{"id":5032,"date":"2008-01-21T12:08:42","date_gmt":"2008-01-21T19:08:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5032"},"modified":"2021-01-20T01:50:36","modified_gmt":"2021-01-20T08:50:36","slug":"kwaidan-1964","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5032","title":{"rendered":"Kwaidan (1964)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I saw very clearly the weird woman who killed old Mosaku; I&#8217;ve never seen in my life a woman as beautiful and white as her &#8212; except you.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/Kwaidan-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/Kwaidan-Poster-196x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-28603\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/Kwaidan-Poster-196x300.jpg 196w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/Kwaidan-Poster-83x128.jpg 83w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/Kwaidan-Poster.jpg 494w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nFour Japanese ghost stories &#8212; &#8220;Black Hair&#8221;, &#8220;The Woman in the Snow&#8221;, &#8220;Hoichi the Earless&#8221;, and &#8220;In a Cup of Tea&#8221; &#8212; showcase the importance of loyalty, honor, and fidelity.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Episodic Films<\/li>\n<li>Fantasy<\/li>\n<li>Ghosts<\/li>\n<li>Japanese Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nThis most unusual Japanese horror import &#8212; directed by former art student Masaki Kobayashi, and based on a quartet of stories by Greek expatriate Lafcadio Hearn &#8212; is an unabashed aesthetic treat. Featuring other-worldly set designs and highly stylized, color-drenched cinematography, it immediately evokes a fable-like sensibility, transporting viewers to an alternate fairy-tale universe where morals are everything and one false step can result in eternal tragedy. To that end, the &#8220;horror&#8221; element of <em>Kwaidan<\/em> is systemic rather than explicit: while there <em>is<\/em> some violence &#8212; one character has his ears sliced off in retribution &#8212; it&#8217;s never gratuitous. Ghosts appear as a matter of course, showing up simply to remind characters that the past is still very much alive, and that spirits are inevitably a part of current existence. <\/p>\n<p>Like most omnibus collections, certain stories in <em>Kwaidan<\/em> (the title translates roughly into &#8220;ghost story&#8221;) emerge as more successful than others. The first two episodes &#8212; &#8220;Black Hair&#8221; and &#8220;The Woman in the Snow&#8221; &#8212; are the shortest and most unassuming of the quartet, telling simple yet profound tales of husbands who in one way or another fail to live up to their marital duties; it&#8217;s especially gratifying to see the familiar face of Japanese cinema icon Tatsuya Nakadai in the latter. &#8220;Hoichi the Earless&#8221; is the most flamboyant and central tale of the film, spanning literally centuries: it opens with a stunningly stylized recreation of a samurai battle, then shifts to the impact the battle&#8217;s forlorn ghosts have upon a well-meaning priest (Katsuo Nakamura) whose life is put in danger &#8212; despite his best intentions &#8212; simply by &#8220;knowing&#8221; them; Nakamura&#8217;s likable, authentic performance buoys this rather depressing fable. The final episode in the film &#8212; &#8220;In a Cup of Tea&#8221; &#8212; remains just as visually evocative as the others, but ultimately fails to engage on any deeper level. Taken together, however, <em>Kwaidan<\/em> provides a most unusual viewing experience, one which any film fanatic truly interested in witnessing the diversity of expression international cinema has to offer can&#8217;t really afford to miss. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tatsuya Nakadai as the rescued man in &#8220;The Woman in the Snow&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/kwaidan-nakadai.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/kwaidan-nakadai.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5035\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Katsuo Nakamura as Hoichi<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/kwaidan-hoichi.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/kwaidan-hoichi.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5034\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The freaky denouement of &#8220;Black Hair&#8221; &#8212; reminiscent of Mizoguchi&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=110\"><em>Ugetsu<\/em> (1953)<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/kwaidan-denoument.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/kwaidan-denoument.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5033\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The opening samurai battle in &#8220;Hoichi the Earless&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/kwaidan-samurai.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/kwaidan-samurai.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5036\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Truly stunning stylized set designs<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/kwaidan-set1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/kwaidan-set1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5037\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Yoshio Miyajima&#8217;s other-worldly cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/kwaidan-cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/kwaidan-cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5038\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Countless memorable images<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/kwaidan-imagery.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/12\/kwaidan-imagery.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5039\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a most unusual foreign gem. Listed as a film with Historical Importance in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Foreign Gem<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0058279\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1965\/11\/23\/archives\/screen-kwaidan-a-trio-of-subtle-horror-talesfine-arts-theater-has.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tcm.com\/thismonth\/article\/?cid=145455&#038;rss=mrqe\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I saw very clearly the weird woman who killed old Mosaku; I&#8217;ve never seen in my life a woman as beautiful and white as her &#8212; except you.&#8221; Synopsis: Four Japanese ghost stories &#8212; &#8220;Black Hair&#8221;, &#8220;The Woman in the Snow&#8221;, &#8220;Hoichi the Earless&#8221;, and &#8220;In a Cup of Tea&#8221; &#8212; showcase the importance of loyalty, honor, and fidelity. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Episodic Films Fantasy Ghosts Japanese Films Review: This most unusual Japanese horror import &#8212; directed by&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5032\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5032"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5032\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64647,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5032\/revisions\/64647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}