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Kwaidan [Blu-ray]
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Genre | Horror |
Format | Blu-ray |
Contributor | Michiyo Aratama, Rentaro Mikuni, Tatsuya Nakadai, Masaki Kobayashi |
Language | Japanese |
Runtime | 3 hours and 3 minutes |
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Product Description
After more than a decade of sober political dramas and social-minded period pieces, the great Japanese director Masaki Kobayashi (The Human Condition) shifted gears dramatically for this rapturously stylized quartet of ghost stories. Featuring colorfully surreal sets and luminous cinematography, these haunting tales of demonic comeuppance and spiritual trials, adapted from writer Lafcadio Hearn’s collections of Japanese folklore, are existentially frightening and meticulously crafted. This version of Kwaidan is the original three-hour cut, never before released in the United States. BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES • New 2K digital restoration of director Masaki Kobayashi’s original cut, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack • Audio commentary by film historian Stephen Prince • Interview from 1993 with Kobayashi, conducted by filmmaker Masahiro Shinoda • New interview with assistant director Kiyoshi Ogasawara • New piece about author Lafcadio Hearn, on whose versions of Japanese folk tales Kwaidan is based • Trailers • New English subtitle translation • PLUS: An essay by critic Geoffrey O’Brien
Product details
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
- Product Dimensions : 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 3.2 ounces
- Item model number : 2540
- Director : Masaki Kobayashi
- Media Format : Blu-ray
- Run time : 3 hours and 3 minutes
- Release date : October 20, 2015
- Actors : Rentaro Mikuni, Michiyo Aratama, Tatsuya Nakadai
- Subtitles: : English
- Studio : Criterion Collection (Direct)
- ASIN : B011SDC1PY
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 1
- Best Sellers Rank: #7,244 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #421 in Horror (Movies & TV)
- Customer Reviews:
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Top reviews from the United States
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INCREDIBLE.
As Geoffrey O’Brien points out in the thoughtful essay included with the DVD, the four stories feature promises broken, deliberately or otherwise, and the dangers of interaction between the natural and supernatural worlds. In the first story, “The Black Hair,” a selfish samurai deserts his painfully patient first wife, then finds, after a long absence, that going home again is not as easy as he had hoped. The young woodcutter in the second story, “The Woman of the Snow,” more understandably forgets a promise he made long ago in what seemed like a dream—but with equally disastrous results. In “Hoichi the Earless,” the blind young musician-monk Hoichi does not willingly stop entertaining a court of long-dead nobles with his bardic account of the battle in which they all perished; he is more or less forced to do so by the older monks who are trying to protect him, but he is nonetheless the one who suffers when their protection proves not quite good enough. The final tale, “In a Cup of Tea,” is a suitably mystifying story-within-a-story that, in a sense, breaks a promise to its viewers in that it has no ending.
This Criterion recording, a 2015 Blu-Ray reissue of Masaki Kobayashi’s 1965 film, is beautiful throughout, as they usually are, though it is a little grainy at times on a large TV screen. Its dialogue is in Japanese, with English subtitles. I recommend it highly to all lovers of the beautiful, the magical, and the surreal, portrayed with grace and style.
*Favorite stories out the four:
1) "The Black Hair" [husband leaves wife for a wealthier woman...the new marriage is unhappy...years go by...husband leaves the second wife and heads back to the previous wife...upon his return...
2) "The Woman of the Snow" [young lumberjack together with his master gets trapped in a snow storm in the middle of a forest...the two find
a hut to wait-out the blizzard...a young woman dressed in white appears and kills the master...she lets the young man live, but asks him to keep a secret about what has occurred or else he too will be killed, to-which he agrees...the young man gets back to his home where quickly recovers from sickness and soon meets a young and pretty lady he marries...the couple have children...years go by...
Worth mentioning is also the music...it is creepy at times and very oriental.
If you like the literature by Edgar Allan Poe, The Grim Brothers, and Christian Andersen this film should blow you away.
The film very much reminded of such cult films as: Gone With the Wind (1939), The Saragossa Manuscript (1965) and Ran (1985).
Top reviews from other countries
In its first adventure, the Black Hair tale, a ruined Kyoto Samurai abandons his wife to become employee of another lord in a distant province, marrying a rich and selfish woman by opportunism. And as he constantly imagines himself returning to his former love, he eventually does such a thing. But it does not go like how he imagined it. For Snow Princess, a woodsman encounters during a blizzard the snow princess. And when she spares his life, she makes him swear to not reveal to anybody what has happened. Promise that we wonder if he will respect it or not. In Oichi the Earless, a blind Buddhist Priest named Oichi catches the attention of the Heike clan spirits who are amazed by his Biwa music skills. So they invite him every night to their cemetery, telling him to sing for them. Though they never Reveal who they really are nor where he is performing as they make him think he is playing inside a mansion. And when his friends catch the situation, it is up to them to liberate Oichi from his curses. Finally with Inside a Cup of Tea, the writer and narrator of these stories recount another one in progress. A Samurai who, by drinking with a haunted tea cup, catches the attention of a ghost spirit who haunts him persistently. So as a film, Kwaidan presents a collection of folk tales that dive us into the popular legends of Japan. Mixing in historical elements such as the Heike and Genji clans, but also original events with figures like the Kyoto Samurai and his wives. With legends like the Snow Princess and Oichi the Earless I discovered in other books. For Snow Princess, in a Clamp Manga; with Oichi, within a folktale volume I read years later. So it was nice to see them rendered in a film production. With poetic narration that used impressive studio sets and live locations. And in the studio sets, though it was evident that the backdrops were large panelled paintings, it gave the scenes a surreal atmosphere and reinforced the out-of-this-world aspect of Kwaidan. As it is a display of people meddling with paranormal forces. Either deliberately or not. And experiencing the consequences of such adventures.
In its direction, the film shows theatricality in its set designs and in its direction. Indeed, the camera follows the actors in their trials and emotions; in many wide angle shots as the actors interact with each other. Doing skillful camera technique skills alongside Japanese theatre; such as Oichi performing with his Biwa the Heike Legend and one reenactment of that saga at the start of the third story. Mixing in historical paintings of the event and actors performing the scene. Allowing many worldwide audiences to discover various forms of Japanese art inn this story. Including through this film amazing Japanese horror storytelling.
For yes, Kwaidan, in each of its stories, presents superb elements of horror cinema. In the Black Hair story, it uses sound effects such as creaking wood and string soundtracks to influence its frights. And instead of showing jump scares at every turn, Masaki Kobayashi keeps tension through the entire story, until its explosive climax where the sound is at times in conflict with what is on screen. Becomes unbearable and terrifies its audience. Reminding to us that the ghost forces in Kwaidan are not friendly, but dangerous and deadly. With Snow Princess, the large eyes painted in the background display how spirits and spectres spy on us, and can detect who is good or evil, and that if they wish it, they can spread their curse unto the land and anybody. As for Oichi the earless, the spectres are more like vampires that parasite the young man’s life, but also tragic figures caught in their history and posterity. So as much as I praise the priesthood’s attempt to free their comrade, I can’t help having empathy for the spirits. Which is also what Oichi feels at the end of the story. Ending I won’t reveal of course, but which is memorable. For the final story, its most frightening aspects are its open-ending and the film’s epilogue. Both interconnected. In an event that gave me incredible goosebumps the first time I saw it and which I never forgot. Making me wonder what or who was that we just saw. And it is wonderful as it can spark up much discussion about that final scene, but also the whole film.
Which deserves to be seen by new generations as they are impressed by its story and horror visuals that still hold up today.
And for that I thank distributors like Masters of Cinema and Criterion who have released their Blu-Ray edition of Kwaidan. Which presents an HD edition of the film, but also its original 3 hours cut. With scenes abscent in the North American release. Such as a different ending for the Black Hair story. Which I find even more frightening for the Samurai who left his wife. But regarding its Criterion release, I did notice that the image quality of the HD edition might be a bit blurry or not as clean as other HD releases they offer. Which I think is due to the age of the film stock. And on a big screen, that bluriness is more evident as you can see it in some shots, alongside other grainy elements.
Nevertheless, the film remains very watchable and its bonuses are delightful as they make us discover the production situation of this film, such as its expensive budget and its short filming schedule. And with the chance to see the film in its original cut, North American audiences and worldwide ones as well can appreciate the beauty of Kwaidan.
A film that shows how the best horror films are those that present their frights subtly rather through easy and lazy jump scares.
Un viaggio nel puro fantasy, così fiammeggiante, così pittorico, così visivamente avvolgente (che gioia per gli occhi quei fondali dipinti con gli occhi che si stampano nel cielo disegnato e fissano i protagonisti ne La donna della neve, che bellezza la natura morta e la casa diroccata nella foresta nei pressi di Kyoto ne I capelli neri, che sbalorditiva e visionaria che e la battaglia navale ne Hoichi senza orecchie, con il mare che si fà rosso sangue, che mi ha ricordato certo cinema di Kurosawa, che rigore formale e che inquietudine che ha Una tazza di tè, con quel finale terrifico-il vaso-quasi metacinematografico e così avanti con i tempi)
In certi passaggi pare girato ieri e non ha perso smalto in tutti questi 50 anni, che sembrava così fuori dal tempo e dallo spazio, senza un epoca precisa, ancora emozionante e avvolgente, stilisticamente dalle parti del capolavoro.
Le ragazzine maledette lungocrinite vengono tutte da I capelli neri, spudoratamente e scelleratamente Michael McDowell copierà da La donna della neve il segmento del gargoyle nell'omnibus I Delitti del Gatto Nero (che fù il mio episodio preferito di quel film), facendone un vile (non credo citi la fonte di Kwaidan) remake, anche se con finale più crudele di quello di Kobayashi, Peter Greenaway studierà a memoria Hoichi senza orecchie, mentre Una tazza di tè segnerà quasi tutto l'horror a venire sul tema "finzione/realtà" e certi temi cari a Stephen King
Forse agli occhi dello spettatore di oggi può sembrare un pò ingenuo e datato, ma Kwaidan e pura gioia per lo spirito, gli occhi e l'encefalo. Una dimensione fiabesca e fantastica ormai perduta nel tempo
Come sempre di grande qualità il dvd edito dalla Raro: Audio originale giapponese in formato dual mono 2.0 con sottotitoli in italiano, video 2.35:1 (16:9) e due extra:
- Trailer originale
- Presentazione/intervista a Daniela Raddi, studiosa di Cinema Giapponese. Durata effettiva: 2h,55m e 42s