Rotten
The first episode builds an effective mood through its elliptical action and long, slow tracks through empty rooms, but this 1965 film soon levels off into academic stylization.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Kwaidan
In the tradition of "RASHOMON" and "GATE OF HELL."
1965 · 3h 3m · Not Rated
Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Directed by
Masaki Kobayashi
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Kwaidan
Overview
Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning "ghost story," this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai marries for money with tragic results. A man stranded in a blizzard is saved by Yuki the Snow Maiden, but his rescue comes at a cost. Blind musician Hoichi is forced to perform for an audience of ghosts. An author relates the story of a samurai who sees another warrior's reflection in his teacup.
Director and cast
- Masaki Kobayashi Director
- Michiyo Aratama as First wife (segment "Kurokami")
- Misako Watanabe as Second Wife (segment "Kurokami")
- Rentaro Mikuni as Husband (segment "The Black Hair")
- Kenjirō Ishiyama as Father (segment "Kurokami")
- Ranko Akagi as Mother (segment "Kurokami")
- Fumie Kitahara Cast
- Kappei Matsumoto Cast
- Yoshiko Ieda Cast
- Otome Tsukimiya Cast
- Kenzō Tanaka Cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
91%
Tomatometer
Fresh
Couple these sound effects and voices with some remarkable pictorial images and the consequence is a horror picture with an extraordinarily delicate and sensuous quality.
Bosley Crowther, New York Times
Fresh
It is a compendium of four ghost stories adapted from Lafcadio Hearn, so determinedly aesthetic in their design and style that horror frissons hardly get a look in. Very beautiful, though.
Time Out
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