Kwaidan (film)
Kwaidan | |||||
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |||||
Japanese name | |||||
Kanji | 怪談 | ||||
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Directed by | Masaki Kobayashi | ||||
Screenplay by | Yoko Mizuki[1] | ||||
Based on | Stories and Studies of Strange Things by Lafcadio Hearn | ||||
Produced by | Shigeru Wakatsuki[1] | ||||
Starring | |||||
Cinematography | Toru Takemitsu[1] | ||||
Production company | Ninjin Club[1] | ||||
Distributed by | Toho | ||||
Release date |
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Running time | 182 minutes[1] | ||||
Country | Japan | ||||
Language | Japanese | ||||
Budget | ¥320 million[2][3] | ||||
Box office | ¥225 million[4] |
Kwaidan (
Plot
"The Black Hair"
"The Black Hair" (黒髪, Kurokami) is adapted from "The Reconciliation" and "The Corpse Rider", which appeared in Hearn's collection Shadowings (1900).
An impoverished swordsman in Kyoto divorces his wife, a weaver, and leaves her for a woman of a wealthy family to attain greater social status. However, despite his new wealthy status, the swordsman's second marriage proves to be unhappy. His new wife is shown to be callous and selfish. The swordsman regrets leaving his more devoted and patient ex-wife.
The second wife is furious when she realizes that the swordsman not only married her to obtain her family's wealth, but also still longs for his old life in Kyoto with his ex-wife. When he is told to go into the chambers to reconcile with her, the swordsman refuses, stating his intent to return home and reconcile with his ex-wife. He points out his foolish behavior and poverty as the reasons why he reacted the way he did. The swordsman informs his lady-in-waiting to tell his second wife that their marriage is over and she can return to her parents in shame.
After a few years, the swordsman returns to find his home, and his wife, largely unchanged. He reconciles with his ex-wife, who refuses to let him punish himself. She mentions that Kyoto has "changed" and that they only have "a moment" together, but does not elaborate further. She assures him that she understood that he only left her in order to bring income to their home. The two happily exchange wonderful stories about the past and the future until the swordsman falls asleep. He wakes up the following day only to discover that he had been sleeping next to his ex-wife's rotted corpse. Rapidly aging, he stumbles through the house, finding that it actually is in ruins and overgrown with weeds. He manages to escape, only to be attacked by his ex-wife's black hair.
"The Woman of the Snow"
"The Woman of the Snow" (雪女, Yukionna) is an adaptation from Hearn's Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things (1903).
Two woodcutters named Minokichi and Mosaku take refuge in a boatman's hut during a snowstorm. Mosaku is killed by a yuki-onna. When the yuki-onna turns to Minokichi she remarks that he is a handsome boy and takes pity by sparing him because of his youth. The yuki-onna warns him to never mention what happened or she will kill him.
Minokichi returns home and never mentions that night. One day while cutting wood he comes across Yuki, a beautiful young woman travelling at sunset. She tells him that she is on her way to Edo, as she lost her family and has relatives there who can secure her a job as a lady-in-waiting. Minokichi offers to let her spend the night at his house with his mother. The mother takes a liking to Yuki and asks her to stay. She never leaves for Edo and Minokichi falls in love with her. The two marry and have children, living happily. The older women in the town are in awe over Yuki maintaining her youth even after having three children.
One night, Minokichi gives Yuki a set of sandals he has made. When she asks why he always gives her red ribbons on her sandals, he tells her of her youthful appearance. Yuki accepts the sandals and tries them on. She is stitching a kimono in the candlelight. In the light, Minokichi recalls the yuki-onna and sees a resemblance between them. He tells her about the strange encounter. It is then that Yuki reveals herself to be the yuki-onna, and a snowstorm comes over the home. Despite the fact he broke his word, she refrains from killing him because of their children. Yuki then leaves Minokichi with the children, warning him to treat them well or she will return and kill him. She disappears into the snowstorm, leaving Minokichi heartbroken. Minokichi places her sandals outside in the snow, and after he goes back inside, they disappear as Yuki accepts them.
"Hoichi the Earless"
"Hoichi the Earless" (耳無し芳一の話, Miminashi Hōichi no Hanashi) is also adapted from Hearn's Kwaidan (though it incorporates aspects of The Tale of the Heike that are mentioned, but never translated, in Hearn's book).[citation needed]
Hoichi is a young blind musician who plays the
The priest tell Hoichi he is in great danger and that this was a vast illusion from the spirit of the dead. They tell Hoichi that if he obeys them again they will tear him to pieces. Concerned for Hoichi's safety, a priest and his acolyte write the text of the Heart Sutra on his entire body including his face to make him invisible to the ghosts and instruct him to meditate. The samurai re-appears and calls out for Hoichi. Hoichi does not answer. Hoichi's ears are visible to the samurai as they forgot to write the text on his ears. The samurai, wanting to bring back as much of Hoichi as possible, rips his ears off to show his lord his commands have been obeyed.
The next morning, the priest and the attendants see a trail of blood leading from the temple. The priest and the acolyte realize their error and believe the ears were a trade for Hoichi's life. They believe the spirits will now leave him alone. A local lord arrives at the temple with a full retinue. They have heard the story of Hoichi the earless and wish to hear him play his biwa. Hoichi is brought before the lord and says he will play to console the sorrowful spirits. The narrator indicates that many wealthy nobles came to the temple with large gifts of money, and Hoichi became a wealthy person.
"In a Cup of Tea"
"In a Cup of Tea" (茶碗の中, Chawan no Naka) is adapted from Hearn's Kottō: Being Japanese Curios, with Sundry Cobwebs (1902).
Anticipating a visit from his publisher, a writer relates an old tale of an attendant of Lord Nakagawa Sadono named Sekinai. While Lord Nakagawa is on his way to make a New Year's visit, he halts with his train at a tea-house in Hakusan. While the party is resting there, Sekinai sees the face of a strange man in a cup of tea. Despite being perturbed, he drinks the cup.
Later, while Sekinai is guarding his Lord, the man whose face appeared in the tea reappears, calling himself Heinai Shikibu. Sekinai runs to tell the other attendants, but they laugh and tell him he is seeing things. Later that night at his own residence, Sekinai is visited by three ghostly attendants of Heinai Shikibu. He duels them and is nearly defeated, but the author notes the tale ends before things are resolved and suggests that he could write a complete ending, but prefers to leave the ending to the reader's imagination.
The publisher soon arrives and asks the Madame for the author, who is nowhere to be found. They both flee the scene in terror when they discover the author trapped inside a large jar of water.
Cast
Kurokami
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Yuki-Onna
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Miminashi Hōichi no Hanashi
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Chawan no naka
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Production
While he was a student, producer Shigeru Wakatsuki, founder, and CEO of Ninjin Club, converted the idea of a film adaptation of Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things.[7] In 1964, Toho began a three-film deal with director Masaki Kobayashi that concluded with the production Kwaidan.[8] Kobayashi worked with composer Takemitsu Toru for six months to produce the film's score.[9] The film exhausted its budget three quarters into production, which led Kobayashi to sell his house.[9]
Release
Kwaidan premiered at the Yūrakuza Theater, the most prestigious theater in central Tokyo on December 29, 1964.
Reception
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2015) |
In Japan,
In a 1967 review, the
In his review of
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Kwaidan holds an approval rating of 91%, based on 46 reviews, and an average rating of 7.9/10. Its consensus reads: "Exquisitely designed and fastidiously ornate, Masaki Kobayashi's ambitious anthology operates less as a frightening example of horror and more as a meditative tribute to Japanese folklore."[18]
See also
- List of ghost films
- List of Japanese films of 1964
- List of Japanese submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of submissions to the 38th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- Hoichi the Earless
References
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Galbraith IV 2008, p. 217.
- ^ Imamura 1987, p. 314.
- ^ Motoyama et al. 2012, p. 91.
- ^ Kinema Junpo 2012, p. 210.
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: Kwaidan". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
- ^ "The 38th Academy Awards (1966) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2011-11-06.
- ^ Motoyama et al. 2012, p. 93.
- ^ Galbraith IV 2008, p. 451.
- ^ a b c Kemp 2020, p. 133.
- ^ Motoyama et al. 2012, p. 90.
- ^ Galbraith IV 2008, p. 218.
- ^ Galbraith IV 2008, p. 332.
- ^ Galbraith IV 2008, p. 215.
- ^ Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 34, no. 396. London: British Film Institute. pp. 135–136.
- New York Times. Archived from the originalon June 9, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
- ^ Galbraith IV 1994, p. 100.
- ^ "Honor, morality, and ritual suicide". November 16, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
- ^ "KAIDAN (KWAIDAN) (GHOST STORIES) (1964) - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.com. Flixster. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
Sources
- ISBN 0-89950-853-7.
- Galbraith IV, Stuart (2008). The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-1461673743.
- ISBN 978-4000102568.
- Kemp, Phillip (2020). "Kwaidan". Sight & Sound. Vol. 30, no. 6.
- "Kinema Junpo Best Ten 85th Complete History 1924-2011". ISBN 9784873767550.
- Motoyama, Sho; Matsunomoto, Kazuhiro; Asai, Kazuyasu; Suzuki, Nobutaka; Kato, Masashi (September 28, 2012). Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works (in Japanese). villagebooks. ISBN 978-4864910132.
External links
- Kwaidan at IMDb
- Kwaidan at AllMovie
- Kwaidan at the TCM Movie Database
- Kwaidan at Rotten Tomatoes
- "怪談 (Kaidan)" (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- Kwaidan: No Way Out an essay by Criterion Collection