Kwaidan (DVD) Criterion Collection 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 pove...
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.
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Director: Masaki Kobayashi
Short Night of Glass Dolls (DVD)
Jean Sorel (LIZARD IN A WOMAN`S SKIN) stars in this inventive Italian shocker, part of Anchor Bay`s GIALLO COLLECTION, which contains a number of the grisly Italian murder mysteries of the 1960s and 1970s known as giallos. Here, Mr. Sorel plays Gregory Moore, a reporter who is found dead in the film`s opening scene. However, though his body shows no signs of life, Gregory is actually alive and struggling to recall who or what has led him to the brink of death. Recalling how the disappearance of his girlfriend led him into an appalling and shadowy conspiracy, Gregory struggles to solve the mystery before his mind becomes as still as his body. An original and involving thriller that features an outstanding Ennio Morricone score, SHORT NIGHT OF GLASS DOLLS is an entertaining and enthralling giallo.NR"
Director: Aldo Lado
ACTORS: Jean Sorel, Ingrid Thulin, Barbara Bach, Mario Adorf
The Wounded (DVD)
A group of youths take survival lessons from a prison counselor when the murder rate in their neighborhood reaches a high of six per day. When the counselor, Taka, decides to test their newly acquired skills at a remote forest retreat, the group comes face to face with a death cult. The cult`s leader kidnaps Taka and some of the other youths and the remaining few are now forced to apply their new survival tactics in order to stay alive.NR"
Director: John Azpilicueta
ACTORS: Lombardo Boyar, Sammy Rotibi, Andrew Johnson
Evensong (VHS)
This feature film from 1934 stars Evelyn Laye and Conchita Supervia and includes songs and excerpts from La Cenerentola, La Boheme and La Traviata.NR"
ACTORS: Evelyn Laye
Everyday is Valentine (DVD)
Pop star Leon Lai stars in this Romantic comedy as Ok, a pathological liar who will say anything to women to get a date. When he meets Wonderful, a young woman who`s tired of lying jerks, he wins her over by pretending to be rich. However, when she discovers his ruse, Ok finds himself trying to change his ways in order to win her back.NR"
Director: Wong Jing
