] 3.8 out of 5 stars (5) �5.98
	8% buy The End Of Summer [DVD] [1961] 4.7 out of 5 stars (3) �6.98
	8% buy Ugetsu Monogatari / Oyu-Sama [Masters Of Cinema] [1951] [DVD] 5.0 out of 5 stars (2) �16.98
	7% buy Sansho Dayu/Gion Bayashi [Masters of Cinema] [1953] [1954] [DVD] 4.0 out of 5 stars (4) �11.88

Explore similar items

Product details

Actors: Kinuyo Tanaka, Tsukie Matsuura, Ichir� Sugai, Toshir� Mifune, Toshiaki Konoe
Directors: Kenji Mizoguchi
Writers: Kenji Mizoguchi, Saikaku Ihara, Yoshikata Yoda
Producers: Kenji Mizoguchi, Hideo Koi, Isamu Yoshiji
Format: Black & White, Full Screen, PAL
Language Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Classification: PG
Studio: Artificial Eye
DVD Release Date: 26 April 2004
Run Time: 131 minutes

Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

ASIN: B0001EYTBG
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 21,137 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

Mizoguchi reckoned The Life of Oharu was his masterpiece, and who are we to disagree? Certainly it's among his most perfectly structured films, in which anger at the treatment of women in Japanese society is balanced by the director's flawless sense of period, and by expert pacing and visual composition. The story is set in the 17th century, when Japan had settled into a rigidly hierarchical society. Kinuyo Tanaka, in perhaps the finest role of her career, plays Oharu, a highborn woman of the Imperial court. Disgraced when she falls in love with a man of a lower class (Toshiro Mifune, in his only film for Mizoguchi), she's made the mistress of a feudal lord. After bearing him a son she's cast out, and gradually sinks into prostitution and penury. The inevitability of Oharu's fate is tempered by her resilience of spirit--and by the compassion of Mizoguchi's gaze. Although the story is set in the past, he fully intends parallels with modern-day Japan; just after completing the film, he told an interviewer, "Comparing today with [earlier] periods, I don't find much difference: women have always been treated like slaves." The Life of Oharu was shown at the 1952 Venice Festival, where it was awarded the Golden Lion. It brought Mizoguchi a belated international fame just four years before his death, and initiated the run of late masterpieces that rounded off his career. --Philip Kemp

Synopsis

The story chronicles the decline through exile, concubinage and prostitution of Oharu Okui. Her sufferings and treatment are analysed until she is finally discarded like an inanimate object.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Lady Of Musashino [1951] [DVD]

DVD ~ Masayuki Mori

4.5 out of 5 stars (2) �6.98

Floating Weeds [1959] [DVD]

DVD ~ Ganjiro Nakamura

4.3 out of 5 stars (3) �6.98

Sansho Dayu/Gion Bayashi [Masters of Cinema] [1953] [1954] [DVD]

DVD ~ Kinuyo Tanaka

4.0 out of 5 stars (4) �11.88

Ugetsu Monogatari / Oyu-Sama [Masters Of Cinema] [1951] [DVD]

DVD ~ Kinuyo Tanaka

5.0 out of 5 stars (2) �16.98

Chikamatsu Monogatari/ Uwasa no Onna [Masters of Cinema] [DVD] [1954]

DVD ~ Kenji Mizoguchi

5.0 out of 5 stars (1) �14.98

› Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

(What's this?)

Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.

kinuyo tanaka(1)

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews

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

Average Customer Review

3.8 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The pinnacle of Mizoguchi's feminism, 25 Sep 2007

By	J. Eriksson "CsO" (Sweden) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

One of the legendary director Kenji Mizoguchi's greatest masterpieces - which makes it one of the great masterworks of cinema proper - chronicles the tragedy of a woman consistently being pulled down the social ladder, from privilege to destitution, by her family (in various senses). Based on Ihara Saikaku's sensationalist 17th century novel about the life of a "voluptuous woman", this is a sublime work of art, perfectly melding a profound sense of human suffering, a detailed grasp of classical Japanese art, and a staggeringly modern sense of acuity, amidst all that weight of tradition, with the talent of one of the very greatest directors of all time. While this entry is not as famous as Ugetsu or Sansho dayu (to mention only a few other works by Mizoguchi), it is no less brilliant, no less perfect when it comes to achieving an empathic rendering of the human condition, both grounded in cultural and historical circumstances and impressively transcending them. The only thing to wish for is a more dedicated digital version, adorned with a deserving array of special features (just look at that US version of Ugetsu, such a wonderful labour of love). You'll want to watch this for the film itself, of course, if you seriously love cinema, but it certainly deserves a little more effort in its presentation as far as commercial issues are concerned.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Feminist critique, 19 Jun 2009

By	technoguy "jack" (Rugby) - See all my reviews

The chronicle of the life of a fallen woman,with great attention to detail of period(17th century). This film showed how a woman's life deteriorates if she's in a backward society.The feudal order depicted was a way of commenting on his own times.It brought to mind Bresson's 'Au Hasard Balthasar'( see how a donkey's life deteriorates as it passes to successive owners).It was a deeply religious film.Similarly 'O-Haru' is brilliantly realized and just as shocking especially when she's shown by a teacher to his students as an example of life's transcience-'a goblin cat'.She becomes an outcast,an exile as she is a mere part of each man's possessions in a hierarchical society.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful cinema, 20 Oct 2007

By	John Rocco (UK, Manchester) - See all my reviews

Powerful and moving piece of cinema. Excellent performance by Kinuyo Tanaka. The transfer is good, it's worth buying.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 5 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing but maybe too dated for some
We were constantly surprised by the turns and twists in this movie...certainly not a Hollywood film or ending! Give it a try!

Published on 4 Dec 2006 by tc61

3.0 out of 5 stars Fine piece of cinema
Although based on a Saikaku comic novel, the film is a rather dark tale with a few cinematic touches of brilliance and the occasional touch of humour. Read more

Published on 9 Aug 2005 by LeBoucher

› See all 5 customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jqOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jqOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jqOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; }

Customer Discussions

This product's forum

Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Active discussions in related forums

Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
drama Favourite last scene.	76	41 minutes ago
drama most memorable film openings	39	17 hours ago
drama gay films	58	17 hours ago
classics Betty Grable	1	20 hours ago
drama Iain Cuthbertson RIP	24	20 hours ago
drama Language & Subtitle Info	6	20 hours ago
classics where can i obtain................?	46	1 day ago