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Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 9786302969795 Format: Color, Letterboxed, NTSC ISBN: 6302969794 Label: Homevision Languages: Manufacturer: Homevision Number Of Items: 2 Publisher: Homevision Release Date: June 13, 2000 Running Time: 164 minutes Studio: Homevision Theatrical Release Date: November 22, 1965 Editorial Review: Amazon.com: A masterpiece of filmmaking artifice and mood-setting atmosphere, Kwaidan consists of four ghost stories adapted from the fiction of Greek-born Lafcadio Hearn (a.k.a. Yakumo Koizumi, 1850-1904), who assimilated into Japanese culture so thoroughly that his writings reveal no evidence of Western influence. So it is that these four cinematic interpretations--perhaps more accurately described as tales of spectral visitation--are sublimely Japanese in tone and texture, created entirely in a studio with frequently stunning results. There are painterly images here that remain the most beautiful and haunting in all of Japanese cinema, presented with the purity of silent film, sparsely accompanied by post-synchronized sounds and music (by Toru Takemitsu) that enhance the otherworldly effect of director Masaki Kobayashi's meticulous imagery. When viewed in a receptive frame of mind, Kwaidan can be intensely hypnotic. Each of the four stories find their protagonists confronted by spirits that compel them to (respectively) make amends for past mistakes, maintain vows of silence, satisfy the yearnings of the undead, or capture phantoms that remain frightfully elusive. As each tale progresses, their supernatural elements grow increasingly intense and distant from the confines of reality. With careful use of glorious color and wide-screen composition, Kwaidan exists in a netherworld that is both real and imagined, its characters never quite sure they can trust what they've seen and heard. Vastly different from the more overt shocks of Western horror, the film casts a supernatural spell that remains timelessly effective. --Jeff Shannon Description: Kwaidan is an engrossing masterpiece of four nightmarish tales in which terror thrives and demons lurk. Throughout each tale, director Masaki Kobayashi's handsomely conceived imagery conveys a sensual quality that immerses the viewer deep in the spiritual world. Combining visually stunning effects with beautiful use of color, Kobayashi has created a supernatural experience beyond the imagination. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Would Be Five Stars Except For The Last StoryI watched this film on TCM weeks ago and its is still with me. There are four stories of the supernatural featured in the film, and the final tale doesn't come across as complete as the first three (apparently the fourth tale was left out of the film for the American theatrical release in the Sixties). The story pictured on the cover is absolutely brilliant. The sets, the mood, the sound design... This and IKIRU are perhaps my favorite all time Japanese titles. Rating:  - Not a film student? You will still love this movie!This movie is best described as a Japanese Twilight Zone - but it is so much more. It is not a "horror" movie. It is a painting rendered on film. I am no art house film buff. I'm just an average joe who has started watching lots of Japanese movies. I didn't know what to expect when I first saw this film - but it slowly grew on me. It was so beautiful, and rich in sound and color. It is like a waking dream. Something about this film keeps haunting me. If you have any interest in Japanese ... Read More Rating: - Immerse yourself in this haunting beautyYou know, it's sad. Horror films, actually any genre of films, just don't come close to this anymore. They pale in comparison with the surreal tone, the haunting atmosphere, the elaborate and eerie set designs, the hypnotic sound effects. These four ghost stories don't try to bludgeon your senses with graphic violence. Instead they pull you in with their vivid imagery. They entrance you, they invite you to become so deeply involved with their spellbinding fashion. Submerge yourself in ... Read More Rating: - A Meticulously Crafted Masterpiece that will Endure in the Annals of Japanese cinema....Horror or otherwise!When one thinks of Japanese horror in the U.S., there seems to be one stereo type that abound to most recent films. Ever wonder how the older, Japanese horror classics played out? Masaki Kobayashi's KWAIDAN (1965) gets the Criterion treatment and rightfully so; the film is a masterpiece in Japanese film-making. Black and White horror films that preceded it such as "The Innocents" and "The Uninvited" speculates and teases with the premise of the existence of ghosts, "Kwaidan", however, meets the spirit ... Read More Rating: - Japanese Traditional Performing Arts Skillfully EvidentWhile the film is superb to most viewers, a person with knowledge of the Japanese traditional performing arts would enjoy an even greater appreciation of it. I was astonished to see how skillfully the centuries-old theatrical and musical forms of Bunraku/Gagaku, Noh, Kabuki, and Bunraku were integrated into this production. Please let me share those with you. As a graduate student and research assistant in the Asian traditional performing arts at the Univ. of Hawaii, which has a superb ... Read More |
