The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum (1939)
Zangiku monogatari (original title)Reference View | Change View
- Not Rated
- 2h 23min
- Drama, Romance
- 15 Jan 1979 (USA)
- Movie
The adopted son of a legendary actor, and an aspiring star himself, turns to his infant brother's wet nurse for support and affection - only for her to give up everything for her beloved's glory.
Director:
Writers:
Award:
- 1 win.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast
| Shôtarô Hanayagi | ... |
Kikunosuke Onoue
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Kôkichi Takada | ... |
Fukusuke Nakamura
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Ryôtarô Kawanami | ... |
Eiju Dayu
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Kinnosuke Takamatsu | ... |
Matsusuke Onoue
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Jun'nosuke Hayama | ... |
Kanya Morita
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Tamitaro Onoue | ... |
Tamizô Onoue
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Ichirô Yûki | ... |
Guest in waiting room
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Kômei Minami | ... |
Shintomi greenroom manager
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Jin'ichi Amano | ... |
Shintomi's onnagata
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Haruo Inoue | ... |
Actor
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Sumao Ishihara | ... |
Manager of the travelling company
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Kô Hirota | ... |
Greenroom manager of the travelling company
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Minpei Tomimoto | ... |
Guest in waiting room
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Eijirô Hose | ... |
Travelling actor
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Nobuko Fushimi | ... |
Eiryû, a geisha
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Kikuko Hanaoka | ... |
Onaka, a geisha
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Fujiko Shirakawa | ... |
Okiku, geisha
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Yoneko Mogami | ... |
Otsuru, Genshun's daughter
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Yoshie Nakagawa | ... |
Old maid at tea house
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Hisayo Nishi | ... |
Otoku's aunt
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Junko Kagami | ... |
Maid
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Hisano Yamato | ... |
Maid
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Haruko Tagawa | ... |
Nursing mother
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Atsuko Shibata | ... |
First geisha
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Fumiko Akimoto | ... |
Second geisha
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Mitsue Kuniharu | ... |
Third geisha
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Kimiko Shirotae | ... |
Onnazumô (female wrestler)
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Gonjurô Kawarazaki | ... |
Kikugorô Onoue the 5th
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| Kakuko Mori | ... |
Otoku
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| Yoshiaki Hanayagi | ... |
Tamijirô Onoue
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Benkei Shiganoya | ... |
Genshun, a masseur
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Haruko Yanagido | ... |
Teahouse's landlady
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Makoto Matsushita | ... |
Monkey trainer
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Akira Shima | ... |
Kakuza's manager
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Hideo Nakagawa | ... |
Otoku's uncle
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Kitada Hiroshi | ... |
Travelling actor
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Kiyoshi Makino | ... |
Enzaburô Jitsukawa
(as Kiyoshi Harumoto)
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Kazuyoshi Tachibana | ... |
Kikunosuke's apprentice
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Akio Isono | ... |
Young man
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Tokusaburô Arashi | ... |
Shikan Nakamura
(as Tokusaburo Arashi)
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Yôko Umemura | ... |
Osata
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Directed by
| Kenji Mizoguchi | ||
Written by
| Matsutarô Kawaguchi | ... | (screenplay) |
| Shôfû Muramatsu | ... | (author: novel) |
| Yoshikata Yoda | ... | (screenplay) |
Produced by
| Shintarô Shirai | ... | producer |
Music by
| Shirô Fukai | ||
| Senji Itô | ... | (uncredited) |
Cinematography by
| Yozô Fuji | ||
| Minoru Miki | ||
Editing by
| Koshi Kawahigashi | ||
Production Design by
| Hiroshi Mizutani | ||
Set Decoration by
| Dai Arakawa | ||
| Jôtarô Kikukawa | ||
Costume Design by
| Kisaburo Okumura | ||
Makeup Department
| Rikizo Inoue | ... | key hair stylist |
| Yoshiko Kimura | ... | hair stylist |
| Ishitarô Takagi | ... | key hair stylist |
| Seiji Yamaguchi | ... | makeup artist |
Production Management
| Shichirô Nishi | ... | production supervisor |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Taichirô Hanaoka | ... | assistant director |
| Tazuko Sakane | ... | assistant director (as Tatsuko Sakane) |
| Shôzô Tahara | ... | assistant director |
Art Department
| Nanboku Kema | ... | art researcher |
| Shôhachi Kimura | ... | art researcher |
| Shun Rokugô | ... | set designer |
| Taichi Shimizu | ... | set designer |
Sound Department
| Ryûichi Shikita | ... | sound |
| Fumizô Sugimoto | ... | sound recordist |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Katsutoshi Endô | ... | still photographer |
| Susumu Fujiwara | ... | camera operator |
| Matsujirô Nakajima | ... | gaffer |
| Yasukazu Shimizu | ... | camera operator |
| Matsuo Tajima | ... | camera operator |
| Yûji Takeshita | ... | camera operator |
Music Department
| Shôjurô Kineya | ... | musician: shamisen |
| Tamezô Mochizuki | ... | music performer: utamono |
| Senpachi Sakada | ... | music performer: nagauta music |
| Bunkei Tokiwazu | ... | music performer: tokiwazu |
| Bunnosuke Tokiwazu | ... | music performer: tokiwazu |
| Enjirô Toyozawa | ... | music performer: joruri |
Additional Crew
| Don Brown | ... | english subtitle translation |
| Atsushi Mochizuki | ... | titles |
| Kikuzô Otowa | ... | choreographer |
| Seikichi Terakado | ... | historical researcher |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Carlotta Films (2015) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Cinegate (1981) (United Kingdom) (theatrical) (subtitled)
- Artificial Eye (2012) (United Kingdom) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
- Films Inc. (1979) (United States) (subtitled)
- Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (1997) (United States) (video) (English subtitles)
- Leopardo Filmes (2017) (Portugal)
- The Criterion Collection (2016) (United States) (DVD)
- trigon-film (2012) (Germany)
- trigon-film (2012) (Switzerland) (DVD) (special edition)
- trigon-film (2012) (Switzerland)
Special Effects
Other Companies
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
In Tokyo in 1888, Kikunosuke Onoue, the adoptive son of an important actor, discovers that he is praised for his acting only because he is his father's heir, and that the troupe complains how bad he is behind his back. The only person to talk to him honestly about his acting is Otoku, the wet-nurse of his adoptive father's child. She is fired by the family, and Kikunosuke is forbidden to see her, because of the gossip a relationship with a servant would cause. Kikunosuke falls in love with Otoku, and leaves home to try to make a living on his own merits outside Tokyo. He is eventually joined by Otoku, who encourages him to become a famous actor to regain the recognition of his family. Written by Will Gilbert |
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Did You Know?
| Trivia | This film is said by critics and scholars to epitomize the "one scene = one long shot" aesthetic of director Kenji Mizoguchi. In fact, there are many scenes that have no internal cuts, and the entire film contains almost no close-ups. See more » |
| Goofs | Otoku is a wet nurse but there is no mention of her having had a child (or having been pregnant). See more » |
| Movie Connections | Referenced in Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director (1975). See more » |
| Quotes |
Kikunosuke Onoue:
I've never been as happy as I was the other night. People always flatter me to my face, then happily ridicule me behind my back. You're the first to speak to me with real warmth and sincerity. Otoku: To hear that it pleased you so makes me so very happy. Kikunosuke Onoue: Those geisha and other women make a fuss over me only because I'm Kikugoro's son. They couldn't care less about my acting. If I gave up my place as Kikugoro's heir, nobody would give a damn about me. I've been so lonely. When you spoke to me the way you did, for the first time in my life I felt a happiness that touched me deeply. It was like climbing a mountain pass on a hot summer's day and drinking from a cold stream. See more » |