Jigoku
Japan
1960
101 Min
Color
2.35:1
Japanese
Synopsis
Shocking, outrageous, and poetic, Jigoku (Hell, a.k.a. The Sinners of Hell) is the most innovative creation from Nobuo Nakagawa, the father of the Japanese horror film. After a young theology student flees a hit-and-run accident, he is plagued by both his own guilt-ridden conscience and a mysterious, diabolical doppelganger. But all possible escape routes lead straight to hell— literally. In the gloriously gory final third of the film, Nakagawa offers up his vision of the underworld in a tour de force of torture and degradation. A striking departure from traditional Japanese ghost stories, Jigoku, with its truly eye-popping (and -gouging) imagery, created aftershocks that are still reverberating in contemporary world horror cinema. —The Criterion Collection
Director
Nobuo Nakagawa
Nobuo Nakagawa (18 April 1905 — June 17, 1984) was a Japanese film director, most famous for the stylized, folk tale-influenced horror films he made in the 1950s and 1960s. Nakagawa began his film career as an apprentice to Masahiro Makino in 1934 and made his directorial debut with Itahachi Jima (1938). To Western audiences, his most famous film is Jigoku (1960), which he also co-wrote. The film was released on DVD by the Criterion Collection in 2006. His last film was 1982’s Kaiidan: Ikiteiru Koheiji. —Wikipedia
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Zachary George Najarian-Najafi
18Mar12
The problem with Jigoku lies with its lack of narrative thrust. Japanese cinema of this era was divided so artistically and culturally that many films were hit and miss-there was not much of a middle ground. While the last third of Jigoku is visually stunning, and I love the depiction of the Buddhist hell, it was not very frightening because I did not care about the characters, nor was I given any reason to do so.
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Articles
Our roundup of essays and articles on this film.
The Forgotten: The English Assassin Assassinated
By David Cairns on January 22, 2009
"It's much easier to run a hospital with all the patients sleeping." “Easiest way to run the world, for that matter.” The Final Programme
REVIEW OF THE CRITERION COLLECTIONS JIGOKU
By Twitchfilm.com on May 17, 2011
I have a huge pile of Halloween type titles I’m reviewing at present- ain’t life good! But the problem with writing about what you love in bulk is finding time to say everything you want. I’m sure this
REVIEW OF THE CRITERION COLLECTIONS JIGOKU
By Twitchfilm.net on July 16, 2010
I have a huge pile of Halloween type titles I’m reviewing at present- ain’t life good! But the problem with writing about what you love in bulk is finding time to say everything you want. I’m sure this
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Has anyone had problems playing the disc ?
4 posts by 4 people
about 1 year ago
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