SCFZ poll: Kenji Mizoguchi

[flip]

Polling the films of director Kenji Mizoguchi

The rules:

- your list can include no more than half of the Mizoguchi films you've seen, up to a maximum of 5. So if you've seen seven of his films, for example, you can list only a top 3. It's only if you've seen ten or more of his films than you can list the maximum of five.

- i'll assume ballots are ranked unless you tell me otherwise. unranked ballots are fine.

- deadline for ballots: next Tuesday, in seven days, whatever day that is

- if anyone is watching films for these polls, then i'll extend the deadline three days, if someone requests an extension

- next poll: whoever posts the first ballot in this thread is free to nominate the director we poll next, unless you've nominated in this round already (everyone should get a chance). Already nominated this round: greg x, rischka, dt, silga, kanafani, brian d, greennui, ofrene, mesnalty, john ryan, roscoe, evelyn, thoxans, bure, oscarwerner, arkheia, caracortada, karl

umbugbene created an index on letterboxd of all of our previous polls here: letterboxd.com/umbugbene/list/index-of-all-scfz-director-polls/

one rule for nominees: at least 3 scfzers need to have seen 10+ of a nominee's films, or at least 4 scfzers need to have seen at least 8 of the nom's films, so if it isn't clear if that will be the case, we'll confirm that's true before moving forward

if 24 hours pass after a poll opens, and no one eligible to nominate has posted a ballot, then i'll nominate someone, and then we'll start over, and everyone will be able to nominate again

[flip]

Ugetsu
Tokyo March

only seen four, obviously need to see more

[mesnalty]

Seen 9:

1. Sansho the Bailiff
2. The Crucified Lovers
3. Portrait of Madame Yuki
4. Miss Oyu

[thoxans]

the crucified lovers

*seen two (whoops)

[kanafani]

Seen 19. Could make a case for any random combination of five, really.

Street of Shame
Utamaro and His Five Women
Sansho the Bailiff
Miss Oyu
The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum

[Roscoe]

OSAKA ELEGY

[brian d]

seen 20

crucified lovers
a geisha
sansho the bailiff
straits of love and hate
princess yang kwei fei

[Umbugbene]

Seen 17

1. Ugetsu monogatari
2. Life of Oharu
3. Utamaro and His Five Women
4. Chikamatsu monogatari
5. Story of the Last Chrysanthemums

[oscarwerner]

Seen 8.
1)Ugetsu (1953)
2)Sansho the Bailiff (1954)
3)Street of Shame (1956)
4)The 47 Ronin (1941)-lets remember classic as many know only remakes.
Great director. I`m sure his influence is felt in Ozu and Kurosawa. He just liked to search inspiration in more traditional paintings and poetry. And he liked beauty of a human face.

[john ryan]

seen 17

1. sansho the bailiff
2. ugetso
3. miss oyu
4. the life of oharu
5. the crucified lovers

he was on fire in the early '50s

[flip]

your chance to nominate, umbugbene!

[wba2]

01. The Lady of Musashino (1951)
02. The 47 Ronin: Part II (1941)
03. The 47 Ronin: Part I (1941)
04. Oyuki, the Virgin (1935)

Mizoguchi seen: 9

[Caracortada]

Seen 7.

1. Lady Musashino
2. Sansho the Bailiff
3. Sisters of the Gion

[augusto]

haven't kept track, but certainly seen (a lot) more than 10. soft spot for his pre-war work (sisters of the gion, osaka elegy, 47 ronin, oyuki the virgin, etc. among those not on the list), but one of the greats either way.

1. the water magician
2. the story of the last crysanthemum
3. sansho the bailiff
4. straits of love and hate
5. gion bayashi / a geisha

[rischka]

Crucified lovers
Miss oyu
Sisters of the gion
Ugetsu
Story of the last chrysanthemums

[karl]

I think I've seen all the extant features except Victory of Women - so, 27. Like I said in other thread, perhaps my pick for best ever film director.

It's weird to me that Miss Oyu, one of his most beautiful, but, alas, one of his silliest melodramas, gets so much love round here. But I've always found most of my fellow superchimps' tastes weird.

Well, five. Could just as well have chosen five others:

Osaka Elegy
The Straits of Love and Hate
Portrait of Madam Yuki
The Downfall of Osen
Poppy

[Umbugbene]

your chance to nominate, umbugbene!

Always an exciting moment when this comes around! Okay, for a long time I've wanted to nominate Michael Anderson, so if there are enough views then he's my pick. If not then I'll go with Carl Theodor Dreyer.

[greennui]

Ugetsu
Sansho the Bailiff
Osaka Elegy

[oscarwerner]

Michael Anderson is pretty nice-seen many of him, about 20 films for sure. If you mean the director of The Dam Busters , Logan`s run and etc...

[Umbugbene]

Yes, that's the one. I had hoped to do the poll while he was still alive, but he died 10 months ago at 98. I doubt more than 3 or 4 people here have seen his masterpiece.

[flip]

if we can find one more person with 10+ michael anderson, or two more with 8+, then we'll go with him! i've only seen two though.

[Caracortada]

I have seen eight films by Michael Anderson.

[St. Gloede]

Seen 25:

1. Saikaku ichidai onna / The Life of Oharu (1952)
2. Gion bayashi / A Geisha (1953)
3. Five Women Around Utamaro (1946)
4. The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums (1939)
5. Sanshô dayû / Sansho the Bailiff (1954)

Honorable mention:

Gion no shimai / Sisters of the Gion (1936)

[St. Gloede]

I have also seen 8 by Anderson (thought it was just 7 at first but then I remembered the terrible Orca )

[flip]

ok thanks st gloede and caracortada, we have enough views to make a michael anderson poll work, so i'll start that up on friday!

[ofrene]

seen 7

1. The Crucified Lovers
2. Sansho the Bailiff
3. The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum

hope to see more before the poll ends

[...]

Ugetsu
The Crucified Lovers
Life of Oharu
Utamaro and His Five Women
Princess Yang Kwei-Fei

Seen fifteen. He's no Shimizu, but this Mizoguchi fella isn't bad. Some fine entertainment to be had with his movies.

[connordenney]

I've only seen two, so I'll toss my sole vote to Sansho the Bailiff.

[Mysterious Dude]

I've seen 13.

1. Ugetsu
2. The Life of Oharu
3. Utamaro and His Five Women
4. Shansho the Bailiff
5. The Crucified Lovers

[flip]

just as in our last poll (dwan), a lot of films got votes, but the top few all come from a short end-of-career period:

results

1. Ugetsu (1953) -- 33 pts
2. Sansho the Bailiff (1954) -- 31 pts
3. The Crucified Lovers (1954) -- 25 pts
4. The Life of Oharu (1952) -- 20 pts
5. Utamaro and His Five Women (1946) -- 15 pts
6. The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums (1939) -- 10 pts
6. Miss Oyu (1951) -- 10 pts
8. A Geisha (1953) -- 9 pts
9. Straits of Love and Hate (1937) -- 8 pts
9. Street of Shame (1956) -- 8 pts
11. Osaka Elegy (1936) -- 7 pts
11. The Lady of Musashino (1951) -- 7 pts
13. The Water Magician (1933) -- 5 pts
13. Portrait of Madame Yuki (1950) -- 5 pts
15. Sisters of the Gion (1936) -- 4 pts
15. The 47 Ronin (1941) -- 4 pts
17. Princess Yang Kwei Fei (1955) -- 2 pts
17. The Downfall of Osen (1935) -- 2 pts
19. Oyuki the Virgin (1935) -- 1 pt
19. Poppy (1935) -- 1 pt
19. Tokyo March (1929) -- 1 pt