Although Kenji Mizoguchi is widely regarded as one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema, screenings of his movies are rare. He made more than 80 films; yet less than half of these survive, and fewer than ten are readily available in the United States. In the early 1990s, critic David Thomson worried about the fate of Mizoguchi's work, writing "this is a greatness that could one day soon be lost. By 2010, will it be possible to see these films on the screen they deserve?" So now, in 2014, Moving Image is pleased to present the most extensive Mizoguchi retrospective and the first New York retrospective in nearly 20 years. Here is a once-in-a-generation chance to experience such acknowledged masterpieces as Ugetsu, Sansho the Bailiff, The Life of Oharu, Sisters of the Gion, Street of Shame, and Utamaro and His Five Women, along with such rare films that will be revelations to new viewers, including Miss Oyu, A Woman of Rumor, Portrait of Madame Yuki, and My Love Has Been Burning.

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