Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi • 1939 • Japan

THE STORY OF THE LAST CHRYSANTHEMUM was the only movie made by the otherwise massively prolific Kenji Mizoguchi during the year 1939. It was also a fairly daring work to appear amid its repressive, militaristically conservative era, as its tale, of a generational conflict between a father and son over a marriage, even set "safely" in the 19th century, seemed to implicitly criticize aspects of contemporary Japanese society.