Deep in the windswept marshes of war-torn medieval Japan, an impoverished older woman and her daughter-in-law murder lost samurai and sell their belongings for the most meager of sustenance. When a bedraggled neighbor returns from battle, lust, jealousy, and rage threaten to destroy the trio’s tenuous existence, before an ominous, ill-gotten demon mask seals their horrifying fate. Driven by primal emotions, dark eroticism, a frenzied score by Hikaru Hayashi, and stunning images both lyrical and macabre, the chilling folktale Onibaba by Kaneto Shindo conjures a nightmarish vision of humankind’s deepest desires and impulses.
FILM INFO
- Japan
- 1964
- 102 minutes
- Black & White
- 2.39:1
- Japanese
- Spine #226
SPECIAL FEATURES
- On the Blu-ray: Restored high-definition transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- On the DVD: High-definition digital transfer, with restored image and sound and enhanced for widescreen televisions
- Audio commentary from 2001 featuring director Kaneto Shindo and actors Kei Sato and Jitsuko Yoshimura (Blu-ray only)
- Interview from 2003 with Shindo
- On-location footage shot by Sato
- Trailer
- Stills gallery featuring production sketches and promotional art (DVD only)
- Filmmaker’s statement from writer/director Kaneto Shindo
- English subtitle translation
- Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition (DVD only)
- PLUS: An essay by film critic Elena Lazic (Blu-ray only), a 2001 director’s statement by Shindo, and a version of the Buddhist fable that inspired the filmÂ
