Raizô Ichikawa is Prince Hikaru in director Kazuo Mori's version of Lady Murasaki's novel. It is, unsurprisingly, a seminal novel. Search for the title on the IMDb and you get a baker's dozen version, from 1923 through a 2013 mini-series.
It's the second movie version I've looked at -- the other is the 1951 version --- and there are differences in the handling. This one has more mysticism, and while Hikaru remains the central character, this movie is less about him and more about the devastating effect he has on the women he loves and who love him. Except for Hanayo Sumi as his mother and Lady Fujitsubo, they all seduce him. They all also end poorly, dying in childbirth or forced to abandon their daughters and become nuns, until only Murasaki is left when Hikaru rides off into the fields, asking her to wait for him.
In general, works are admired when people can argue over what they mean, and many versions to different end can be produced from the same story. HAMLET's meaning can vary over the map, along with Hamlet's character. In the end, we are not examining what the text means. We are examining the text to see ourselves.
It's the second movie version I've looked at -- the other is the 1951 version --- and there are differences in the handling. This one has more mysticism, and while Hikaru remains the central character, this movie is less about him and more about the devastating effect he has on the women he loves and who love him. Except for Hanayo Sumi as his mother and Lady Fujitsubo, they all seduce him. They all also end poorly, dying in childbirth or forced to abandon their daughters and become nuns, until only Murasaki is left when Hikaru rides off into the fields, asking her to wait for him.
In general, works are admired when people can argue over what they mean, and many versions to different end can be produced from the same story. HAMLET's meaning can vary over the map, along with Hamlet's character. In the end, we are not examining what the text means. We are examining the text to see ourselves.
