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Kwaidan (Widescreen) (The Criterion Collection)

Rentarô Mikuni (Actor), Michiyo Aratama (Actor), Masaki Kobayashi (Director) | Rated: Unrated | Format: DVD
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 49.99
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Kwaidan (Widescreen) (The Criterion Collection) + Onibaba (The Criterion Collection) + Kuroneko (Criterion)
Price For All Three: CDN$ 101.17

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Product Description

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A masterpiece of filmmaking artifice and mood-setting atmosphere, Kwaidan consists of four ghost stories adapted from the fiction of Greek-born Lafcadio Hearn (a.k.a. Yakumo Koizumi, 1850-1904), who assimilated into Japanese culture so thoroughly that his writings reveal no evidence of Western influence. So it is that these four cinematic interpretations--perhaps more accurately described as tales of spectral visitation--are sublimely Japanese in tone and texture, created entirely in a studio with frequently stunning results. There are painterly images here that remain the most beautiful and haunting in all of Japanese cinema, presented with the purity of silent film, sparsely accompanied by post-synchronized sounds and music (by Toru Takemitsu) that enhance the otherworldly effect of director Masaki Kobayashi's meticulous imagery. When viewed in a receptive frame of mind, Kwaidan can be intensely hypnotic.

Each of the four stories find their protagonists confronted by spirits that compel them to (respectively) make amends for past mistakes, maintain vows of silence, satisfy the yearnings of the undead, or capture phantoms that remain frightfully elusive. As each tale progresses, their supernatural elements grow increasingly intense and distant from the confines of reality. With careful use of glorious color and wide-screen composition, Kwaidan exists in a netherworld that is both real and imagined, its characters never quite sure they can trust what they've seen and heard. Vastly different from the more overt shocks of Western horror, the film casts a supernatural spell that remains timelessly effective. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Cannes, Kwaidan features four nightmarish tales in which terror thrives and demons lurk. Adapted from traditional Japanese ghost stories, this lavish, widescreen production drew extensively on Kobayashi's own training as a student of painting and fine arts. Criterion is proud to present Kwaidan in a new ravishing color transfer.

Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful movie April 2 2013
By Alexandra
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Do you like ghost stories or old legends? Do you like movies with a dream-like quality, where all the scenes look like paintings? If you do, then this is the movie for you. I first watched Kwaidan when I was 16 years old, and after ordering and watching it again 10 years later, the impression is still the same: what a wonderful movie.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars Pretty film, nice sets, boring movie Oct 17 2000
By Thomas B. Gross
Format:DVD
I first saw this film in college in 1970. I had remembered only the first of the 4 stories, and the third, "Hoichi the Earless", which my freshman roommate and I thought was a hilarious title. I had no idea what the collection was called, and had not seen the film since it finally came out on DVD. I rediscovered in a roundabout way: I had visited Matsue and became very interested in the life and works of Lafcadio Hearn after visiting his home there.

The movie is somewhat reminiscent of a kabuki performance in that is slow and boring, with a beautiful visuals. It is interesting to me that after thirty years, I had absolutely no recollection of the second and fourth parts stories in this film. This time, I liked the fourth story the most, because the sets reminded me of places I had visited in Western Honshu (Matsue, Himeji, Hagi for example).

The DVD reproduces the original color of the film beautifully but adds absolutely nothing to the film in terms of bonus material except the original Japanese trailer and the fact that you can turn subtitles off. The subtitles are somewhat distracting and since the stories have practically no plot whatsoever I might have enjoyed Kwaidan more without them. If you are the sort of person who enjoys watching 8 hours of Noh drama sitting on your knees, you should buy this DVD.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful work! July 6 2004
By Hiram Gomez Pardo
Format:DVD
Anthology of ghost stories adapted from Lafcadio Hearn , American writer who lived in Japan .
Visually stunning.
The third chapter is the best. It turns around a poet who must create a epic poem about an ancient battle dictated for the leader of this dead regiment, killed in action, who emerges from the ashes to find out someone who reminds always the echoes of that bloody combat.
Extraordinary!
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Most recent customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars Ok, I always get sucked into these ghost stories
Lesson 1, always look at the date of the movie and then read the premise. I always read the premise, get the movie and then once it's in, realize that it's more of a Sinbad... Read more
Published on Jun 18 2004 by pablo
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Japanese Ghost Stories
Kwaidan, though it has some flaws in regard to pacing (it moves just too slowly sometimes) is a visually striking, very colorful film that is a pleasure to look at. Read more
Published on Jun 13 2004
5.0 out of 5 stars The best Japansese film written by a westerner!
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD of the film.

When seeing this film, one will be shocked that is based on the book written by an Irish/Greek man who lived in Japan... Read more

Published on Jun 6 2004 by Ted
4.0 out of 5 stars Organic Color!!!
The photography in this film is alive! The sets and costumes are vibrant and brilliantly hued and the cinematography captures it in all its painted glory! But besides that... Read more
Published on Mar 2 2004 by D. Knouse
2.0 out of 5 stars Tepid filmaking / drawn-out stories / not scary
This is one of those tried and true Criterion titles of yore, and let me tell you, it's a shaggy dog of a movie -- each one of these stories has the same frickin punchline --... Read more
Published on Jan 16 2004 by C.J. Hustwick
5.0 out of 5 stars The most beautiful film i ever saw
I remember seeing this movie on halloween night of 2002 on IFC when they were playing the most beautiful and bizarre films ever made, after watching a lot of classic american... Read more
Published on Aug 30 2003 by The man under your bed . . .
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!
I just loved this movie after I finished watching it. That old-japanese-movie-style was perfect, showing and reiterating over and over again the great devotion that the Japaneses... Read more
Published on Aug 18 2003 by "panyafe"
5.0 out of 5 stars One of a kind film.
Spoilers --yes, it is important always to announce coming spoilers because there are still people who haven't seen this film. Read more
Published on Jun 28 2003 by Iconophoric
5.0 out of 5 stars color, action, scary ... not to be missed!
Some useful thoughts for the prospective viewer:

1.At last! The beautiful KWAIDAN on DVD! We can expect even better color and visuals than even the VHS transfers.

2. Read more

Published on Jun 15 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars color, action, scary ... not to be missed!
Some useful thoughts for the prospective viewer:

1.At last! The beautiful KWAIDAN on DVD! We can expect even better color and visuals than even the VHS transfers.

2. Read more

Published on Jun 15 2003
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