|
A group of Samurai warriors come across a humble wooden house
at the edge of a small, dark wood of bamboo trees. Hungry,
they steal the food from the young woman and her mother-in-law
inside, before raping and killing them. They burn the house
to the ground as they leave. Revived and possessed by a cat
spirit they are forced to take a vow to take their revenge
on all Samurai. The young woman begins a ritual of asking
a lone Samurai to guide her through the wood, and then inviting
him back to their abode which stands on the same site as their
old home. His throat is then savagely ripped out by her teeth,
almost vampire-like. A young man who was taken from his homeland
and made to fight in a war, accounts for himself well in battle,
thinking only of returning home. He returns a proud Samurai
warrior, only to find his home destroyed and his wife and
mother-in-law missing. His warlord orders him to track down
the 'monster' killing Samurai; however, he discovers only
two women who resemble his loved ones. His wife refuses to
kill him, but a curse can not be broken that easily...
The
DVD release of Kuroneko has ridden in on the back of
a wave of recent popular Japanese horror films. For several
reasons it just doesn't fit. First of all, it's a black and
white movie which dates back to 1968. Although the story is
loosely based on a Japanese folktale (The Cat's Return)
like a couple of recent films, the style is completely different.
It doesn't follow a grand cinematic format at all, but rather
a low-key stage play. In fact, much of the screenplay is studiobound,
and only really spreads its wings for one short sequence when
our hero is being chased through marshland by a huge and fearsome
warrior with a club of nails. The remainder uses light and
shadow to create a claustrophobic atmosphere that doesn't
so much create suspense as bore you with repeated sequences.
This DVD is one of the "Masters of Cinema" series
of so-called classic films from around the world. Director
Kaneto Shindo's earlier film Onibaba from 1964 apparently
proved successful overseas, which was why he returned to a
similar structure. Not having seen the film myself I can't
comment on it's merit, but it's interesting to note that Fritz
Lang's excellent Metropolis is included in this same
"Masters" series. He, perhaps more than most, proves
by his films that releases can range from the timeless classic
to the plain tedious. Therefore, maybe Shindo's earlier film
is better, because this is nothing special.
Imagine traditional East Asian theatre and that's pretty much
the style. Even Hikaru Hayashi's so-called vibrant music is
a monotonous noise of bongo-type beats which echo as if he's
playing them just out of shot on a small stage.
Personally,
I found Kuroneko quite slow and restrictive, but for
anyone wanting it for their collection the film print is good,
and there's a nice 24-page glossy booklet containing an essay
on the film and an interview with the director.
Ty
Power
Buy
this item online
We
compare prices online so you get the cheapest
deal!
Click on the logo of the desired store below
to purchase this item.
|
|
|
£14.99
(Amazon.co.uk) |
| |
|
|
|
£14.99
(Moviemail-online.co.uk) |
All prices correct at time of going to press.
|
|
