The Life of Oharu

1952 2h 16m JA

🙌

7.8

BANGER

★7.8TMDB · 206

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

During the Edo Period, a noblewoman's banishment for her love affair with a lowly page signals the beginning of her inexorable fall.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Kinuyo Tanaka
Oharu
Tsukie Matsuura
Tomo
Ichirō Sugai
Shinzaemon
Hisako Yamane
Lady Matsudaira
Toshirō Mifune
Katsunosuke
Jūkichi Uno
Yakichi Ogiya
Eitarō Shindō
Kahe Sasaya
Akira Ōizumi
Fumikichi

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Writers: Yoshikata Yoda, Kenji Mizoguchi
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

74 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, shot by Yoshimi Hirano. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ichirō Saitō. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Toshio Goto shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Kinuyo Tanaka and Tsukie Matsuura and Ichirō Sugai carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0045112 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kenji Mizoguchi directs. Yoshimi Hirano behind the camera. Ichirō Saitō scores. Toshio Goto cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

174 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, shot by Yoshimi Hirano. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Ichirō Saitō. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Toshio Goto shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Kinuyo Tanaka and Tsukie Matsuura and Ichirō Sugai carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0045112 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Classified under 22 themes, including "prostitute", "based on novel or book", "despair", "courtesan".
8Released under 10 different titles around the world.