In this magnificently eerie and romantic film — loosely based on the Japanese folktale The Cat’s Return — a mother and daughter-in-law (Nobuko Otowa & Kiwako Taichi) are raped and murdered by pillagers, but return from the dead as vampiric cat spirits intent on revenge. As the ghosts lure soldiers into the bamboo groves, a fearless samurai, Gintoki (Kichiemon Nakamura), is sent to stop their reign of terror… —Masters of Cinema
Japanese filmmaker/scriptwriter Kaneto Shindo’s most famous directorial efforts include The Island (1960), a nearly silent, but powerful glimpse at a lonely farmer’s daily toil, and Children of Hiroshima (1952), a wrenching and sentimental account of the city’s post-bomb aftermath. Shindo was born in Hiroshima and got his start in films as an art director during the late ’30s. Less than a decade later, he wrote his first screenplays and went on to work with a number of Japanese directors, including Kenji Mizoguchi and Kon Ichikawa. In 1950, Shindo was a co-founder of a production company. He made his directorial debut in 1951 with The Story of a Beloved Wife.
He was married to actress Nobuko Otowa (1925–1994), who appeared in several of his films. He won the 1996 Japan Academy Prize for Director of the Year for A Last Note.— allmovie guide
An atmospheric horror film, where shocks are minimal and melancholy holds sway. An almost cosy view of the Japan of yore, with snowy bamboo groves, secluded houses and beautiful women, perennially spotlit and dancing to the reveries of their lost lives. It's a film where the cat's purr has the final say, and it will never tell you its secret.
3 1/2. It lacks the brilliance, tension and ultimate satisfaction of "Onibaba" but is still an entertaining if somewhat shallow endeavour. I was overall let down by this film but still worth a look.
What a creative movie: powerful imagery, striking violence and blood thirsty antiheroes -Black Cats. A beautiful depiction of ghost life; cheap tricks go a long way when done right. Brilliant examples of movement. Colorful characters. A mystery into history. Superb editing and design. "Isn't there anyone willing to kill this monster?"
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Also: Kuroneko and Stagecoach (not that one).
Via his blog Cinemasparagus and two Twitter accounts (@evillights and @mastersofcinema), Craig Keller has been declaring Kentucker
Though they’ve already been plastered all over the internet, I’d be remiss if I didn’t pay attention to the four teaser posters for Darren
A hungry and disheveled band of feudal Japanese soldiers is disgorged by a dense forest. Soundlessly they advance upon a hut that is the home of a young woman named Shige and her mother-in-law, Yone… read review
