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Kwaidan [1964] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD ~ Rentaro Mikuni

(2 customer reviews)

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17 used & new available from �11.60

Region 1 encoding (requires a North American or multi-region DVD player and NTSC compatible TV. More about DVD formats.)

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Product details

Actors: Rentaro Mikuni, Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe, Tatsuya Nakadai, Keiko Kishi
Directors: Masaki Kobayashi
Format: Anamorphic, Colour, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Language English, Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region: Region 1 (US and Canada This DVD will probably NOT be viewable in other countries. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number of discs: 1
Classification: Unrated (US MPAA rating. See details.)
Studio: Criterion
DVD Release Date: 10 Oct 2000
Run Time: 161 minutes

Average Customer Review:

(2 customer reviews)

DVD Features:
ASIN: B00004W3HF
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 42,555 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

(Studios: Improve Your Sales)

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Lafcadio Hearn, the Greek-Irish-American author turned Japanese citizen, was one of the most singular writers of the 19th century, and from his collection of traditional Japanese ghost stories the director Masaki Kobayashi fashioned one of the most eerily beautiful films ever made. Kwaidan was Kobayashi's first film in colour; spurning realism and aiming for "the ultimate in stylised film method", he shot the whole movie inside a huge disused hangar, painting all the sets himself. The film comprises four stories: in "Black Hair" a man returns to seek the wife he abandoned; "The Woman of the Snows" is a chilly, beautiful spirit who preys on lone travellers; "Hoichi the Earless" tells of a young monk compelled each night by ghostly warriors to recount the saga of a famous sea battle (when he tries to evade them, they exact a horrible revenge); and the luckless protagonist of "In a Cup of Tea" discovers someone's soul grinning at him out of his beverage. Each story sustains its own distinct mood, but all four share an unsettling, dreamlike sense of otherworldliness. To enhance the overall weirdness, Kobayashi worked closely with the composer Toru Takemitsu to create an offbeat score, rejecting conventional instruments in favour of sonic effects such as wood being split and pebbles being struck together. There has never been another ghost film quite like this. --Philip Kemp