KWAIDAN (GHOST STORY) is an artful, supernatural period film created by Japan’s mighty Toho Studios. The film is masterfully directed by Masaki (THE HUMAN CONDITION) Kobayashi; Japan’s second greatest director after Akira Kurasowa. This epic feature is an anthology film that is made up of four separate segments. These stories are based on the writings of Irish-Greek folklorist, Lafcadio Hearn, who emigrated to Japan in 1895. Hearn was really taken in by the Japanese lifestyle and society and changed his name to a more suitable Japanese moniker. Hearn went on to write stories so true to Japanese folklore, that you would never guess they were crafted by an outsider. In 1965, Toho released KWAIDAN (which had been in production for several years), which became an international hit on the arthouse circuit. When the film was released in the U.S., an entire segment was removed from the prints to shorten the 3 hour running time. Criterion, who have previously released the film on VHS and LaserDisc, restores KWAIDAN to its uncut, full length glory on DVD.

Toho Studios used their great cache of stock actors (that they employed for their Samurai and Kaiju films). Rentaro (BEAST CAPITAL) Mikuni is the samurai who leaves his wife for fortune. Michiyo (SWORD OF DOOM) Aratama plays his young, beautiful wife. Tatsuya (RAN) Nakadai portrays a young foolish woodcutter who escapes death. Keiko (THE YAKUZA) Kishi is his cold wife, Yuki. Gamenon (BAND OF ASSASSINS) Nakamura is the guard who can see ghosts. Takashi (GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS) Shimura plays the elder Shinto priest. Katsuo (PLEASURES OF THE FLESH) Nakamura is the blind musician, Hoichi. Noboru (TIMESLIP) Nakaya is Heinai. And Kei (ZATOICHI’S CONSPIRACY) Sato is the Ghost Samurai who comes to claim Hoichi.

The Black Hair

An ambitious samurai (Rentaro Mikuni) abandons his young and faithful wife, for a loveless marriage in a prestigious family for money and position. His new wife is homely and shallow, and before long he dreams of reuniting with his attractive and understanding first wife. He leaves his second wife to reunite with his first one. When he is finally returns to his old home years later, the wife is grateful to have him back. But something is wrong—she hasn’t aged a day in the time that he was gone. They reconcile, but the rising of the sun brings about some shocking changes to his first wife!

The Woman of the Snow

During one of the worst blizzards ever in Japanese history, two woodcutters (an old master woodcutter and his young apprentice) are lost in a snow storm. They find shelter from the elements in a broken down dwelling. The young woodcutter (Tatsuya Nakadai) witnesses a female snow demon claim the life of his master. She turns to take the life of he who witnessed the murder, but shows compassion at the sight of the young man quivering with fear. She spares but warns him should he ever tell anyone about what he has witnessed, she will return to kill him. 10 years later, he is married to a beautiful young Japanese woman and they have three children together. One night, he pensively tells his beloved wife about the night he stared death in the face. Then he finds himself staring death in the face once more!

Hoichi the Earless

A bloody sea battle between the Genji and Heike clans sends both parties to an undersea tomb. Years later, the spirits of the Heike clan summon the services of a blind musician, Hoichi (Noboru Nakamura). They appreciate his talents with the biwa and other instruments, and plan to claim him as one of their own. When Hoichi’s Shinto priest superiors (led by Takashi Shimura) discover the situation, they cover his entire body with religious symbols to dispel the ghostly apparitions. Then they send him out to face the spirits down. But the priests forgot to cover young Hoichi’s ears with the religious symbols!

In a Cup of Tea

A samurai warrior (Ganemon Nakamura) guards rare items inside a well armed fortress. One day before his shift, he pours himself some tea and gazes down into the tea and sees not his own reflection, but a reflection of an insane stranger. When the samurai goes to work, a man materializes before him claiming to be the man in the teacup reflection. The job of the samurai is to attack any intruders who may be a threat, so he hacks away at the stranger, injuring him. The samurai chases him away and the man dematerializes into the wall. That night at the samurai’s home, three warriors come knocking on his door. They claim to be associates of the stranger, and taunt the samurai into dueling with them. The samurai is more than happy to take up their challenge. The problem is everytime he strikes them with his sword, the blade goes right through the men, without causing any visible harm!

KWAIDAN masterfully uses imagery, sound, lighting, color, artwork, and wild camera angles to great effect. All these factors combine together, conjuring images of the supernatural and the afterlife. Masaki Kobayashi perfectly combines the horrific visuals with the psychological elements. His masterful filmmaking skills draws the viewer into the world of medieval Japan. From the opening credit sequence where the swirling tendrils of colored ink float in liquid, to the samurai battles over the open sea, you know you are in for something special. Kobayashi delivers these period visuals with an almost psychedelic flair. The cinematography is artfully complicated and never-ending. Only in In a Cup of Tea do the visuals have a restrained, cramped look, perhaps to match the claustrophobic feel of that sequence. Kobayashi’s masterful compositions are skillfully crafted and intricately interwoven with the narratives. His camera movement is fluid and authorial, often using odd angles, and moving in bizarre and unexpected ways to convey the confusion of various characters when they are faced with their unbelievable circumstances. That such a film can deliver such complex visual schemes is incredible. Not since the early days of German expressionistic cinema has a filmmaker constructed set designs and camera angles that speak so profoundly.

KWAIDAN is nearly impossible to classify, and cannot be pigeonholed into a particular genre. Despite each sequence having an average runtime of forty-five minutes, each narrative progresses in such a way that the film never becomes boring. The plot of each story advances from one scene to the next in controlled increments, and each event is deliberately scoped. Even when something not particularly exciting is happening (like the few moments of romance), the motion picture always showcases lavish visuals. The subject matter is treated very seriously, though there are moments where the characters discover their grisly fates, and as a result, their faces take on a grayish tinge. The ghost and horror elements are superbly played up with a poetic mood; very atmospheric in their primeval depiction. There is very little blood in the movie, but plenty of ghostly images and situations. The special effects used in depicting the supernatural are creative and effective. Toho’s Kaiju Eiga are full of charming, but unconvincing special effects. Here, the effects are photographic in nature, and add another layer of realism to this unreal film. KWAIDAN is such a unique film that it demands multiple viewing to take it all in. And while uninitiated viewers may get impatient with the cultural orientation of the narrative, those that persevere will be rewarded in the end.

The only extra here is the original three-minute theatrical trailer with optional subtitles. The trailer is also 16x9 enhanced widescreen with DD Mono 1.0 sound. Strangely enough for a Criterion title, there are no other extras on the DVD, not even textual ones. However, the interior liner notes are fairly extensive, though.

- Tony Mustafa

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