Shot 1: (Sound of running water/waterfall) There is a fence made of wooden posts, approximately ten feet tall enclosing a dirt yard with few leaves from the forested area beyond. The fence has a doorframe-esque opening in the center of the shot, although no actual door is present. Coming from the right and off-camera, we see a middle aged woman walking with some pace towards the doorframe-esque opening of the fence. She is wearing sandals and a dark gray robe, only her back is showing. Her dark hair is in a short ponytail and she appears to have some interest in something off-camera to the left of the frame, although it is unclear what.
Shot 2: (Continued sound of water/waterfall) The middle aged woman walks through the doorframe-eque opening in the fence before slowing her pace, taking a few steps towards the right of the frame and eventually comes to a stop. The look of concern towards whatever is off-camera to the the left of the frame is evident as she cranes her neck and body towards that direction. When she stops, she clearly appears centered in the doorframe-esque opening in the middle of the shot.
Shot 4: (Continued sound of water/waterfall, string-like music, then eerie female voice singing “Isn’t life torture” and “Anju, how I long for you!” ) The younger woman turns around so that she is now looking back towards the right of the frame. She is visible through a gap in the trees and her image is slightly obscured by leaves, but there appears to be a somber look upon her face. Her hands drop down to her side as she squares her body towards the right of the frame. She pauses momentarily before bringing her hands together at chest height, as if she were praying. She bows from the neck and lowers her head towards the ground, with her eyes facing downward. After a brief moment she appears to pick something up from the ground or adjust the foot of her robe. She then turns and walks away from the camera into the misty backdrop. It is now clear that she is walking into a still body of water, as made evident by the ripples that form when she walks in.
Shot 5: (Continued sound of water/waterfall, eerie woman continues to sing “Anju, how I long for you!” and “Isn’t life torture?”) Closer, yet mid ranged shot of the younger woman walking into the still water. It is now clear that her robe has bold stripes and that her sleeves are rolled. Thin strands of dark hair fall alongside her head, obscuring her ears. As she takes each slow step, she creates ripples that surround her feet/legs/lower body. She is framed by bamboo leaves on the left and the branches of a dead shrub on her right. She appears to be walking down a steep slope, as the water level quickly rises in relation to her robe, making the robe wet and wrinkling it. She continues walking into the water, with her hands by her side until she is approximately waist deep.
Shot 6: (eerie woman continues to sing/chant progressively louder, accompanied by a harp or other stringed instrument) Closer, yet mid ranged shot of the older woman in the center of the frame in a forested area. Her robe appears course and of a burlap material, with a simple light-colored sash around her waist. She is framed perfectly on both sides by the doorframe-esque opening that she had previously walked through. The woman is facing down-left of the frame with her hands closed in prayer. After a moment, she collapses to her knees with with clear emotion. Her hands begin to shake and she bows her head deeper towards the ground, with her back arching more than before. As time progresses, her head and body begin to shake with emotion as well. This highly emotional response may be accompanied by some crying but the shadows across her face and general body position obscure her eyes.
Shot 7: (eerie woman continues to sing/chant, accompanied by harp or other stringed instrument and sound of running water/waterfall) Cut to shot of rippling body of water, although there is no longer a young woman or any bamboo leaves. There is a circular pattern of rippling that is moderately framed by two dead shrubs at the top center of the frame. There is a clear surge of bubbles in the center of the rippling for some time. Eventually, this surge is no longer present and the ripples become progressively less concentrated and begin spread out evenly over the body of water, returning it to relative stillness although some residual ripples remain.
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General Response: To me, this was easily the most emotionally gripping scene from any film that we have discussed even when compared to other similarly emotion packed scenes in Sansho the Bailiff. Mizoguchi’s mastery of the long take was clearly evident here, as there were only a few shots used to convey a very pivotal turning point in the film, which I chose break down even further based upon the action that occurs on screen. In terms of specific film elements, I felt that the framing of Namiji and Anju by the fence and the foliage respectively, contributed largely to the focus of each shot on it’s character. The distance at which these characters were depicted also seemed to be correlated with the level of emotion that they were experiencing. Additionally, the motionlessness of the camera served to cement the audience in their defined role as spectators during this emotional roller coaster ride of a scene, as we sat powerless to stop the tragedy that unfolded before us.
In terms of soundscape, this entire segment of film has no dialogue by either of the characters, so the role of a few distinct sounds were heavily utilized to construct a very subdued scene. The contrasting sounds of the ambient waterfall and Tamaki’s eerie, lamenting lyrics/melody assumed various roles throughout the scene. At first, we were calmed by the gentle sound of water as we saw Namiji’s haste and Anju’s apparent contemplative walk in the forest. It is only when we heard Tamaki’s song and as she began to walk out into the water, that we fully began to realize the severity of Anju’s hopelessness and depression. The sound of water is no longer soothing but foreboding, as we become increasingly aware that it will soon be Anju’s doom. We witness Namiji’s distress, but are just as powerless to save Anju as she is. When the camera cuts back to the water, we no longer see Anju and the momentary ripples in the water are accompanied by Tamaki’s lament for her daughter, whom she will ever long for. All of this is a lot to process, but after some moments we come to understand that Anju committed suicide in order to ensure that she wouldn’t be tortured to disclose her brother’s whereabouts. We pity her and her family’s situation and simultaneously understand the decision that she made. We are left wondering whether there could possibly be some other way, and desperately hope that this family which we have come to sympathize with could be joyously reunited after decades apart. However this is not the case, and we are left further contemplating the repercussions of this beautiful yet tragic scene. I'm curious as to how others felt this scene contributed to the film, and whether their own interpretations are aligned with mine.
