Japan's movie masterpiece

Kenji Mizoguchi's "Ugetsu," a film often treated as the "Citizen Kane" of Japan's cinematic history, is quite possibly one of the longest overdue DVD releases since the technology was created. Originally released by the Criterion Collection on laserdisc many years ago, Criterion now releases "Ugetsu" on DVD. \n"Ugetsu" tells the story of two men, potter Genjuro (Masayuki Mori) and farmer Tobei (Sakae Ozawa), whose ambitions during a 16th century feudal uprising turn into greed-driven quests. After a village raid, Genjuro leaves his wife and child to sell his wares while Tobei follows along only to abandon Genjuro in the marketplace in pursuit of becoming a samurai. What follows is an incredible story of two men who chase their delusions to the brink of potential madness. \nThe beauty of "Ugetsu" is largely due to the combination of director Mizoguchi with cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa -- responsible for other masterpieces such as Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon." Mizoguchi is a director of pure vision, a man uninfluenced by cinema and a craftsman of his own style (much like Yasujiro Ozu). Miyagawa's photography captures haunting landscapes and creates a mysterious mood for all the characters. \nThe DVD release of "Ugetsu" is yet another success for Criterion to chalk up on the board. The first disc contains the film along with an insightful commentary from critic/filmmaker Tony Rayns and three interview segments: "Two Worlds Intertwined" is a 14-minute piece with director Masahiro Shinoda ("Double Suicide") who sings praise for the Japanese auteur, "Process and Production" gives "Ugetsu's" first assistant director Tokuzo Tanaka 20 minutes to discuss technical aspects, and the final interview is with Kazuo Miyagawa from 1992. There are also two Japanese trailers and a Spanish one for the film. \nThe second disc is completely dedicated to director Kaneto Shindo's ("Onibaba") impressive 2 ½ hour documentary "Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director." The documentary covers all aspects of Mizoguchi's career with interviews from a myriad of individuals associated with the director. Special attention is also paid not only to "Ugetsu" but Mizoguchi's other important works such as "Sansho the Bailiff," "The Life of Oharu" and "The 47 Ronin" -- all films in desperate need of a DVD release in America. \nThe set comes housed in a gorgeous slipcase along with a 72-page book with an essay from critic Phillip Lopate and three short stories that inspired "Ugetsu."\nFrom one cinephile to all the others, "Ugetsu" is a film very much worth your time if you've never had the chance to witness its haunting beauty. And if you have already seen it, now you'll finally be able to add it to your collection.