Based on a Japanese folktale, Kuroneko (The Black Cat) is the story of a woman and her daughter-in-law whose death has them become spirits seeking revenge on soldiers during a civil war during Heian period of Japan. Written for the screen and directed by Kaneto Shindo, the film is a ghost story inspired by Japanese fables and folk stories as it play into the journey of a samurai warrior who might’ve been involved in the deaths of two women during this civil war. Starring Kichiemon Nakamura, Nobuko Otawa, and Kiwako Taichi. Kuroneko is an astonishing yet haunting film from Kaneto Shindo.
Set during the final years of the 12th Century in the Heian period in Japan, the film revolves around two women who were raped and killed by samurai soldiers during a civil war as they are revived by a black cat as ghosts to haunt and kill samurai warriors. It’s a film with simple premise as it play into the sins of men who would do atrocious things to women as Kaneto Shindo’s screenplay explore the world of the samurai and their claims to help people yet they would take advantage of the poor and hungry including these two women whom they would leave for dead and burn down their home.
Yone (Nobuko Otawa) and her daughter-in-law Shige (Kiwako Taichi) would spend much of their afterlife haunting and drinking the blood of samurai warriors as they would enchant them to their mysterious home as well as seduce them until they kill them. The wave of deaths gets the attention of the emperor as well as a governor in Minamoto no Raiko (Kei Sato) who hires a samurai warrior in Hachi (Kichiemon Nakamura) to deal with the ghosts. Yet, Hachi’s encounter with the ghosts would only add more problems as Hachi himself becomes compromised in his mission.
Shindo’s direction is visually intoxicating for the presentation he creates that relates to the world of ghosts and vengeance that Yone and Shige would carry as it relates to a vow they’ve made with forces in the afterlife. Shot largely in a studio set with some locations in forests in Kyoto, the film does play into this world that is unruly and filled with a lot of power play in terms of social status. Shindo’s usage of the wide shots include some gorgeous tracking shots of samurai warriors trekking towards this house that is surrounded with bamboo and wood as it adds to the surreal tone of the film. The usage of medium shots and close-ups help add to the film’s wondrous visual style as Shindo’s compositions and camera movements add to the drama and suspense that occur in the film. Even in scenes where Hachi meets the ghosts as it creates conflict in his mission as he would come to terms with himself and what he lost in the madness of war. Notably in the third act as he copes with loss but also what these ghosts really are and their intentions as well as a conflict with the ghosts themselves in relation to who they were. Overall, Shindo creates a harrowing yet ravishing film about two women who haunt samurai warriors in an act of revenge.
Cinematographers Norimichi Igawa and Kiyomi Kuroda do brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of shades and shadows for some of the daytime exterior scenes but also a lot of stylish lighting for the scenes at the home of the ghosts as well as the governor’s home. Editor Hisao Enoki does excellent work with the editing as it help play into the suspense and horror with a few jump-cuts in bits of the film as much of it is straightforward. Production designers Takashi Marumo and Norimichi Ikawa do amazing work with the look of the governor’s palace as well as the mysterious home of the ghosts including the house they used to live in.
The makeup work of Shigeo Kobayashi is terrific to play into the look of the ghosts and some of the mysterious things they sport when they fly in the air. The sound work of Tetsuya Ohashi is incredible for its immense approach to sound including in the mixing of winds, sword swings, and other aspects of the forests as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Hikaru Hayashi is phenomenal for its usage of low-key yet eerie percussive-based music with elements of strings that help add to the drama and suspense as it is another highlight of the film.
The film’s wonderful cast feature some notable small roles from Rokko Toura as a warlord Hachi kills, Kei Sato as a governor asking Hachi to find the ghosts and kill them, Taiji Tonoyama as a farmer Hachi knows as he asks about his old home, and Yoshinobu Ogawa as a samurai warrior who would become a victim of the ghosts. Kiwako Taichi is excellent as Shige as a young woman who was waiting for her husband to return as she is one of two ghosts who kills the samurai warrior as she finds herself drawn to Hachi. Kichiemon Nakamura is brilliant as Hachi as a samurai warrior who is forced into war as he would later become this revered warrior as he is given the task to kill the ghosts only to cope with loss as well as the ghosts themselves. Finally, there’s Nobuko Otawa in an amazing performance as Yone as Shige’s mother-in-law who also becomes a ghost following their rape and murder as she makes a vow to the gods of the afterlife to kill and drink the blood of the samurai as she later copes with what she’s become upon meeting Hachi.
Kuroneko is a phenomenal film from Kaneto Shindo. Featuring a great cast, evocative visuals, compelling themes on vengeance and loss, amazing set designs, an eerie soundtrack, and a haunting score by Hikaru Hayashi. It’s a horror-drama that explore regrets, loss, and vengeance as well as some of the fallacies of war as a samurai warrior copes with his part in a war as well as those who don’t benefit from victory. In the end, Kuroneko is a spectacular film from Kaneto Shindo.
Kaneto Shindo Films: (Story of a Beloved Wife) – (Avalanche) – (Children of Hiroshima) – (Epitome) – (Life of a Woman) – (Dobu) – (Wolf (1955 film)) – (Shirogane Shinju) – (Ruri no Kishi) – (An Actress) – (Umi no yarodomo) – (Sorrow is Only for Women) – (Lucky Dragon No. 5) – (Hanayome-san wa sekai-ichi) – (The Naked Island) – (Ningen) – (Mother (1963 film)) – Onibaba - (Akuto) – (Lost Sex) – (Heat Wave Island) – (Live Today, Die Tomorrow!) – (Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director) – (The Life of Chikuzan) – (Edo Porn) – (Burakkubodo) – (Tree Without Leaves) – (A Last Note) – (Will to Live) – (By Player) – (Owl (2003 film)) – (Postcard (2010 film))
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