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Kuroneko (Kaneto Shindo, 1968)
Soon after being brutally raped and murdered by a troop of samurai, Yone and Sige (mother and daughter in law) are visited by a curious black cat. They return as ghosts and haunt the grates of Rajomon, getting their revenge by luring and seducing and then killing lone samurai in a way that is decidedly cat-like. A samurai is hired to take care of these two demons, but this samurai also happens to be their returning husband and son.
I can really appreciate a film that tells it's story by truly utilizing the medium it is on. Kuroneko does this. It's a solid story with some solid performances, but the true star of the show is the cinematography and production design. Specifically the home of the ghosts Yone and Sigue. With the first few samurai victims the home is idyllic, but once the husband/son arrives home the home is quickly invaded by a bamboo grove. In puffs of smoke and chilling moonlight bamboo suddenly comes through the floorboards, and the house seemingly splits apart, but then becomes whole again just as quickly. We are seeing reality coming through and breaking the ghostly illusion, and it's incredibly effective with this films masterful lighting and set design.
Kuroneko was surprisingly disturbing. The opening rape wasn't exactly graphic by todays standards, but the way the entire troop of samurai took part in it in a way that was so incredibly cold and emotionless... Soulless and just mindlessly shoveling rice down their throats each waiting their turn... It stuck with me. It was barbaric and disgusting, and it certainly made the revenge sweet. At first. What was interesting about this film's story was that it didn't really have a massive pay off, and I'm not saying that as a criticism. As we learn more about the circumstances regarding the two ghosts we are left with a bit of a melancholic taste in our mouths. The common peasants, the hapless women... these people had a pretty **** lives during the endless wars of this samurai era, and I think the hopelessness of this film's revenge reflects that.
In the end we get a pretty damn good piece of horror. Uneven, but hauntingly beautiful.
Soon after being brutally raped and murdered by a troop of samurai, Yone and Sige (mother and daughter in law) are visited by a curious black cat. They return as ghosts and haunt the grates of Rajomon, getting their revenge by luring and seducing and then killing lone samurai in a way that is decidedly cat-like. A samurai is hired to take care of these two demons, but this samurai also happens to be their returning husband and son.
I can really appreciate a film that tells it's story by truly utilizing the medium it is on. Kuroneko does this. It's a solid story with some solid performances, but the true star of the show is the cinematography and production design. Specifically the home of the ghosts Yone and Sigue. With the first few samurai victims the home is idyllic, but once the husband/son arrives home the home is quickly invaded by a bamboo grove. In puffs of smoke and chilling moonlight bamboo suddenly comes through the floorboards, and the house seemingly splits apart, but then becomes whole again just as quickly. We are seeing reality coming through and breaking the ghostly illusion, and it's incredibly effective with this films masterful lighting and set design.
Kuroneko was surprisingly disturbing. The opening rape wasn't exactly graphic by todays standards, but the way the entire troop of samurai took part in it in a way that was so incredibly cold and emotionless... Soulless and just mindlessly shoveling rice down their throats each waiting their turn... It stuck with me. It was barbaric and disgusting, and it certainly made the revenge sweet. At first. What was interesting about this film's story was that it didn't really have a massive pay off, and I'm not saying that as a criticism. As we learn more about the circumstances regarding the two ghosts we are left with a bit of a melancholic taste in our mouths. The common peasants, the hapless women... these people had a pretty **** lives during the endless wars of this samurai era, and I think the hopelessness of this film's revenge reflects that.
In the end we get a pretty damn good piece of horror. Uneven, but hauntingly beautiful.