Mizoguchi, Kenji (1898–1956)

Japanese film director Kenji Mizoguchi (1898-1956) was one of Japan's three greatest golden age directors alongside Yasujirō Ozu and Akira Kurosawa. Mizoguchi developed a distinctive 'monumental style' characterised by long takes, long shots, slow camera movements, and a ceremonial way of blocking, acting, and set design. Many of his films focused on the struggle of women at the mercy of the often callous men around them. Mizoguchi had a long association with the influential screenwriter Yoshikata Yoda. After early success with films like Sisters of the Gion (1936), he achieved international acclaim with three films based on classic literary works, The Life of Oharu (1952), Ugetsu (1953), and Sansho the Bailiff (1954). Mizoguchi's career spanned from the 1920s until his death from leukaemia in 1956, leaving a legacy that influenced French New Wave directors as well as contemporary long-take Japanese directors such as Hirokazu Koreeda.