Kenji Mizoguchi:

Josei no shôri / Victory of Women

Starring:

Kinuyo Tanaka - Hiroko Hosokawa
Michiko Kuwano - Michiko
Mitsuko Miura - Moto Asakura
Shin Tokudaiji - Keita Yamaoka
Katsuhira Matsumoto - Prosecutor Kono
Toyoko Takahashi - Mother
Eiko Uchimura - Yukiko
Akiko Kazami
Shinyo Nara

Also known as: (Women's Victory)

Japan 1946

A female lawyer Hiroko Hosokawa (Kinyo Tanaka) struggles in remains of feudalism in Japan, and leads the way for women. This is one of the best works of Mizoguchi.

A Tribute to women

The story begins when Hiroko's fiancee Yamaoka (Shin Tokudaiji) is released from the prison. Hiroko's sister is getting married with prosecutor Kono, who was the one who sent Yamaoka to prison as a liberal during the war. Now, accidentally Hiroko meet's his old friend Moto Asakura, who lost her husband. In mental disturbance, she suffocates her child and is being procecuted from murder. Hiroko decides to defend her, but her duties for her family and sister gives her certain pressures.

This is Mizoguchi's first post-war movie, it's full of new, certain hope. The movie is made with quite dark tones, and camera is always very far, giving viewer really special feeling of being far. Facial expressions are minimal, as often in Japanese movie; but still the emotional charge is tremendeous. You can almost touch the very grief and mental struggle of the characters.

Mizoguchi's work is full of admiration and respect for women. The setting is so clear between procecutor Kono and Hiroko Hosokawa. Still, though Kono is seen as stubborn, dull and dumb, his statements are still somehow understandable, even though it's long time since Japan was feudal country. The movie has strong message, as all Mizoguchi's works have. There isn't a single feeling of dishonesty, impurity or hate, the movie is a struggle between ideal and political values. Kono is representing politicals, somehow very rational and realistic values, when Hiroko's message is ideal, very human.

Message for women

Today, when we watch this film, it may seem too simple setting between good and bad. I don't know how Japanese people feel nowadays when they watch this movie, but here in the west, it feels a bit so. But let us remember that when this film was made, things were different. Needless to say, this movie had and still have strong effect in Japan. Still things aren't so simple what comes to women's position in Japan, though it's changing.

The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums (1939) was Mizoguchi's first very strong "feminist" work. It tells about Kabuki actor, Kikunosuke (Shotaro Hanayagi), who falls in love with a servant girl, Otoku. In this movie, Otoku's sacrifices for her lover's career remind me about Josei no shôri somehow.

Kinuyo Tanaka - Mizoguchi's favorite actress.

Her round pale face has something typically Japanese in it. She's been acting in numerous Mizoguchi's films, including famous Osaka Elegy. She can express amazingly amount of emotions with slighest possible expression. There is something really mature about her character, but yet something little naive, yes, she can create really interesting characters. It's really easy to enter into feelings of her characters, and no cultural differences seem to obstruct her wonderful message as an actress.

In Josei no shôri, Kinuyo's character is really ideal and modest, yet she forget's to bring up her character's imperfections and make it look and feel human. Indeed, very warm and mature character.

Summary

The movie is really beautiful description of hope, in remains of feudal values.

See also: Victory of Women at IMDB

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