See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.

Ready to Buy?
all your music
Price: £13.08
In stock
13 used & new from £11.59
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Kwaidan [DVD] [1964] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images

Kwaidan [DVD] [1964] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

DVD ~ Rentaro Mikuni
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


9 new from £13.08 4 used from £11.59

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

Note: you may purchase only one copy of this product. New Region 1 DVDs are dispatched from the USA or Canada and you may be required to pay import duties and taxes on them (click here for details). Please expect a delivery time of 5-7 days.


Learn about Lovefilm
Amazon's choice for DVD rental.
With a 14 day FREE trial. Learn more

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Kwaidan - Masters of Cinema series [DVD] [1964]
64% buy
Kwaidan - Masters of Cinema series [DVD] [1964] 4.6 out of 5 stars (8)
£9.98
Kwaidan [DVD] [1964] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]
28% buy the item featured on this page:
Kwaidan [DVD] [1964] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] 4.0 out of 5 stars (2)
Onibaba [Masters of Cinema] [DVD]
8% buy
Onibaba [Masters of Cinema] [DVD] 4.4 out of 5 stars (5)
£14.48
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Actors: Rentaro Mikuni, Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe, Kenjiro Ishiyama, Ranko Akagi
  • Directors: Masaki Kobayashi
  • Writers: Lafcadio Hearn
  • Producers: Shigeru Wakatsuki
  • Format: Anamorphic, Colour, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Language English, Japanese
  • Subtitles: English
  • Region: Region 1 (US and Canada 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: 125 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00004W3HF
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 72,420 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

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

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Dark Water [2003] [DVD]

Dark Water [2003] [DVD]

DVD ~ Hitomi Kuroki
3.8 out of 5 stars (61)  £12.18
Ugetsu Monogatari [VHS] [1953]

Ugetsu Monogatari [VHS] [1953]

VHS ~ Masayuki Mori
5.0 out of 5 stars (1) 
Les Diaboliques [1954] [DVD]

Les Diaboliques [1954] [DVD]

DVD ~ Simone Signoret
4.8 out of 5 stars (10)  £19.59
Le Doulos [1963] [DVD]

Le Doulos [1963] [DVD]

DVD ~ Jean-Paul Belmondo
4.4 out of 5 stars (5) 
Tokyo Story [DVD] [1953] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Tokyo Story [DVD] [1953] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

DVD ~ Chishu Ryu
4.2 out of 5 stars (4) 
› Explore similar items

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
japanese film
criterion collection
japanese cinema
asian cinema
asian horror
asian film
masaki kobayashi
cult classic
criterion
classic movie
supernatural

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Work of Art, 16 May 2001
By Mr. Dylan T. Hayden - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Kwaidan [VHS] [1965] (VHS Tape)
This is quite simply one of the most exquisite films ever made, a marvel of aesthetic refinement in every way, and a unique work of art. There are not enough superlatives to describe the manifold wonders of Kwaidan: the fine acting, gorgeous sets, subtle direction, and especially the extraordinary musique concrete score by Takemitsu, all combined by the obsessive artistry of Kobayashi to realize a rare and beautiful cinematic vision. This film is beyond praise.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars love and romance in the Japanese after-life, 12 Nov 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Kwaidan [VHS] [1965] (VHS Tape)
The film tells the story of four tales drawn from Lafcadio Hearn's turn-of the century book of the same name (Kwaidan means "weird tales" and is a collection of Japanese and Chinese "fairy" tales). The result is a magnificient vision of death and the strange, often cruel but devoid of what could be called Gothic morbidity. One is taken into the fantastic world of the Japanese mediaeval period, or rather how an American of Irish-Greek descent, fleeing late XIXth Century modernism, saw it. The film itself has respected Hearn's delicate and sensual approach to ghosts and ghouls - which probably wasn't difficult since Hearn became more Japanese than the Japanese themselves. It shows that in some ways, ghosts and evil spirits are also human. To illustrate that last statement, I will refer the reader / viewer to the wonderful tale of the blind bhuddist novice told to play his biwa to an extraordinary audience. The build up is wilfully slow, the intention being always to suck in the audience, to amaze it rather than shock it. The sound tract, like the visuals is haunting and when this film came out on the big screen in the late sixties it received huge interest from people who at that time, already, thought that the world (as it was) was not enough...
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject























i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

The Body Shop

The Body Shop - Vitamin C Skin Boost
Protect and boost your glow with The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost.

›Shop The Body Shop

  

Let Olay Amaze You

Olay Total Effects Day Moisturiser SPF15 50ml
Amazon.co.uk sells all your favourite ranges from Olay, including Regenerist and Total Effects.

›Discover Olay at Amazon.co.uk

  

A Close Shave

Philips Nivea Coolskin HS8060 Moisturizing Rotary Shaving System
For all types of hair removal, stay smooth with Amazon.co.uk.

›Discover Shaving & Hair Removal

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates