Based on the novel by Michio Takeyama, The Burmese Harp is the story of a Japanese soldier who is wounded during the final days of World War II where he disguises himself as a Buddhist monk where he would find enlightenment. Directed by Kon Ichikawa and screenplay by Natto Wada, the film is the story of a man whose encounter with war forces him to find some idea of hope and meaning in his life. Starring Rentaro Mikuni, Shoji Yasui, Taniye Kitabayashi, Tatsuya Mihashi, and Yunosuke Ito. The Burmese Harp is an evocative yet devastating film from Kon Ichikawa.
Set during the summer of 1945 in Burma during the final days of World War II, the film follows a Japanese regiment who are captured by the British as one of them volunteers to tell another regiment that the war is over and Japan has surrendered. What happens instead becomes a traumatic moment where he is later saved by a monk only to become one as his regiment wonders what had happened to him. It’s a film that explores not just the horrors of war but also the sense of loss he would encounter as it’s not just seeing these bodies of fellow Japanese soldiers he would see. It’s also in the fact that they would never return home to a country that’s been torn apart by war and will never get some form of redemption. Natto Wada’s script is told mainly from the perspective of another soldier who recalls the events from their capture to being one of the regiments to accept the news over their country’s surrender as they’re taken to a prison camp where they’re treated fairly by the British.
During the course of the film such as the first act where the regiment led by Captain Inoyue (Rentaro Mikuni) who trying to maintain morale amongst his troops as he knows they’re tired, they’re hungry, and worn-out from fighting as the one thing he can to help them is have them sing with PFC Mizushima (Shoji Yasui) playing a Burmese harp. The second act revolves around Captain Inouye and the regiment wondering to Mizushima during his mission to tell another regiment about news on the war as they believe he’s dead until they see a monk who looks like him when they’re passing by a bridge they’re building. Though it is clear who the monk is, it shows the things that he would encounter that forces him to go into a vow of silence but also deal with the monstrosity of war.
Kon Ichikawa’s direction is definitely mesmerizing in the way he would capture a time of war as it’s about to end. Though it is shot mainly in Japan, Ichikawa would maintain a look and feel through the forest and rural locations that it is shot in Burma as there would be a few exterior shots of the temples in Burma. While Ichikawa would create some amazing wide shots to capture the scope of the locations as well as a look of the prison camp which feels more of a camp than a prison. He would infuse some close-ups and medium shots to capture the look of the cabins from the interiors where the soldiers would trade with an old woman who would walk into the camp occasionally. The scenes relating to Mizushima and his own encounter with the horrors of war from the bodies he would find during his walk toward the location of the camp as well as seeing a funeral procession for unknown soldiers. It adds a lot to the tone of the film as it include a scene in the third act where Captain Inouye is leading his regiment to sing a song in front of a large Buddha statue where Mizushima is inside playing a Burmese harp as it add to some form of musical dialogue. Even in the film’s climax as it play into this sense of loss over the fallacies of war and what would it cost as these men would have to go home knowing they lost a war which they feel is unimportant. Overall, Ichikawa crafts a somber yet intoxicating anti-war film about a soldier’s encounter with death and chaos that forces him to find some sort of spiritual meaning.
Cinematographer Minoru Yokoyama does brilliant work with the black-and-white photography as it has a very natural look to the scenes in the day with some low-key lighting by Ko Fujibayashi for some of the interiors at the cabin at night. Editor Masanori Tsuji does excellent work as it play into the drama as well as a key sequence of a regiment trying to battle it out against the British only for everything go wrong. Production designer Akira Nakai and art director Takashi Matsuyama do fantastic work with the look of the prison camp and the cabins the prisoners live in as well as some of the interior of the temples. The sound work of Masakazu Kayima is amazing for the way some of the music is presented as well as the few moments of gunfire and such that occur in the lone battle scene. The film’s music by Akira Ifukube is incredible for its mixture of lush orchestral music, broad choir music, and somber harp music that is performed by Yoshie Abe.
The film’s wonderful cast include some notable small roles from Jun Hamamura as Private Ito, Taketoshi Naito as Private Kobayashi, Ko Nishimura as the soldier Baba, Yunosuke Ito as a village head that would help the soldiers try and trick the British, Tatsuya Mihashi as a defense commander refusing to surrender, and Taniye Kitabayashi as an old lady who would trade with the Japanese prisoners at the camp as well as show kindness to them. Shoji Yasui is remarkable as Private Mizushima as a young soldier who volunteers to appeal to a fighting regiment to surrender that nearly dies from the battle as he becomes traumatized where he pretends to be a monk only to become one to cope with the loss he is carrying. Finally, there’s Rentaro Mikuni in a phenomenal performance as Captain Inouye as a man dealing with the chaos of war as he would accept the reality of what happened to Japan where he also raises morale for his regiment and see what Mizushima had become.
The Burmese Harp is a tremendous film from Kon Ichikawa. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, a fantastic score, and themes on war and the loss that it would bring war. It is an anti-war film that showcases the horrors of war and how it would affect a man to withdraw into some idea of spiritual fulfillment. In the end, The Burmese Harp is a spectacular film from Kon Ichikawa.
Kon Ichikawa Films: (A Thousand and One Nights with Toho) – (The Hole (1957 film)) – (Enjo) – (Odd Obsession) – (Fires on the Plain) – (Jokyo) – (Her Brother) – (Ten Dark Women) – (Being Two Isn’t Easy) – (An Actor’s Revenge) – (Alone Across the Pacific) – (Tokyo Olympiad) – (Topo Gigio and the Missile War) – (To Love Again) – (Visions of Eight) – (The Inugamis (1976 film)) – (Koto) – (Kofuku) – (The Makioka Sisters) – (Ohan) – (The Burmese Harp (1985 film)) – (Princess from the Moon) – (Kaettekita Kogarashi Monjiro) – (The 47 Ronin (1994 film)) – (Dora-heita) – (The Inugamis (2006 film))
© thevoid99 2017
(Co-Winner of the Special Jury Prize w/ The Cassandra Cat at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival)
Based on a story by Yasuhiko Takiguchi, Harakiri is the story of a ronin samurai who wants to commit seppuku at the home of a warlord where he is confronted by members of the lord’s clan. Directed by Masaki Kobayashi and screenplay by Shinobu Hashimoto, the film is an exploration of a man trying to maintain his sense of honor and beliefs during a time of change in 17th Century Japan during the Edo era. Starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Rentaro Mikuni, Shima Iwashita, Akira Ishihama, and Yoshio Inaba. Harakiri is a gripping yet eerie film from Masaki Kobayashi.
Set in 1630 Edo, the film follows a ronin warrior who goes to the home of a revered warlord and asks the house if he can commit hara-kiri in their home as he recounts his story. It’s a film with a simple premise as it relates to the subject of suicide and honor yet it is told in a complex manner as it challenges these ideas during a time of peace in 17th Century Japan after years of feuding warlords. Especially as it is about dying with a sense of honor at a time where ronin samurai warriors are dealing with not having work and poverty as they have no one to work for as they can either get work for a lord or nothing all but death. Much of Shinobu Hashimoto’s screenplay is told in a reflective manner as the ronin samurai warrior Tsugumo Hanshiro (Tatsuya Nakadai) would arrive at the house of the Ii clan where he would meet with its head counselor Saito Kageyu (Rentaro Mikuni) about doing hara-kiri at the estate of this warlord.
Yet, Kageyu has some reservations as it relates to men claiming to be ronin samurais who come in hoping for money as he tells Hanshiro about a young man named Chijiiwa Motome (Akira Ishihama) who is suspected of being part of an extortion scheme. The film’s screenplay has a unique structure that would play into the flashback as the first act is about Motome’s story while the second act is about Hanshiro’s own story that would lead to his reason for wanting to commit seppuku. It would lead to this very intense third act as it would play into the idea of honor and the samurai code as it is revealed to be flawed as it goes into the present story as Hanshiro is eager to perform seppuku but he has ideas of how he wants it done.
Masaki Kobayashi’s direction is definitely entrancing in the way he captures the world of 17th Century Japan at a time of peace where everything seems to go well but it is just an illusion as Kobayashi would slowly peel the layers to reveal something that isn’t everything as it seems. Much of the direction has Kobayashi use a lot of wide shots to capture the scope of the house as well as some of the exteriors in the rural locations in Japan. The scenes inside the house including the courtyard where the seppuku ritual is performed has Kobayashi use not just some wide shots but also low angles, slanted camera angles, medium shots, and close-ups to play into some of the tension and suspense that looms throughout. Even in the way Kobayashi puts his actors into a frame for the compositions as it showcases how much a seppuku ceremony means something where there’s a man in the corner that is to be a samurai’s second with many others watching over him.
The direction of Kobayashi also display some intimacy in the flashbacks as it relates to Hanshiro’s story as well as the things that led to the third act. Notably the three men that Hanshiro asks for to be his second during the seppuku ceremony as his choices where Kobayashi goes inside the house where Kageyu and some of his senior members of the clan try to find the three men Hanshiro has requested. Much of the film throughout is very restrained until the third act where it’s not just about the seppuku ritual but also the code of the samurai and its flaws. Especially as Hanshiro would divulge some information that would create a sense of chaos in the Ii clan as its climax isn’t just violent but also unsettling considering the façade that these warlords wanted to present in peace time Japan during the 17th Century. Overall, Kobayashi creates a visceral and intense film about a man wanting to commit hara-kiri at the home of a warlord.
Cinematographer Yoshio Miyajima does amazing work with the film’s black-and-white cinematography as it help play into some of the tension in the film as well as its usage of lights for some of the scenes at night and in some of the interior settings. Editor Hisashi Sagara does excellent work with the editing as it straightforward with the exception of some jump-cuts that help play into some of the dramatic tension and action. Art directors Junichi Ozumi and Shigemasa Toda, with set decorator Zenichi Taijiri, do brilliant work with the look of the estate in its interiors and exteriors as well as the home of Hanshiro in the flashbacks.
Costume designer Mitsuzo Ueda does nice work with the costumes where it showcases the look of the robes as well as what one has to wear for a seppuku ceremony. The sound work of Hideo Nishizaki is fantastic for some of the sound effects that is created and captured to help play into the dramatic suspense as well as some of the action. The film’s music by Toru Takemitsu is incredible for its unsettling and eerie score filled with disconcerting string music and some hollow percussions as it help set a dark mood for a scene as it is a highlight of the film.
The film’s marvelous ensemble cast feature some notable small roles from Yoshio Inaba as an old friend of Hanshiro in Jinai in the flashbacks, the trio of Tetsuo Tamba, Ichiro Nakatani, and Yoshiro Aoki as the three senior members of the clan whom Hanshiro asks for to be his second, and Shima Iwashita as Hanshiro’s daughter Miho whom Hanshiro loved and cared for in the film’s flashbacks. Akira Ishihama is excellent as Chijiiwa Motome as a young man claiming to be a samurai as he would be part of a story that would raise suspicions for Hanshiro’s own claims. Rentaro Mikuni is brilliant as Saito Kageyu as a clan counselor who is watching over everything and see if Hanshiro is worthy to commit seppuku as well as be someone who is very intent on maintaining some kind of code of what samurais should do. Finally, there’s Tatsuya Nakadai in a phenomenal performance as Tsugumo Hanshiro as a ronin samurai warrior who wants to end his life at the home of a warlord as he would state his own reasons and his own story as it is a performance filled with some humility and gravitas that is later more complex as it adds to the film’s chilling climax.
Harakiri is a tremendous film from Masaki Kobayashi that features a sensational performance from Tatsuya Nakadai. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, and an eerie film score, it’s that explores some of the fallacies of the samurai code as well an exploration of 17th Century Japanese culture and some of its drawbacks. In the end, Harakiri is a spectacular film from Masaki Kobayashi.
Masaki Kobayashi Films: (Black River) - The Human Condition Trilogy - Kwaidan - Samurai Rebellion - (Hymn to a Tired Man) - (The Fossil) - (Tokyo Trial)
© thevoid99 2017
Based on the novel Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa, Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto is the first of a three-part story about the adventures of a lone samurai who starts out as a soldier only to become a skilled samurai warrior who is defined by his introspection. Directed by Hiroshi Inagaki and screenplay by Inagaki and Tokuhei Wakao, the first part is about a warrior’s growth as he becomes a fugitive during a civil war as he seeks to find redemption. In the lead role of the samurai warrior Musashi Miyamoto, he is played by the iconic Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune. Also starring Rentaro Mikuni and Kaoru Yachigusa. Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto is an incredible film from Hiroshi Inagaki.
In the first part of this trilogy that chronicles the journey of Musashi Miyamoto in his search for enlightenment and a reason to become a true samurai warrior. The first part is about how he would go into this journey that would take him all over Japan as he starts out as a soldier seeking fortune and fame. Instead, he becomes deserted by his best friend and eventually a fugitive where a Buddhist priest captures him where he would later guide the man that would become Musashi Miyamoto into a path of self-discovery. In the course of this journey, the man who was then called Takezo would encounter all sorts of things as he is this wild warrior who has a lot of spirit but no sense of direction.
The screenplay does have a traditional structure as it plays into Takezo’s development from warrior to enlightened samurai. It starts off with a sense of innocence where Takezo and his friend Matahachi (Rentaro Mikuni) having dreams of being part of this civil war that is happening in the early 17th Century in the hopes they become war heroes. Instead, they lose the war as they seek shelter in the home of a woman and her daughter where something happens that leaves Takezo disappointed and deserted prompting him to return home. The experience of being disillusioned and deserted by his own friend would cause Takezo to act out as he becomes this fugitive with no direction as if he feels the world had abandoned him. After attacking some men, he gets into trouble as a lord from his village seeks a bounty on him where Takezo does endure more betrayal and disappointment.
The first half is about Takezo’s descent into disillusionment and his desire to die until he is captured by the Buddhist priest Takuan Soho (Kuroemon Onoe) and Matahachi’s fiancee Otsu (Kaoru Yachigusa) in the film‘s second half. Soho would use tricks to get into Takezo’s head while he would offer him guidance into a life where Takezo could find redemption as well as a reason to live. While the tormented Otsu would also help Takezo as she had already felt betrayed by the people in her life where Soho would do something that would play to their fate. Notably as its aftermath would force Takezo to ponder everything he had been through where he would make a sacrifice in order to go into this journey to find out who he is as Musashi Miyamoto.
The direction of Hiroshi Inagaki is quite epic in scale though it is presented in a full-frame aspect ratio. Still, Inagaki does create something that is entrancing in the direction from the way some of the battles are presented to scenes where people are searching for Takezo with these wide shots to cover the landscape. Inagaki also uses a lot of stylistic shots to help present some dramatic moments including a scene of Takezo being hung on a tree as punishment for his actions. Inagaki’s framing of these intimate moments with this backdrop of nature allow him to create something that is touching but also engrossing in the way Takezo seems to find a sense of humanity in a brutish savage like Takezo.
Some of the film’s actions are quite intense such as this very rainy, muddy battle scene early in the film as well as scenes where Takezo fights off bandits and those who are trying to pursue him. While Inagaki’s approach is more low-key, he does create something that is still thrilling in what Takezo is all about as a man as well as someone who is lost. By the third act where Soho does play into the fates of Takezo and Otsu, there comes a moment where Takezo and Otsu realize what they have to do in a new place but in very different ways. The third act also has a moment where Inagaki looks at what happens to Matahachi that reveals his fate and how it compares to the fate of Takezo just as he’s about to take on this journey as a new man. Overall, Inagaki creates a very captivating and mesmerizing film about a man’s journey to find himself.
Cinematographer Jun Yasumoto does brilliant work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography from the gorgeous colors of the film‘s landscapes to the some of the nighttime interior and exterior scenes that features some unique lighting schemes with help from Shigeru Mori. Editor Eiji Ooi does wonderful work with the editing as it‘s quite stylized with its use of dissolves and suspenseful cuts to play out the drama and intensity of the action. Art directors Kisaku Ito and Makoto Sato do fantastic work with the set pieces from the home of the women that Takezo and Matahachi meet to the temple where the priest lives.
The sound work of Choshichiro Mikami is terrific for the atmosphere is created in some of the film‘s intimate moments including some of the exterior scenes with nature as the backdrop. The film’s music by Ikuma Dan is great for the mixture of intense orchestral score with a mix of Japanese folk as well as serene string pieces to play up the drama that unfolds in the film.
The film’s cast is remarkable as it features some notable small roles from Akihiko Hirata as a village official putting the bounty on Takezo’s head, Kusuo Abe as a bandit Takezo confronts, Eiko Miyoshi as Matahachi’s mother, Mitsuko Moki as a widow Mitahachi and Takezo meets, and Mariko Okada as the widow’s daughter Akemi. Rentaro Mikuni is excellent as Takezo’s friend Matahachi who later deserts him in favor of a widow and her daughter as he later has regrets over what he did. Kaoru Yachigusa is wonderful as Otsu who felt betrayed by Matahachi while dealing with her own anguish as she later tries to help out Takezo. Kureomon Onoe is great as the priest Takuan Soho who captures Takezo as he later tries to steer him into a path that would be helpful for Takezo to find redemption and reason. Finally, there’s Toshiro Mifune in a magnificent performance as Takezo/Musashi Miyamoto where Mifune displays a fierce intensity to a man lost in the world as well as a sensitivity in the way he deals with people as it’s definitely one of his most defining performances.
Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto is an incredible film from Hiroshi Inagaki that features a towering performance from Toshiro Mifune. The film is definitely one of the most entrancing studies of a man seeking to find a place in a world where he feels rejected. It’s also a film that deviates a bit from most samurai films in order to explore a man’s evolution as he learns what it takes to be both a man and as a samurai. In the end, Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto is an extraordinary film from Hiroshi Inagaki.
Hiroshi Inagaki Films: (Sword for Hire) - Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple - (The Lone Journey) - Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island - (Arashi) - (Yagyu Secret Scrolls) - (Yagyu Secret Scrolls Pt. 2) - (Rickshaw Man) - (The Birth of Japan) - (Life of an Expert Swordsman) - (Chushingura: Hana no Maki, Yuki no Maki) - (Samurai Banners)
© thevoid99 2013
Directed by Masaki Kobayashi and written by Yoko Mizuki from an original story by Yakumo Koizumi, Kwaidan is a collection of four chilling stories based on the folk stories of Lafcadio Hearn. The stories revel in the world of ghosts and their encounters with humans in the course of different periods in Japan. Starring Rentaro Mikuni, Keiko Kishi, Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe, Tatsuya Nakadai, and Takashi Shimura. Kwaidan is a mesmerizing yet exotic film from Masaki Kobayashi.
In the first story entitled The Black Hair, a samurai warrior (Rentaro Mikuni) leaves his wife (Michiyo Aratama) in order to gain some sort of social status after being left in poverty by a lord. After marrying a governor’s daughter (Misako Watanabe), the warrior finds himself longing for simpler times as well as his first wife. In The Woman of the Snow, a woodcutter and his young apprentice (Tatsuya Nakadai) deal with a harsh winter where they stay at a hut only to get a visit from a mysterious ghost (Keiko Kishi) who takes the life of the woodcutter as his apprentice watches in horror. After making a vow to the ghost, the apprentice becomes a family man after marrying a beautiful young woman as his peace is shattered by recollections of the mysterious ghost.
In Hoichi the Earless, a young blind monk (Katsuo Nakamura) hears the voice of a mysterious ghost (Tetsuro Tanaba) who takes him to an old tomb so that his masters can hear him sing about a great war between two clans. The monk’s frequent disappearances gets the attention of the head priest (Takashi Shimura) who learns what is happening as he tries to do something to stop the ghosts from retrieving the young monk. The final segment entitled In a Cup of Tea has the film’s narrator (Osamu Takizawa) writing where he tries to finish a story about an encounter between a samurai warrior (Kan’emon Nakamura) and a mysterious ghost (Noburo Nakaya) where paranoia starts to ensue.
The film is essentially a collection of four ghosts stories that reveals man’s encounter with ghosts and the impact that it causes. Through these very intricate tales, the film explores the world of the supernatural as well as the way man deals with these encounters. In The Black Hair, the film explores the world of selfishness and regret where this samurai warrior copes with the decision he’s made. In The Woman of the Snow, a young woodcutter apprentice meets a mysterious ghost of the winter where he makes a vow to not reveal what he saw as he would eventually undo the newfound peace and family life that he had just gained. In Hoichi the Earless, a blind musician is unaware of the visitors he’s singing for which brings the attention of his monastery who do whatever they can to get rid of the ghosts. The fourth and final story In a Cup of Tea is essentially a fragment of an unfinished story the film’s narrator tries to write about a samurai warrior fighting with a ghost.
Each story reveals in a lot of themes that is based on folk lore as they all reveal a lot about man’s fallacy about themselves where they each make strange encounters with not just ghosts but themselves. Notably for some of the protagonists in the story where they would make decisions that would change the course of their life. Some with regret while others would face the unknown like Hoichi who is unaware of the role he’s playing as it raises a lot of fear in his masters. It’s part of the script’s intentions to reveal a world where the supernatural is all around everyone yet they don’t know what these individuals would face.
Masaki Kobayashi’s direction is a real highlight of the film for unique visual presentation that he creates for each segment. Notably in the backdrops that he brings to the film’s scenes where it plays up a world that is expressionistic and surreal as if it’s a world that may not be real yet the situations could be. While segments like The Black Hair and In a Cup of Tea employ a more straightforward presentation. Kobayashi does bring in a lot of interesting images to those segments where it plays up that unique world of the supernatural. Though The Black Hair is more of a drama that explores the world of regret, it’s climax is where the film’s horror is revealed as it shows exactly what the samurai warrior has to cope with.
For segments like The Woman of the Snow and Hoichi the Earless, Kobayashi’s presentation is grand and elaborate in terms of the scenes he creates and the surroundings that the characters inhabit. Notably in the use of the surreal backdrops that adds a sense of fantasy to these segments. In the Hoichi the Earless segment, it’s for this amazing and sprawling recreation of the famous Battle of Dan-no-ura between Emperor Antoku and Minamoto no Yoritomo in the Genpai War. It’s a moment in the film that is unlike anything where Kobayashi uses lots of a strange framing devices and movements to capture this battle as if it was made in a theater with all of these production staging and such. It’s truly a grand moment that is followed by the more low-key In a Cup of Tea segment that ends the film but with a truly unsettling climax. Overall, Kobayashi creates a marvel of a film that emphasizes strong visuals and universal themes to tell a very dazzling horror story.
Cinematographer Yoshio Miyajima does fantastic work with the film‘s very colorful and stylish photography from the usage of blue and orange lights for The Woman of the Snow segment to the lush coloring schemes of the battle re-creation of the Hoichi the Earless segment. Editor Hisashi Sagara does brilliant work with the editing by employing lots of stylish cuts to play out the suspense as well as slow, methodical rhythms to play out those moments including some of its dramatic scenes. Art director Shigemasa Toda does spectacular work with the set pieces to recreate old Japan with its homes and such along with the expressionistic backdrops and set pieces that really plays to the film‘s majestic beauty.
The sound work of Hideo Nishizaki is incredible for the atmosphere it creates in many of the film‘s segments from the intimacy in the conversations to the chilling moments that involves the ghosts and the surroundings. The film’s music by Toru Takemitsu is amazing for the its very intricate yet unsettling arrangements with string instruments and percussions to create a brooding mood that plays to the horror for all of the segments in the film.
The film’s ensemble cast is excellent for the performances they provide in the different segments of the film. From The Black Hair segment, there’s terrific performances from Rentaro Mikuni as the samurai who deals with his choices, Michiyo Aratama as the kind and loving first wife, and Misako Watanabe as the more spoiled and cruel second wife. From The Woman of the Snow segment, there’s wonderful performances from Tatsuya Nakadai as the woodcutter’s apprentice, Yuko Mochizuki as the apprentice’s mother, and Keiko Kishi in a terrifying performance as the Woman of the Snow.
From the Hoichi the Earless, there’s superb performances from Tetsuro Tanaba as the ghost warrior, Katsuo Nakamura as the blind musician Hoichi, and Takashi Shimura in warm performance as the head priest. In the In a Cup of Tea segment, there’s excellent performances from Kan’emon Nakamura as the disturbed samurai warrior, Noboru Nakaya as the ghost samurai, and Osamu Takizawa in a remarkable performance as the film’s narrator.
Kwaidan is an outstanding film from Masaki Kobayashi. While it’s not a conventional horror film, it is still a visually-entrancing one in terms of its presentation and the stories it tells. Particularly as it features some fascinating stories about the supernatural and the powers it have over humanity. In the end, Kwaidan is a sensational film from Masaki Kobayashi.
Masaki Kobayashi Films: (Black River) - The Human Condition - Harakiri - Samurai Rebellion - (Hymn to a Tired Man) - (The Fossil) - (Tokyo Trial)
© thevoid99 2012
