Movies Like The Life of Oharu (1952)

The Life of Oharu is a 1952 drama film from Kenji Mizoguchi with a MovieMagicScore of 7.7/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Sansho the Bailiff and Throne of Blood.

Drama

Sansho the Bailiff

1954

In medieval Japan, a woman and her children journey to find the family's patriarch, who was exiled years earlier.

8.1

MagicScore

Throne of Blood

1957

Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.

7.9

MagicScore

Kagemusha

1980

Akira Kurosawa's lauded feudal epic presents the tale of a petty thief who is recruited to impersonate Shingen, an aging warlord, in order to avoid attacks by competing clans. When Shingen dies, his generals reluctantly agree to have the impostor take over as the powerful ruler. He soon begins to appreciate life as Shingen, but his commitment to the role is tested when he must lead his troops into battle against the forces of a rival warlord.

7.8

MagicScore

Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai

2011

A tale of revenge, honor and disgrace, centering on a poverty-stricken samurai who discovers the fate of his ronin son-in-law, setting in motion a tense showdown of vengeance against the house of a feudal lord.

7.2

MagicScore

The 47 Ronin

1941

In 1701, Lord Takuminokami Asano has a feud with Lord Kira and he tries to kill Kira in the corridors of the Shogun's palace. The Shogun sentences Lord Asano to commit suppuku and deprives the palace and lands from his clan, but does not punish Lord Kira. Lord Asano's vassals leave the land and his samurais become ronin and want to seek revenge against the dishonor of their Lord. But their leader Kuranosuke Oishi asks the Shogun to restore the Asano clan with his brother Daigaku Asano. One year later, the Shogun refuses his request and Oishi and forty-six ronin revenge their Lord.

6.9

MagicScore

Gigi

1958

A home, a motorcar, servants, the latest fashions: the most eligible and most finicky bachelor in Paris offers them all to Gigi. But she, who's gone from girlish gawkishness to cultured glamour before our eyes, yearns for that wonderful something money can't buy.

6.2

MagicScore

Moulin Rouge!

2001

A celebration of love and creative inspiration takes place in the infamous, gaudy and glamorous Parisian nightclub, at the cusp of the 20th century. A young poet, who is plunged into the heady world of Moulin Rouge, begins a passionate affair with the club's most notorious and beautiful star.

7.5

MagicScore

Lilya 4-ever

2002

In a struggling post-Soviet community, Lilya a teenage girl is abandoned when her mother moves to the United States with her boyfriend. Facing neglect and poverty, she meets Andrei, who offers her a job in Sweden, giving her hope for a better life — and a journey that will change everything.

7.6

MagicScore

Fences

2016

In 1950s Pittsburgh, a frustrated African-American father struggles with the constraints of poverty, racism, and his own inner demons as he tries to raise a family.

6.9

MagicScore

#10

Marketa Lazarová

1967

Mikolás and his brother Adam end up with a young German hostage of noble blood during a robbery. While their clan prepares for the wrath of the German king, Mikolás is sent to pressure his neighbor Lazar into a defense pact. Persuasion fails and he abducts Lazar's daughter Marketa on the eve of her initiation as a nun in an act of vengeance.

7.7

MagicScore

#11

Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha

1989

Chanthu, a poor orphan and Aromal are cousins and belong to the Chekavar clan, a warrior clan who hire themselves out as duellers to settle disputes among the rich and powerful. Aromal, jealous of the much more talented Chanthu, makes life miserable for him and Chanthu decides to leave and live with Aringodar, a rival chekavan, as his pupil. When the two sons of a local landlord have a property dispute and decide to hire Aromal and Aringodar to duel it out, Chanthu has to decide where his loyalty lies - with the family of the uncle who brought him up or with Aringodar who provided him with sanctuary.

6.9

MagicScore

#12

Little Dieter Needs to Fly

1997

Three decades after German-American pilot Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, he returns to the places where he was held prisoner during the early years of the Vietnam War. Accompanied by director Werner Herzog, Dengler describes in unusually candid detail his captivity, the friendships he made, and his daring escape. Not willing to stop there, Herzog even persuades his subject to re-enact certain tortures, with the help of some willing local villagers.

7.4

MagicScore

#13

Seeing Allred

2018

Gloria Allred overcame trauma and personal setbacks to become one of the nation’s most famous women’s rights attorneys. Now the feminist firebrand takes on two of the biggest adversaries of her career, Bill Cosby and Donald Trump, as sexual violence allegations grip the nation and keep her in the spotlight.

6.7

MagicScore

#14

A Hare Grows in Manhattan

1947

Bugs Bunny relates his early life in the Manhattan tenements and spotlights his encounter with a gang of canine toughs.

6.1

MagicScore

#15

Raise the Red Lantern

1991

In 1920s China, 19-year-old Songlian becomes a concubine of a powerful lord and is forced to compete with his three wives for the privileges gained.

7.9

MagicScore

#16

The Emperor and the Assassin

1998

In pre-unified China, the King of Qin sends his concubine to a rival kingdom to produce an assassin for a political plot, but as the king's cruelty mounts she finds her loyalty faltering.

7.0

MagicScore

#17

Empire of Lust

2015

In the turbulent Joseon dynasty, army commander Min-jae watches ambitious Prince Yi Bang-won while becoming entwined with Ga-hee, a vengeful gisaeng. Fate collides as power shifts.

6.9

MagicScore

#18

Princess Yang Kwei-fei

1955

In eighth century China, the Emperor is grieving over the death of his wife. The Yang family wants to provide the Emperor with a consort so that they may consolidate their influence over the court. General An Lushan finds a distant relative working in their kitchen whom they groom to present to the Emperor. The Emperor falls in love with her and she becomes the Princess Yang Kwei-fei. The Yangs are then appointed important ministers, though An Lushan is not given the court position he covets. The ministers misuse their power so much that there is a popular revolt against the Yangs, fueled by An Lushan.

6.7

MagicScore

#19

Flying Swords of Dragon Gate

2011

Three years after the infamous Dragon Inn was burnt down in the desert when its innkeeper Jade vanished. A new gang of marauders had taken over - innkeepers by day and treasure hunters by night. The inn is the rumoured location of a lost city buried under the desert, and its hidden treasure would only be revealed by a gigantic storm every 60 years. The gang used the inn as a front to locate the lost treasure.

6.2

MagicScore

#20

The Concubine

2012

Living a torturous life of poverty and barely able to survive, Hwa-yeon decides to offer herself as one of the king’s concubines. Once inside the royal palace, two men are immediately seized by the woman - the Grand Prince Seong-won, a megalomaniacal ruler drunk with power and lust, and Kwon-yoo, who has everything to lose if his desire for Hwa-yeon is exposed.

5.9

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like The Life of Oharu?

The top films similar to The Life of Oharu by MovieMagicScore are Sansho the Bailiff (8.1), Throne of Blood (7.9), Kagemusha (7.8). Each shares drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is The Life of Oharu worth watching?

The Life of Oharu holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.7/10 from 184 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is The Life of Oharu?

The Life of Oharu (1952) is a drama film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, starring Kinuyo Tanaka, Tsukie Matsuura, Ichirō Sugai.

Where can I find more recommendations like The Life of Oharu?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Sansho the Bailiff Movies like Throne of Blood Movies like Kagemusha Movies like Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai Movies like The 47 Ronin Movies like Gigi

About movies like The Life of Oharu

This ranked list pairs The Life of Oharu (1952), a drama film from Kenji Mizoguchi, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Kinuyo Tanaka take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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