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Onibaba(Criterion Collection)

 

  Written and Directed by Kateno Shindo

Japan 1964 / Drama / 103 min / Black &White / Monaural / 2.35: 1 Widescreen Anamorphic / NTSC /  In Japanese with Optional  Thai and English Subtitles

Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura.

Deep within the wind-swept marshes of war-torn medieval Japan, an impoverished mother and her daughter-in-law eke out a lonely, desperate existence. Forced to murder lost samurai and sell their belongings for grain, they dump the corpses down a deep, dark hole and live off of their meager spoils. When a bedraggled neighbor returns from the skirmishes, lust, jealousy, and rage threaten to destroy the trio's tenuous existence, before an ominous, ill-gotten demon mask seals their horrifying fate. Driven by primal emotions, dark eroticism, a frenzied score by Hikaru Hayashi, and stunning images both lyrical and macabre, Kaneto Shindo’s chilling folktale, Onibaba, is a singular cinematic experience.

 
       


Bonus Features:

◦ New digital transfer with restored image and sound and new English subtitles
◦ Rare super-8 black & white footage provided by actor Kei Sato, shot on Location during the filming of Onibaba
◦ Stills gallery featuring production sketches and promotional art
◦ Widescreen anamorphic format