Director
The director of The Life of Oharu, Kenji Mizoguchi, is considered one of the masters of what is often called the 'Golden Age of Japanese cinema'. Mizoguchi's films were influenced heavily by his childhood. Events such as the loss of his sister and mother through sale to a geisha house and death, respectively, as well as his father's inability to take care of his family played a major role in deciding what kind of films Mizoguchi would come to direct. Common themes in Mizoguchi's films are sudden changes in class, oppressive male figures of authority, and the woman protagonist who sacrifices everything only to have her life ruined. Mizoguchi experienced all of these at some level as he grew up in Tokyo. These themes are most prevalent in his films: Osaka Elegy, The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums, The Life of Oharu, Sansho the Bailiff, and Ugetsu. Films such as these helped establish Mizoguchi's reputation as a feminist director.
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