Sunday, March 4, 2012

Kwaidan, a 4-story collection


Kwaidan
Japanese, English subtitles
1964, 164 minutes
5 stars, Color

Rainy Day caught this on the tube the other day, and is delighted to see Netflix has it. It is a collection of 4 short stories, Kaidan, Ghost Story, Hoichi the Earless, and Weird Tales. Perhaps, when originally made, it was a frightening collection, today not so much. The stories open like a flower, one petal at a time, to reveal what must be revealed. An arrogant man discovers he must return to his first wife, the one he loved and spurned; another must play his biwa for the spirits of those lost in a horrific battle, another finds and loses love through his own actions, in the final story, there is a great deal of silence – and powerful tension. Kwaidan is another one of those visual feasts, color or the absence thereof, plays an important part. Pay attention. Enjoy.

For a trailer, click here

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