Masahiro Shinoda’s 1969 screen adaptation of Chikamatsu Monzaemon’s 1721 puppet play “The Love Suicides at Amijima” is a heavily stylized melodrama set in 18th-century Japan. As a director associated with the Japanese New Wave, Shinoda introduces some experimental touches to the film but for the most part “Double Suicide” is a relatively faithful adaptation of the classic source material.
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Married paper mill owner Jihei (Kichiemon Nakamura) is madly in love with the beautiful courtesan Koharu (Shima Iwashita) and has promised to free her from her contract with the brothel she is forced to work at. However, he lacks the financial means to do so and in their desperation, the two decide to commit suicide together. Their lives are further complicated when Jihei’s brother, Magoemon (Yusuke Takita), shows up at Koharu’s brothel disguised as a samurai and learns of her and Jihei’s plans.
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Married paper mill owner Jihei (Kichiemon Nakamura) is madly in love with the beautiful courtesan Koharu (Shima Iwashita) and has promised to free her from her contract with the brothel she is forced to work at. However, he lacks the financial means to do so and in their desperation, the two decide to commit suicide together. Their lives are further complicated when Jihei’s brother, Magoemon (Yusuke Takita), shows up at Koharu’s brothel disguised as a samurai and learns of her and Jihei’s plans.
- 4/19/2022
- by Fred Barrett
- AsianMoviePulse
Among the most notable exports of Japanese horror films to the world at large is the onyro, involving tales of malicious ghosts and spirits interacting with the human world. The influence can still be felt to this day with ghost stories including everything from “Ringu”, “Ju-On”, “Dark Water” and many more similar such films not just from Japan but around the world, most of which trace their inspiration to classic efforts including this one from revered director Kaneto Shindo.
Traveling to a remote village, Raiko Minamoto (Kei Sato) and his samurai gang find Yone (Nobuko Otowa) and her daughter Shigei, (Kiwako Taichi) alone in the village, then rape and murder both of them before setting fire to their home and continuing on. When a black cat arrives at the scene afterward, the other members of the samurai group, out on their own traveling the land by themselves,...
Traveling to a remote village, Raiko Minamoto (Kei Sato) and his samurai gang find Yone (Nobuko Otowa) and her daughter Shigei, (Kiwako Taichi) alone in the village, then rape and murder both of them before setting fire to their home and continuing on. When a black cat arrives at the scene afterward, the other members of the samurai group, out on their own traveling the land by themselves,...
- 10/31/2019
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
Hey, let me start off here by welcoming my friends who followed me on my Criterion Reflections blog and are sticking around to carry on my chronological exploration of the Criterion Collection. Reading my stuff here on Criterion Cast is probably not that big of a jump for most of you, since I’ve been writing for this site since 2010, but this post does mark a significant transition for me. I appreciate the positive comments that have been sent my way in various formats since I came to the end of that particular rope a couple weeks ago. But enough about that then! I’m eager to share my thoughts on Kuroneko, a beautifully creepy and hauntingly mesmerizing film from 1968 directed by Kaneto Shindo.
David’s quick take for the tl;dr media consumer:
Impressive, atmospheric Japanese ghost story that employs stark minimalist set design, poised performances in the Noh tradition and brisk,...
David’s quick take for the tl;dr media consumer:
Impressive, atmospheric Japanese ghost story that employs stark minimalist set design, poised performances in the Noh tradition and brisk,...
- 3/15/2016
- by David Blakeslee
- CriterionCast
Snow on the Blades
“Zakurozaka no adauchi”
Written by Jirô Asada (short story)
Directed by Setsurô Wakamatsu
Japan, 2014
For the devout, honor can become a prison. Snow on the Blades is director Setsurô Wakamatsu’s romantic rumination on one samurai’s futile devotion to the code that society left behind. Though too heavy-handed in its thematic approach, the memorable characters and breathtaking imagery draw you in and refuse to let you go. This is a samurai movie less concerned about the swordplay than the men holding the swords.
The year is 1860 in Hikone, Japan, and the samurai Kingo (Kiichi Nakai) is revered amongst men. He has just taken the beautiful Setsu (Ryôko Hirosue) to be his bride. His prideful mother and father delight over his ascension to chief protector of the Shogun’s First Minister, Ii Naosuke (Kichiemon Nakamura). All of his friends, including his closest confidante, Shinnosuke (Masahiro Takashima), consider him above reproach.
“Zakurozaka no adauchi”
Written by Jirô Asada (short story)
Directed by Setsurô Wakamatsu
Japan, 2014
For the devout, honor can become a prison. Snow on the Blades is director Setsurô Wakamatsu’s romantic rumination on one samurai’s futile devotion to the code that society left behind. Though too heavy-handed in its thematic approach, the memorable characters and breathtaking imagery draw you in and refuse to let you go. This is a samurai movie less concerned about the swordplay than the men holding the swords.
The year is 1860 in Hikone, Japan, and the samurai Kingo (Kiichi Nakai) is revered amongst men. He has just taken the beautiful Setsu (Ryôko Hirosue) to be his bride. His prideful mother and father delight over his ascension to chief protector of the Shogun’s First Minister, Ii Naosuke (Kichiemon Nakamura). All of his friends, including his closest confidante, Shinnosuke (Masahiro Takashima), consider him above reproach.
- 5/19/2015
- by J.R. Kinnard
- SoundOnSight
★★★★☆ The latest welcome addition to the Masters of Cinema's growing Kaneto Shindô catalogue, the cult Japanese director's 1968 film Kuroneko (Yabu no naka no kuroneko) feels like the near-perfect partner piece to his demonic earlier effort, Onibaba. Celebrating both pictures' atmospheric, effortlessly sensual and often terrifying feudal Japan-set ghostly narratives, the restoration and ongoing preservation of these two mini masterworks has rightly helped the late Shindô to earn the kind of acclaim and reverence previously reserved for iconic figureheads such as Akira Kurosawa and Yasujirō Ozu.
Loosely based on the Japanese folktale The Cat's Return, Kuroneko begins with the brutal rape and murder of a poverty-stricken mother and daughter-in-law (Nobuko Otowa and Kiwako Taichi) at the cruel hands of a pillaging band of low-life samurai. Brought back from the dead as vengeful, vampiric cat spirits, the unholy duo take it upon themselves to prey on wayward soldiers trespassing across their accursed place of rest.
Loosely based on the Japanese folktale The Cat's Return, Kuroneko begins with the brutal rape and murder of a poverty-stricken mother and daughter-in-law (Nobuko Otowa and Kiwako Taichi) at the cruel hands of a pillaging band of low-life samurai. Brought back from the dead as vengeful, vampiric cat spirits, the unholy duo take it upon themselves to prey on wayward soldiers trespassing across their accursed place of rest.
- 7/2/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Kurneko
Blu-ray | DVD
Directed by Kaneto Shindo
Written by Kaneto Shindo
Starring Kichiemon Nakamura, Nobuko Otowa, Kiwako Taichi
The Criterion Collection
Release Date: October 18, 2011
You can feel it in the air. The weather is changing, leaves are falling, and costumes are about to be brought out, as Halloween is just a day away. And while the majority of people will be going to the well for their cinematic slices of terror, Criterion, in their inescapable wisdom, has decided to not only follow up last year’s great release of the cult horror masterpiece Hausu with yet another cult horror offering, but hell, even cats are involved with this sucker.
Kuroneko is the name of this atmospheric gem, and it comes to us from the mind of Japanese auteur Kaneto Shindo. Best known for his fellow Criterion staple, the hauntingly devastating Onibaba, Kurnoeko (Black Cat) is equally as meditative and brooding,...
Blu-ray | DVD
Directed by Kaneto Shindo
Written by Kaneto Shindo
Starring Kichiemon Nakamura, Nobuko Otowa, Kiwako Taichi
The Criterion Collection
Release Date: October 18, 2011
You can feel it in the air. The weather is changing, leaves are falling, and costumes are about to be brought out, as Halloween is just a day away. And while the majority of people will be going to the well for their cinematic slices of terror, Criterion, in their inescapable wisdom, has decided to not only follow up last year’s great release of the cult horror masterpiece Hausu with yet another cult horror offering, but hell, even cats are involved with this sucker.
Kuroneko is the name of this atmospheric gem, and it comes to us from the mind of Japanese auteur Kaneto Shindo. Best known for his fellow Criterion staple, the hauntingly devastating Onibaba, Kurnoeko (Black Cat) is equally as meditative and brooding,...
- 10/30/2011
- by Cinemumra
- Geeks of Doom
Chicago – Halloween just isn’t the same without an Onryō. Thanks to America’s tireless remakes of Japanese horror films, the materialization of Onryōs in pop culture has become as much of a seasonal tradition as witches and goblins. They’re often characterized by long black hair, white robes, bodily contortions, tragic backstories and an unquenchable thirst for vengeance beyond the grave.
In short, Onryōs unnervingly embody the old adage that “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…even a dead one.” It’s easy to see how spine-tingling modern classics like “Ringu” and “Ju-on: The Grudge” followed in the ghostly footsteps of Kaneto Shindô’s overlooked 1968 masterwork, “Kuroneko” (“Black Cat”). Though the film is more hypnotic than scary, it still manages to creep under the skin as it spins a tale of real emotional and erotic power.
Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
As in Shindô’s better-known 1964 classic, “Onibaba,” this film...
In short, Onryōs unnervingly embody the old adage that “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…even a dead one.” It’s easy to see how spine-tingling modern classics like “Ringu” and “Ju-on: The Grudge” followed in the ghostly footsteps of Kaneto Shindô’s overlooked 1968 masterwork, “Kuroneko” (“Black Cat”). Though the film is more hypnotic than scary, it still manages to creep under the skin as it spins a tale of real emotional and erotic power.
Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
As in Shindô’s better-known 1964 classic, “Onibaba,” this film...
- 10/25/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Rank the week of October 18th’s Blu-ray and DVD new releases against the best films of all-time: New Releases Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
(Blu-ray & DVD | PG13 | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #1487
Win Percentage: 47%
Times Ranked: 8433
Top-20 Rankings: 50
Directed By: Rob Marshall
Starring: Johnny Depp • Penélope Cruz • Ian McShane • Kevin McNally • Geoffrey Rush
Genres: Action • Adventure • Costume Adventure • Fantasy • Sea Adventure • Swashbuckler
Rank This Movie
Bad Teacher
(Blu-ray & DVD | R | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #3281
Win Percentage: 42%
Times Ranked: 3361
Top-20 Rankings: 19
Directed By: Jake Kasdan
Starring: Cameron Diaz • Justin Timberlake • Jason Segel • Lucy Punch • Phyllis Smith
Genres: Comedy • Farce • Sex Comedy
Rank This Movie
Red State
(Blu-ray & DVD | Nr | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #2738
Win Percentage: 53%
Times Ranked: 1781
Top-20 Rankings: 12
Directed By: Kevin Smith
Starring: Michael Parks • John Goodman • Melissa Leo • Kevin Pollak • Michael Angarano
Genres: Drama • Horror • Religious Drama • Thriller
Rank This Movie
Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest
(Blu-ray & DVD...
(Blu-ray & DVD | PG13 | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #1487
Win Percentage: 47%
Times Ranked: 8433
Top-20 Rankings: 50
Directed By: Rob Marshall
Starring: Johnny Depp • Penélope Cruz • Ian McShane • Kevin McNally • Geoffrey Rush
Genres: Action • Adventure • Costume Adventure • Fantasy • Sea Adventure • Swashbuckler
Rank This Movie
Bad Teacher
(Blu-ray & DVD | R | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #3281
Win Percentage: 42%
Times Ranked: 3361
Top-20 Rankings: 19
Directed By: Jake Kasdan
Starring: Cameron Diaz • Justin Timberlake • Jason Segel • Lucy Punch • Phyllis Smith
Genres: Comedy • Farce • Sex Comedy
Rank This Movie
Red State
(Blu-ray & DVD | Nr | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #2738
Win Percentage: 53%
Times Ranked: 1781
Top-20 Rankings: 12
Directed By: Kevin Smith
Starring: Michael Parks • John Goodman • Melissa Leo • Kevin Pollak • Michael Angarano
Genres: Drama • Horror • Religious Drama • Thriller
Rank This Movie
Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest
(Blu-ray & DVD...
- 10/18/2011
- by Jonathan Hardesty
- Flickchart
Release Date: Oct. 18, 2011
Price: DVD $29.95, Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion
Kichiemon Nakamura and Kiwako Taichi close their eyes to the growing horror of Kuroneko.
The poetic and atmospheric 1968 Japanese horror film Kuroneko is set in a village in war-torn medieval Japan, where a malevolent spirit has been ripping out the throats of itinerant samurai. When a military hero is sent to dispatch the unseen force, he finds that he must struggle with his own personal demons as well.
Directed by noted Japanese filmmaker Kaneto Shindo (Onibaba), Kuroneko (which translates into Black Cat in English) is an eerie twilight tale with a shocking feminist angle. Today, it’s also highly regarded for its ghostly special effects and exquisite cinematography.
Presented in Japanese with English subtitles, Criterion’s editions of the film offer a new high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray and new and improved English subtitle translation.
Here’s...
Price: DVD $29.95, Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion
Kichiemon Nakamura and Kiwako Taichi close their eyes to the growing horror of Kuroneko.
The poetic and atmospheric 1968 Japanese horror film Kuroneko is set in a village in war-torn medieval Japan, where a malevolent spirit has been ripping out the throats of itinerant samurai. When a military hero is sent to dispatch the unseen force, he finds that he must struggle with his own personal demons as well.
Directed by noted Japanese filmmaker Kaneto Shindo (Onibaba), Kuroneko (which translates into Black Cat in English) is an eerie twilight tale with a shocking feminist angle. Today, it’s also highly regarded for its ghostly special effects and exquisite cinematography.
Presented in Japanese with English subtitles, Criterion’s editions of the film offer a new high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray and new and improved English subtitle translation.
Here’s...
- 8/11/2011
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
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