Kwaidan [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray] [1964]
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Description
Features
New audio commentary by film historian Stephen Prince
Interview with Kobayashi from 1993, conducted by filmmaker Masahiro Shinoda
New interview with assistant director Kiyoshi Ogasawara
New piece about author Lafcadio Hearn, on whose versions of Japanese folktales Kwaidan is based.
Trailers
Director
- Masaki Kobayashi
Writer
- Yoko Mizuki
Cast
- Rentaro MikuniSamurai
- Michiyo AratamaFirst Wife
- Misako WatanabeSecond Wife
- Keiko Kishi
- Tetsuro TambaMichi
- Tatsuya NakadaiWoodcutter
- Katsuo NakamuraHoichi
- Ganemon NakamuraKannai
- Joichi HayashiYoshitsune
- Noboru NakayaHeinai
- Ganjiro NakamuraHead Priest
- Takashi ShimuraPriest
- Jun Tazaki
Crew
- Yoshio MiyajimaCinematographer
- Toru TakemitsuComposer (Music Score)
- Hisashi SagaraEditor
- Shigemasa TodaArt Director
Details
- GenreFantasy,Foreign Films
- SubgenreCostume Horror,Period Film
- TitleKwaidan
- Countries ProducedJapan
- Duration183 minutes
- Year of Release1964
- Product TagsCriterion Collection, Blu-ray
- FormatBlu-ray
- Program TypeMovie
- Sound Featuresmonaural
- Screen FormatEnhanced Widescreen for 16x9 TV
- Aspect Ratio2.35:1
- LanguageJapanese
- SubtitlesEnglish
- StudioThe Criterion Collection, Inc
Other
- Product NameKwaidan [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray] [1964]
- UPC715515158916
Customer reviews
Rating 4.9 out of 5 stars with 7 reviews
(7 customer reviews)to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Beautiful Japanese Ghost Stories
||Posted .Owned for 1 week when reviewed.A gorgeous transfer of this stylistic classic of Japanese ghost cinema. Clocking in at three hours, this film is immersive and is a visual feast.
I would recommend this to a friendRated 5 out of 5 stars
Great classic horror film from criterion
||Posted .Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.Amazing cinematography and story. Beautifully remastered by criterion which is always second to none.
I would recommend this to a friendRated 5 out of 5 stars
Masterful stuff
||Posted .Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.It’s easily one of the best films I’ve seen, it’s a creepy ride of a movie as well.
I would recommend this to a friendRated 5 out of 5 stars
A landmark acheivement
Posted .This is truly one of the finest motion pictures ever made. Kwaidan is based on a Japanese novel of the same name. The movie adaptation tells four stories of the supernatural all set in feudal Japan. Imagine a Japanese 'Twilight Zone' and you have the general idea. It's almost three hours long, but does not feel like a long movie. It moves at a nice pace and draws you into its scary world. Each tale is chilling without being gory or overly violent, focusing more on story and atmosphere than blood and gore. The set design is truly astounding, each set piece creates the impression of looking into another world without the need for extensive visual effects. In one segment, clouds and the Moon look like the eyes of angry gods glaring at the people below. In another, it looks like the sky itself is on fire. The acting is as fantastic as the visuals. Each actor is perfectly matched to his or her role and does a superb job as thier respective characters. From frightening spirits to ordinary folk, Kwaidan boasts a diverse and talented cast. I would recommend Kwaidan to any fan of Japanese movies. This is sure to add prestige to any collection. I would have had a second extras DVD in this set. Some nice extra features would have been a documentary on the making of Kwaidan, a biography on the author, Yakamo Koizumi and some info of Japanese hisory to put the stories into context. There are some isolated problems with the image quality. You can see grain and lines on the film stock in a limited number of scenes, but this is not persistent. I would strongly recommend this DVD. Kwaidan is a marvel.
This review is from Kwaidan [WS] [Criterion Collection] [DVD] [1964]
I would recommend this to a friendRated 5 out of 5 stars
Creepy and Awsome
||Posted .This is a haunting Japanese film that will give you the creeps!
I would recommend this to a friendRated 4 out of 5 stars
good
||Posted .once again bluray brought new life to and older movie. It is like watching it for the first time
I would recommend this to a friendRated 5 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Movie
Posted .This a fantastic movie. The Blu-ray is the first time the movie has been released uncut. Recommended if your into scary or classic Japanese movies.
I would recommend this to a friend