In November 2021, The Criterion Collection debuted their first 4K UHD edition — that of Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane. Since then, they’ve released and re-released 4K UHD editions of titles new and old in an effort to continually meet consumer interest. This occurred with the move from VHS to Laserdisc and then DVD and Blu-ray, and continues on as more physical media enthusiasts shift toward 4K UHD as the premium physical media home viewing experience. Joining the 4K UHD section of Criterion is director Kenji Mizoguchi’s (The Life of Oharu) 1953 fantasy drama Ugetsu monogatari (雨月物語), known simply as Ugetsu in the U.S., which first joined Criterion as a DVD in 2005 and now, some 20 years later, is re-released as a 4K UHD Blu-ray Combo edition, complete with prior supplemental materials.
L-R: Masayuki Mori as Genjuro, Ichisaburo Sawamura as Genichi, and Kinuyo Tanaka as Miyagi in UGETSU. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
As a war wages around them, pottery maker Genjuro and his brother-in-law Tobei (Masayuki Mori and Sakae Ozawa, respectively) are more concerned with glory than keeping their own families safe. Genjuro wants to make pottery that he can sell at the market in a neighboring town while Tobei longs to become a samurai. Both proclaim that they want to do these things so that they can improve their stations and those of their spouses, but, when opportunity strikes, their narrow perspectives create a horrifying ripple effect from which neither may be able to recover.
As this is a 4K UHD re-release, we’re going to start with this element before diving into anything else.
In doing research for this home release, it seems that there was a 4K digital print shown during the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, but it’s unclear if the version on this home edition is based on the same materials. What can be confirmed comes from the included booklet which states that the on-disc presentation was supervised by Masahiro Miyajima and Martin Scorsese, the 4K digital restoration was made by Cineric Inc. using a 35 mm fine-grain positive and 35 mm duplicate negative, and the original monoaural soundtrack was remastered from a 35 mm optical soundtrack print. So even if the two remasters are not connected, one at least knows how this 4K restoration was created. There’s more information in the booklet, but, for now, rest assured that the work is clearly documented and, most importantly, is clear on screen. Thanks to a refinement of detail via the 4K UHD treatment, home viewers are offered more than strict black-and-white with important shades of grey which help outline an item’s pronounced finery (important to the Genjuro storyline) and generally make the narrative world more authentic and anchored in reality, despite the narrative’s turns toward the supernatural. Likewise, the audio track is clean and clear of obvious aging such as pops and distortion. This is a spotless restoration that will impress viewers, regardless of whether they are new to the story or not.
L-R: Sakae Ozawa as Tobei,
Masayuki Mori as Genjuro, Kinuyo Tanaka as Miyagi, Ichisaburo Sawamura as Genichi, and Mitsuko Mito as Ohama in UGETSU. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
Backing up this particular aspect is a fairly strong bitrate throughout the film. Keeping in mind that Blu-rays max out around 40 Mbps and 4K UHDs max out around 128 Mbps, the bulk of Ugetsu hovers between the upper 70s – mid 80s Mbps. In the beginning of the film, it would touch the 90s, but the bulk is in the aforementioned range with dips into the 40s – 50s during nighttime or dark sequences. Sometimes a film can look great, even with a low bitrate (ex. Sonic the Hedgehog 3), but that tends to be the exception, not the rule. Credit to Criterion for putting all of the bonus features on the Blu-ray (as seems their habit with the re-releases) as this affords the most space on the 4K UHD disc for the film, thereby reducing unnecessary data compression that can impact the on-disc presentation. Admittedly, a film like Ugetsu doesn’t *need* to be presented in 4K UHD, but the mission of boutiques like Criterion is to support film and filmmakers by providing the best possible iteration of the film and to make it accessible. So while a more fiscally responsible individual can still enjoy the resonating message of Ugetsu on standard definition DVD or high-definition Blu-ray, the version offered by the 4K UHD is the current ultimate U.S. edition of the film.
In terms of supplemental materials, nothing appears to be changed from the prior edition to now. It includes Kaneto Shindo’s 1975 documentary Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director; three interviews (two from 2005; one from 1992); and the booklet containing Phillip Lopate’s essay “Ugetsu: From the Other Shore,” three short stories that inspired the film, and all the release information. Even the style of the packaging appears to be in the same, just with an adjustment made to accommodate two discs in the case.
L-R: Masayuki Mori as Genjuro and Machiko Kyo as Lady Wakasai in UGETSU. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
Ugetsu is the epitome of “harbinger.” On nearly every step of the way, Genjuro and Tobei are cautioned against their natures. Their wives warn them, the elder of their village expresses concern, the arrival of soldiers who threaten their safety appear as forerunner, and they meet someone while crossing a river toward the town to sell their wares who lost everything to pirates. Even as the two insist that their respective dreams (money and position) are about improving the lives of their families, all their families want is for the men to put aside their greed (for that’s what it is) and just exist. Because they refuse to do so, because they keep pushing farther, tragedy befalls Genjuro’s wife Miyagi (Kinuyo Tanaka) and Tobei’s wife Ohama (Mitsuko Mito). Both instances are things that could’ve been avoided if the men had listened to any of the warnings, if they had just stayed together, there was a chance that they could’ve remained whole. It doesn’t even matter that Genjuro, unlike Tobei, is entranced by a specter and unable to break the spell without help, thereby creating a small window for him to be even slightly less guilty than Tobei who is purely selfish in his pursuit of samurai glory, even to the point of stolen valor. Glory, gold, station — these are ephemeral things that matter less in the scope of time than the love of a devoted family and the ways in which true pleasures bring about happiness. Tanaka conveys such joy when Miyagi works a mechanism that spins the pottery Genjuro’s building, the delight of working alongside her husband being all she needs; not new fabrics, not a better home, just this. She doesn’t require a mansion, servants, or elaborate living, just Genjuro and their son Genichi (Ichisaburo Sawamura). Thus, when the monkey’s paw curls, the tragedy we observe creates an ache for all the ways in which it could’ve been avoided if only Genjuro had opened his eyes to what is instead of what he envisioned things to be. Considering the age of always-on, always-connected digital communication that we live in, there’s a belief that one must be seen in order to be real and being seen must be shuffled through a myriad of filters before clicking publish, the message from 1953 remains a poignant one.
Ultimately, picking up this edition comes down to a few things: do you already own it? Does 4K UHD make a difference to you? Does the cost make a purchase prohibitive? How urgent is the need? If you don’t already own it, the film, even on a blind buy, is worth the time spent. It takes a little time to warm up, but it is hard to look away from it once it gets going. The presentation of the 4K UHD disc impresses and affords audiences who may be reluctant to view anything not from this century a reason to get beyond their own unfortunate predisposition; however, the full retail cost is $50, making the purchase a hard one to justify given the rising cost of things, even if it’s a two-disc set with copious supplemental materials. If your need to get this isn’t urgent, wait. At the time of this writing (April 12th), there appears to be a sale going on that’s reduced the price from $50 to $40, yet it may be worth waiting for one of the several 50% off sales either on the site or through Barnes & Noble to pick this up closer to $25. Exploring unseen stories from different eras and cultures is important, but it’s ok to wait until it’s more affordable. Given all the possible options, that last one is what this reviewer would recommend, if only because you can pick this up and something else for the price of one. Make your money work for you for as long as you can; being a cinephile is expensive and it doesn’t appear like it’s going to get any cheaper.
Ugetsu 4K UHD Special Features:
- 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- Audio commentary by critic, filmmaker, and festival programmer Tony Rayns
- Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director, a 1975 documentary by Kaneto Shindo
- Two Worlds Intertwined, a 2005 appreciation of Ugetsu by Masahiro Shinoda
- Process and Production, a 2005 interview with Tokuzo Tanaka, first assistant director on Ugetsu
- Interview from 1992 with cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa
- Trailers
- PLUS: An essay by film critic Phillip Lopate and three short stories that inspired the film
- Cover by Michael Boland
Available on 4K UHD Blu-ray April 1st, 2025.
For more information, head to the official The Criterion Collection Ugetsu webpage.
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Categories: Home Release, Recommendation
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