when paintings are brought into the phsysical realm.
kwaidan is an exceptional anthology and while i would say its latter stories are the weakest, they aren't bad.
the sets, lighting, colors, extra's, costumes and etc are all top notch to sell that surreal and unnerving atmosphere. it plays with sound which reminded me somewhat of how kiyoshi kurosawa would play with sound in his horror stories.
the performances are all stellar, the film is like a storybook with paintings, each story dug up from the past and each documenting the torment of individual souls.
(watch my feature film https://boxd.it/cQ1mBp )
Kwaidan
In the tradition of "RASHOMON" and "GATE OF HELL."
Rating
4.0 (1)
Release Date
1/6/1965Runtime
183 minsOverview
Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning "ghost story," this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai marries for money with tragic results. A man stranded in a blizzard is saved by Yuki the Snow Maiden, but his rescue comes at a cost. Blind musician Hoichi is forced to perform for an audience of ghosts. An author relates the story of a samurai who sees another warrior's reflection in his teacup.
Status
ReleasedOriginal Language
JapaneseBudget
-Revenue
-Homepage
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How It Feels
Read from this film's synopsis, keywords and credits, and used to work out what it sits beside.
A mesmerizing descent into four haunting Japanese folk tales where beauty and terror are inseparable, rendered in stunningly composed tableaux that feel both timeless and disturbingly intimate. Each story lingers with the weight of a curse.
Mood
MelancholicUnsettlingDread-soakedContemplativeWistful
Themes
LoveMortalityObsessionMemoryIsolation
Tone
Earnest
Pacing
Meditative
Look
FormalistPainterlyHigh-contrast
Structure
Anthology
Michiyo Aratama
First Wife (segment "The Black Hair")
Rentaro Mikuni
Husband (segment "The Black Hair")
Misako Watanabe
Second Wife (segment "The Black Hair")
Kenjirō Ishiyama
Father (segment "The Black Hair")
Ranko Akagi
Mother (segment "The Black Hair")
Fumie Kitahara
(segment "The Black Hair")
Kappei Matsumoto
(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)
Yoshiko Ieda
(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)
Otome Tsukimiya
(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)
Kenzō Tanaka
(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)
Kiyoshi Nakano
(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)
Tatsuya Nakadai
Minokichi (segment "The Woman of the Snow")
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