Playing like the tortured precursor to Masahiro Shinoda’s similarly tragic tale of stymied romance with 1969’s Double Suicide is the great Kenji Mizoguchi’s late period masterwork A Story of Chikamatsu (which is also known by the much more befitting title The Crucified Lovers). So, it’s no surprise to learn they’re based on works from the same author, playwright Monzaemon Chikamatsu, often credited as the “Japanese Shakespeare.” Social and political injustices trail a pair of doomed lovers brought together in a rather fateful turn of events, their simmering desires only unleashed into full bloom as they become fugitives in the crosshairs of both the Edo period’s crushingly conservative law enforcement and the selfishness of a cuckolded businessman whose extermination of his apprentice is the only way to save his social reputation.…...
- 12/11/2018
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.