The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum

The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum

1939 · 144 min · JA · 7.8 (133 votes)
Dir. Kenji Mizoguchi · Starring Shōtarō Hanayagi, Kakuko Mori, Kōkichi Takada, Kinnosuke Takamatsu, Gonjurô Kawarazaki, Benkei Shiganoya · Music Senji Ito
RomanceDrama

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.

VIBE

A deeply felt, achingly beautiful exploration of artistic ambition and forbidden love. It’s a quiet, contemplative film that immerses you in its world, leaving a lingering sense of bittersweet longing.

melancholicromanticwistfulearnestslow-burnperiod dramaarthousecinematic poetryJapanese classicloveartsacrificeidentity
▶ Stream on Criterion Channel
forbidden loveosaka, japantokyo, japankabuki19th centuryadopted sontheatrical troupe
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