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
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?"
While Onibaba is more of a psychological drama with a horror touch, this is a full horror story with dramatic touches. It lives up to it's reputation, horror and human drama done right.
things i thought/felt: unique, interesting, at times exciting cinematography/visuals; complexly entertaining facial expressions; novel/inventive plot
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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
