Kwaidan (Criterion Collection) (US Version) DVD Region 1

Director Masaki Kobayashi invested five years of preparation before shooting this anthological adaptation of four tales of the supernatural by Lafcadio Hearn. The first, "Black Hair," stars Rentaro Mikuni as a poverty-stricken samurai who leaves his kind wife (Michiyo Aratama) to marry the daughter (Misako Watanabe) of a wealthy official. After years of misery with this woman he returns to his first wife to find a bitter surprise. In the second, "The Woman of the Snow," a woodcutter (Tatsuya Nakadai) and his brother take shelter from a snowstorm in a deserted hut. However, trouble arises when a strange woman (Keiko Kishi) appears. The third, "Hoichi the Earless," features a blind temple musician (Katsuo Nakamura), who is known for his mastery of the ballad of the Heike clan. A samurai ghost bids him sing the ballad at the Heike tomb, and Buddhist priests protect him by painting his body with a depiction of the sacred text. In the last tale, "In a Cup of Tea," a samurai (Ganemon Nakamura) famed for courage, has a recurring vision of the face of another samurai in his tea. Shot entirely on a soundstage to allow the director complete control of the film's palette, it's a stunning display of sensuous color, perfectly suited to these otherworldly tales of the macabre. Takemitsu's "musique concrete" score is eerily appropriate.

"The soundtrack is especially strong, mixing natural sounds, human noises and Takemitsu Toru's subtle, haunting score." - Kim, Newman (Sight And Sound Critic), Sight and Sound, 07/01/2006

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Product Title:	Kwaidan (Criterion Collection) (US Version) Kwaidan (Criterion Collection) (US Version) Kwaidan (Criterion Collection) (US Version) Kwaidan (Criterion Collection) (US Version) Kwaidan (Criterion Collection) (US Version)
Artist Name(s):	Nakadai Tatsuya (Actor) | Kishi Keiko (Actor) | Mikuni Rentaro (Actor) | Aratama Michiyo (Actor) | Nakamura Ganemon (Actor) | Nakamura Katsuo (Actor) 仲代 達矢 (Actor) | 岸惠子 (Actor) | 三國連太郎 (Actor) | 新珠三千代 (Actor) | Nakamura Ganemon (Actor) | 中村嘉葎雄 (Actor) 仲代 达矢 (Actor) | 岸惠子 (Actor) | 三国连太郎 (Actor) | 新珠叁千代 (Actor) | Nakamura Ganemon (Actor) | 中村嘉葎雄 (Actor) 仲代達矢 (Actor) | 岸恵子 (Actor) | 三国連太郎 (Actor) | 新珠三千代 (Actor) | 中村翫右衛門 (Actor) | 中村嘉葎雄 (Actor) Nakadai Tatsuya (Actor) | Kishi Keiko (Actor) | Mikuni Rentaro (Actor) | Aratama Michiyo (Actor) | Nakamura Ganemon (Actor) | Nakamura Katsuo (Actor)
Director:	Kobayashi Masaki 小林正樹 小林正树 小林正樹 Kobayashi Masaki
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Release Date:	2000-10-10
UPC Code:	037429152027
Language:	Japanese
Subtitles:	English
Country of Origin:	Japan
Picture Format:	NTSC What is it?
Aspect Ratio:	Letterboxed
Color Information:	Color
Disc Format(s):	DVD
Region Code:	1 - USA, Canada, U.S. Territories What is it?
Rating:	Not Rated
Publisher:	Criterion Collection
Package Weight:	113 (g)
Shipment Unit:	1 What is it?
YesAsia Catalog No.:	1005028032

Director: Masaki Kobayashi

DVD Features:

Notes: New and improved English subtitle translation

Region 1
Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.35
Single Side - Dual Layer
RSDL
Audio:
Dolby Digital Mono - Japanese
Subtitles - English - Optional
Additional Release Material:
Trailers - 1. Original Theatrical Trailer