8.7
Viewer Rating
Combines user and critic ratings from four sources
Fantasy, Drama, Mystery • 1953 • 96 min
Ugetsu (1953)
Ugetsu (1953)
Overview
Ugetsu is a 1953 Japanese fantasy drama that follows two ambitious peasants whose greed and dreams during the warring 16th century lead to personal and familial ruin. The film leans traditional in its portrayal of gender roles, with husbands' folly threatening the stability of their families, and wives shown as moral anchors through dedication and endurance. Traditional values and critiques of unchecked ambition form the core themes, while the absence of modern or progressive themes like LGBTQ+ representation or gender subversion ensures the focus remains firmly on historical and cultural norms of the time.
Starring Cast
Masayuki Mori • Machiko Kyô • Kinuyo Tanaka
Where to watch
Rating & Dimensions
Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Leans Traditional
Political: Leans Right
Diversity: Moderate
Family Values: Strongly Traditional
Buddhism: Positive
Viewer Rating
8.7
Overview
Ugetsu is a 1953 Japanese fantasy drama that follows two ambitious peasants whose greed and dreams during the warring 16th century lead to personal and familial ruin. The film leans traditional in its portrayal of gender roles, with husbands' folly threatening the stability of their families, and wives shown as moral anchors through dedication and endurance. Traditional values and critiques of unchecked ambition form the core themes, while the absence of modern or progressive themes like LGBTQ+ representation or gender subversion ensures the focus remains firmly on historical and cultural norms of the time.
Starring Cast
Masayuki Mori • Machiko Kyô • Kinuyo Tanaka
Where to watch
Detailed Bias Analysis
Analyzing...
Leans Traditional
Primary
Political: Leans Right
Confidence: Medium
The film critiques individual ambition and the chaos of war by championing a return to traditional values, family, and community as the path to peace and fulfillment.
Diversity: Moderate
Confidence: High
The film features an entirely Japanese cast, which is traditional and authentic to its cultural origin and historical setting. However, its narrative strongly critiques male ambition and the societal structures that lead to suffering, particularly for women, within its historical context.
Secondary
Family Values: Strongly Traditional
Confidence: High
The film strongly endorses traditional family values by portraying the tragic consequences of men abandoning their wives and children for personal ambition, while celebrating the wives' fidelity, dedication, and traditional domestic roles as the moral anchors of the family unit.
Buddhism: Positive
Confidence: High
Buddhism is portrayed as a source of spiritual protection and wisdom, with a priest effectively resolving supernatural threats and guiding characters towards peace and understanding of life's impermanence. The film's moral lessons align with Buddhist principles of detachment from worldly desires.
LGBTQ: N/A
Confidence: High
Ugetsu does not feature any identifiable LGBTQ+ characters or themes. The narrative centers on the heterosexual relationships and personal ambitions of its main characters within a historical setting, without exploring non-heteronormative identities or experiences.
Trans: N/A
Confidence: High
Ugetsu, a Japanese ghost story, does not feature any identifiable transsexual characters or explore themes related to gender identity or transition. The narrative centers on the male protagonists' pursuit of wealth and glory, and their wives' suffering, including encounters with a female ghost, but does not touch upon transgender experiences.
Female Combat: N/R
The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.
Gender Swap: No
Confidence: High
The film adapts characters from Ueda Akinari's "Ugetsu Monogatari." All major characters, including Genjuro, Miyagi, Tobei, Ohama, and Lady Wakasa, maintain the same genders as established in the original source material.
Race Swap: No
Confidence: High
The film is a Japanese period drama based on 18th-century Japanese tales, featuring an entirely Japanese cast portraying characters who are canonically and historically Japanese. No character's race was altered from its source material or historical context.
Hinduism: N/A
Confidence: High
Not depicted in the film.
Viewer Rating Breakdown
User Ratings
8.1
8.0
Critic Ratings
10.0
N/A
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