I remember seeing Ugetsu, set in the sixth century, in film class 20 years ago, and being struck by its exotic look and sound, its creation of a world seemingly out of time. Ugetsu is a ghost story with a simple moral, a story of forgiveness and repentance, told in a time of feudal war. In that, it supports Rivette's claim of Mizoguchi's universality, his respect for individuals and his compassion for the mistakes individuals make. The price his characters paid for following their artistic or moral bliss was often exile. Especially at this juncture of our own history, with politicians making histrionic judgments about morality and truth, Mizoguchi still speaks to all of us.
Women bear the brunt of that folly.
They are enslaved, raped, whored out to madams and pimps. Mizoguchi shows us how geishas, dressed in costumes and accorded a false respect, were really only product, bought and sold as concubines. It's a measure of Mizoguchi's great feeling for women that Oharu retains her dignity even when she's homeless,left playing a lute for coins. The final image is of Oharu alone, exiled for life and wandering like a ghost, but self-contained with stubborn pride. A great artist, Utamaro does just that, finding women in brothels with skin like porcelain.