The Crucified Lovers (Chikamatsu monogatari)

As part of BFI’s LOVE season, the Japan Foundation will co-present two screenings of Kenji Mizoguchi’s tragic tale of a forbidden love affair The Crucified Lovers (Chikamatsu monogatari). Based on a 17th-century play by Chikamatsu Monzaemon, the film tells the story of a young wife wrongly accused of committing adultery with her husband’s top apprentice, in an era when the punishment for adultery was crucifixion. Mizoguchi’s portrayal of the lovers’ dilemma lead famed Akira Kurosawa to describe the film as “a great masterpiece that could only have been made by Mizoguchi.”

The screenings of The Crucified Lovers will take place on 2 December 2015 (8:40pm) and 6 December 2015 (4:00pm)