The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum

1939 2h 24m JA

🙌

7.8

BANGER

🔥

94%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

7.8

IMDB

★7.8TMDB · 133🍅94%Rotten Tomatoes★7.8IMDB · 4,538

RomanceDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In late 19th-century Tokyo, Kikunosuke Onoue, the adopted son of a legendary actor, himself an actor specializing in female roles, discovers that the praise he receives is only due to his status as his father's heir. Devastated, he turns to Otoku, a servant of his family, for comfort, and they fall in love. Kikunosuke becomes determined to leave home and develop as an actor on his own merits, and Otoku faithfully joins him.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Shōtarō Hanayagi
Kikunosuke Onoue
Kakuko Mori
Otoku
Kōkichi Takada
Fukusuke Nakamura
Kinnosuke Takamatsu
Matsusuke Onoue
Gonjurô Kawarazaki
Kikugoro Onoue
Benkei Shiganoya
Masseur Genshun
Kikuko Hanaoka
Geisha Konaka
Nobuko Fushimi
Geisha Eiryu

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Writers: Yoshikata Yoda, Matsutarō Kawaguchi
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

87 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, shot by Shigeto Miki. 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 Senji Ito. 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 Koshi Kawahigashi 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

Shōtarō Hanayagi and Kakuko Mori and Kōkichi Takada carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0032156 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kenji Mizoguchi directs. Shigeto Miki behind the camera. Senji Ito scores. Koshi Kawahigashi cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, shot by Shigeto Miki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Senji Ito. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Koshi Kawahigashi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Shōtarō Hanayagi and Kakuko Mori and Kōkichi Takada carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0032156 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.