1964 - KWAIDAN, looking great on the big screen

Recently saw Kwaidan again at a revival theater in fairly decent shape on actual film.  It's a stunning film.

Amazingly enough one of the best stories, "The Woman of the Snow" was cut out of the film when it was first shown in the United States.

This was a very personal project for Masaki Kobayashi.  The director was so into this film he painted the sets himself.

The author of these very Japanese stories Lafcadio Hearn, was of Greek descent who lived in New Orleans but ended up in Japan as a newspaper correspondent.  He embraced Japanese culture big time.

183 minutes

1964 - KWAIDAN the high art of the Japanese film

The stills on this post just can't do justice to the unique photography, set design and overall look of this outstanding Japanese film.

Directed by Masaki Kobayashi, the film tells four ghost/horror stories based on a book from a Greek writer named Lafcadio Hearn who lived in New Orleans for a while and finally ended up in Japan. You would never know it had such a hybrid origin, this film is completely Japanese in it's mood.

All four of the stories are good, but the second and third stories are outstanding. "The Woman of the Snow" and "Hoichi the Earless" mix horror and eeriness with a wide screen film making technique that creates a unique visual experience.

 

Masaki Kobayashi had directed a ten hour 3 part series of films about the Japanese treatment of prisoners during World War II. Kobayashi also directed Harakiri a film extremely critical of the Japanese notion of samurai honor. Kwaidan appears to be a complete departure for him.

183 minutes.