Onibaba (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Great movie.

An impressively dark, brutalist take on medieval Japan, but the film delivers brilliant, moving cinematography in spite of the subject matter. Poverty laid bare for all to see the best, and worst of humanity's basest instincts. There's constant displays of love and passion interspersed with lust, jealousy, and hatred. The ending is packed with powerful visual art, and a transcendent horror that, for days, lingers with the viewer.

The general belief that the 1960's was the ground-zero for massive sociological upheaval is one that generally forgets that that decade was almost half over by the time it became the era we remember it for. Until Lee Harvey Oswald's starting rifle ushered in the Love and Napalm dynasty, the first part of the 60's was really a 1950's hangover. Roughly speaking, `The 60's' only kicked in when the Beatles Landed in America in '64 and ended when the American's landed on the moon five years later. (Were they trying to tell us something?) The so called permissive society emerged from the cultural turbulence of a `swinging London', a `flowered up' San Francisco and a burning Saigon and, as the history books would have it, appeared to challenge everything. Overt sexual, pharmaceutical and political references in entertainment became de rigor and everyone, it seemed, were cutting-edge pioneers at the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. Meanwhile on the other side of the planet, and away from `the world', it was just another day at the office for director Kaneto Shindo when he released his haunting sex/death opus Onibaba. Onibaba (`Demon Hag') is based on a Buddhist fable and tells the story of an old woman and her young daughter-in-law during 14th century feudal Japan (or 16th, or 17th depending on who's website you use to check these things) who live in a seemingly endless swamp of high reeds and survive by murdering lost or renegade Samurai warriors. They strip their victims of their armour to sell for food then dispose of the bodies in a deep dark ominous hole. One day a masked stranger is passing and forces the old woman to help him find his way to Kyoto. She asks him why he hides his face behind a creepy demon-Noh mask and he tells her that he is so beautiful it would blind her to look at him. She tricks him by leading him to the hole where he falls in. Her curiosity gets the better of her and she climbs down into the hole littered with her rotting victims to see the man's `beautiful face' which turns out to be more Robin Williams than Robbie Williams. Disappointed, she takes the mask and uses it to disguise herself as a demon to scare her daughter-in-law away from the door of a man she is having an illicit affair with and who, she believes, will run away and leave her alone to fend for herself. The plan backfires when the mask clings to her face turning her into the demon she pretends to be. The hole is the key element here and is a constant presence throughout the film and seems to represent both the womb and the crypt; the entrance at which life and death pass each other to and from this world and the next. The old woman's desperate venture into the hole for a glimpse of beauty mirrors her hope that perhaps there is still some vestige of beauty within her. Her discovery reveals there isn't, thus setting in motion her `girl who cried demon' comeuppance. Onibaba's psychosexual symbolism and nudity is treated in an offhand manner, unlike western movies of the period which would, if only they could, have turned this into the films primary selling point. Onibaba rendered the `progressive free West' way behind the game in terms of what was `happening' in an age where taboos were supposed to have been broken every ten minutes. Onibaba was immediately banned on its release in the U.K and only given an `X' certificate in 1968 with cuts. It would be 1994 before we were considered grown up enough to see the uncut version. So much for the `let it all hang out' generation's brave new world.

The screams of the demons that lie dormant in our actions can't be silenced by the comforts of sleep... Your nightmare will surface ONIBABA--Devil Woman Like a good ghost story? They don't get no better than this! This explores the bottomless depths of human morality. A mother and her daughter-in-law are forced to scrounge for survival. In desperation they murder lost samurai and dump their bodies down a deep mysterious hole in the field. This hole seems to be metaphorical for hell, or purgatory. Very much a holding place for their sins. When their neighbor returns home from battle, he presents a whole new problem. They soon get swallowed in a vortex of deception, betrayal, lust, and greed. This is a mesmerizing and chilling tale. Extremely well-written and acted. It has some great philisophical and spiritual statements to ponder. Some dark eroticism to tempt any urges of the flesh. Lots of stark images that will penetrate and absorb into the murky unexplored confines of your imagination. Seriously, they flat out can't make 'em like this anymore. Highly recommended.

Great movie. They don’t make them like this anymore.

This Japanese, War-Torn, Forbidden Horror, is Outstanding! The Texture in this movie is Crisp. The Raw Human Emotions run Wild. In a isolated Terrain, the Fear of Demons, fill a young Girls Nightmares. When Shelter, Water and Food are a Constant Battle. The Ending I thought at First was Vague, but after minutes after Watching it, the End Could Not have Been More Terrifying. Enjoy this Simple, But Rich, Step back into Time, to a Truly, Realistic Horrific Nightmare in the middle of Nowhere!

𝑰'𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒏! 𝑰'𝒎 𝒂 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈! Onibaba, is a 1964 Japanese historical drama and horror film written and directed by Kaneto Shindō. While her son, Kichi, is away at war, a woman and her daughter-in-law survive by killing samurai who stray into their swamp, then selling whatever valuables they find. Both are devastated when they learn that Kichi has died, but his wife soon begins an affair with a neighbor who survived the war, Hachi. The mother disapproves and, when she can't steal Hachi for herself, tries to scare her daughter-in-law with a mysterious mask from a dead samurai. Suggested by a brief reference to General Takauji Ashikaga, 𝑶𝒏𝒊𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒂 is informed by the political climate of the Nanboku-cho period, which spanned from 1336 to 1392. During this time two imperial courts were at war with one another - the northern led by Ashikaga and the southern by Emperor Go-Daigo - with the south eventually surrendering in 1392; Institutional changes in the contemporary estate system that developed during this time impacted the income of firstly nobles and those of the warrior class, eventually altering the status of extraneous social groups; this is reflected namely in the emergence of 𝒔𝒉𝒖𝒈𝒐 contracts, which allowed for the ownership of property in exchange for military service, adding some amount of fanfare to Hachi’s (likely) economic status when compared to Kichi’s surviving relatives. Said relatives, who remain unnamed, though allowed rights to inheritance and property, subsequently come from a period in which they would have been expected to defend their homes during periods of war, much less one another. Though born after the Nanboku-cho period concluded, many Buddist parables are derived from the writings of the Second Founder of Shin Buddishm, Rennyo Shonin; a large part of Rennyo’s lasting appeal has been in his otherwise unorthodox stance concerning women, namely in terms of their capacity when it comes to spiritual salvation. A large part of his writings were consolidated as plays so as to utilize an innovative way to propagate Buddhist principles, naturally incooporating performers that would wear masks associated with specific emotions and dynamics; specific to 𝑶𝒏𝒊𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒂 is the ongoing presence of the Hannya mask, which is a tangible representation of envy and jealousy that changes according to the degree to which they are felt by female characters. One such parable, entitled ‘𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒍 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒓-𝒊𝒏-𝑳𝒂𝒘 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏’ begins with the lives of a mother-in-law (Unnamed) and wife (‘Kiyo’) being thrown into disarray after an unnamed Samurai becomes ill and dies, though contextually speaking this may be all it has in common with 𝑶𝒏𝒊𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒂. Comforted by Rennyo’s teachings following the death of her husband, Kiyo comes to accept the difficulties of providing for her family as a widow, and to a significant extent becomes grounded in her faith; Kiyo’s resilience triggers her mother-in-law through an array of spiteful actions, which includes using a Hannya mask in an attempt to scare Kiyo away from the Yoshizaki temple she frequents, though ultimately in vain. Disregarding its sexual elements (And with it, the drama that Hachi’s occupancy causes) 𝑶𝒏𝒊𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒂 is only similarly centered by the overarching impact of resignation, though grief extends as an element deserving of deeper analysis at another given time; more important is its framing of the mother’s schemes as a matter of survival, with Shindō’s screenplay spotlighting a sense of camaraderie that is potentially being betrayed by Kichi’s widow. Consequently, the mother-in-laws ‘new face’ is implicated as more in line with an emotional sequelae following a very personal loss, more than the result of purely character flaws driving malicious behavior; with work one can see how the hole maintained in the ground by 𝑶𝒏𝒊𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒂’s primary couple with the intent of hunting unsuspecting prey pales in comparison to the one created by the recently deceased family member in an unsuspecting mother’s heart. Going further, 𝑶𝒏𝒊𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒂 is just as much informed by its more immediate social context, the bombing of Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945 and its effect on Shindō’s upbringing. Born on April 22nd, 1912 in Hiroshima prefecture, he was born to a pair of wealthy landowners, but their influence didn’t last long; his father went bankrupt shortly after deciding to act as a loan guarantor, and this was soon followed by the death of his mother. One of his sisters became employed as a nurse whose primary duties involved caring for survivors of the atomic bombing, adding further to his acute awareness of the repercussions of armed conflict. Subsequently, 𝑶𝒏𝒊𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒂 is careful not to glamorize brutality whilst recognizing the fatuous traits it inevitably inspires in both the mother-in-law and one other character (Another samurai, who is physically affected by the Hannya mask as well) as their undoing across a hellscape of poverty and isolation; this is further compounded with an absence of vigilante justice and concealment from leaders that should want better for the citizens they oversee. 𝑶𝒏𝒊𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒂 ends mere feet from where it begins: Kichi’s mother giving chase to her daughter-in-law in a frenzy of desperation, their leaps over the very hole previously needed to persevere encapsulating some sense of karmatic empathy amongst the drama. Needless to say, this isn’t just a period drama defined by bitterness or scandal, much less the damage that can transpire following various departures from what is right, expected, or proper; 𝑶𝒏𝒊𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒂 is just as much an indictment of judgment as it is provocation of it, giving heed to the faces people make in private and take upon themselves.

For plot details please see the other reviews. Captivating, sensual, interesting. Many people have said this is a "horror" film, but I disagree entirely. The main aspect which might be construed as horror is the use of a mask which has unintended negative effects for the wearer. But we know it's a mask at the onset because the character says so. No, this is not a horror film, it is a story of survival and uncontainable, raw human instincts---the two women characters have to do what is necessary to survive dreadful conditions. Yet even when living at bare subsistence level, lust comes to the forefront soon enough, and it must be satisfied. The cinematography is superb, with incredible scenes dominated by shadows and barely lit faces. This type of subject and plot could not have been as effective in color. The acting by the three main characters, Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura, and Kel Sato was superb and flawless---it was a feast just looking at their faces and the many nuances of expression. Incredible B&W film worth 5 stars, with a caveat as indicated in the title of this review.

If you like Japanese Culture, this movie is a classic. High definition digital restoration. Criterion Collection are all high quality DVD

Un PELÍCULON en la que se inspiraron la cara del demonio de el exorcista, una lastima que este en V.O

[Vorsicht, sehr starke Spoiler!] Man ist geneigt, der alten Frau (Nobuko Otawa – sie war zum Zeitpunkt des Drehs allerdings erst 40 Jahre alt) ihre Worte zu glauben, mit der sie den geheimnisvollen Maskenkrieger dazu bewegen will, seine Larve abzunehmen, nachdem dieser zuvor damit geprahlt hatte, er trage sie, um seine besondere Schönheit vor Kriegsverletzungen zu schützen – denn das Leben, das in Kaneto Shindôs Film „Onibaba“ (1964) beschrieben wird, ist alles andere als schön, wenngleich – und das ist das Paradoxe an der Schönheit – dem Werk selbst ein schauderhafter Zauber innewohnt, der es dem Betrachter wohl unvergeßlich werden lassen dürfte. Wie gesagt, schön ist sie nicht, die Welt des 14. Jahrhunderts in Japan, denn das gesamte Land ist von immerwährendem Bürgerkrieg gezeichnet. Die meisten Bauern haben, zum Kriegsdienst gepreßt, ihre Felder verlassen, so daß auch die alltägliche Nahrung mittlerweile knapp geworden ist. In dieser Welt fristen eine ältere Frau und ihre Schwiegertochter (Jitsuko Yoshimura) ihr kärgliches Dasein, indem sie versprengte und verwundete Samurai aus dem Hinterhalt – das Schilffeld, das wir während des Filmes so gut wie nie verlassen, gewährt ihnen dabei Deckung – töten und ihre Habe bei dem verschlagenen Wucherer Ushi (Taiji Tonoyama) gegen Hirse eintauschen. Die Leichen der Gemeuchelten werfen die beiden Frauen in ein finsteres Loch, das mitten im Schilffeld im Boden klafft. Routiniertes und emotionsloses Töten, um danach und dadurch buchstäblich von der Hand in den Mund – wie gierige Tiere schlingen die zwei Frauen ihren Hirsebrei herunter – zu leben und anschließend erschöpft einzuschlafen. Dieses Leben ist auf die niedersten Triebe und Notwendigkeiten reduziert, und allein in der Hoffnung auf die Rückkehr des Sohnes bzw. des Ehemannes Kichi– bezeichnenderweise hat dieser im Film nie auftauchende Mensch einen Namen, die zwei Frauen hingegen nicht – manifestiert sich etwas, das über den Kampf des Alltags hinausweist und die zwei nach vorn blicken läßt. Eines Tages allerdings kehrt der Nachbar Hachi (Kei Satô) aus dem Krieg zurück. Er ist, zusammen mit Kichi desertiert, doch sein Freund wurde – so Hachi – von wütenden Bauern beim Stehlen erwischt und erschlagen. Die Hoffnungen der beiden Frauen sind somit erloschen, und bei der Älteren keimt auch ein böser Verdacht auf: Spricht Hachi die Wahrheit? Lebt Kichi nicht vielleicht doch noch, oder wurde er nicht von Bauern, sondern von Hachi getötet? Unterdessen versucht Hachi, mit den beiden Frauen beim Töten gemeinsame Sache zu machen, doch vor allen Dingen die Mutter lehnt eine Zusammenarbeit ab, fürchtet sie doch, daß Hachi ihr die Schwiegertochter abspenstig machen könnte. Diese aber benötigt sie, um weiterhin dem Geschäft des Tötens nachgehen und sich selbst dadurch am Leben erhalten zu können. Dies ist ein weiterer Zug der Trostlosigkeit, die das Dasein der Menschen in „Onibaba“ begleitet: Soziale Beziehungen sind gänzlich utilitaristischen Erwägungen untergeordnet angesichts der Not, in der die Menschen vegetieren. Hachi fühlt sich denn auch alsbald sexuell zu der jüngeren der beiden Frauen hingezogen, und auch die junge Witwe spürt fleischliche Lüste in sich aufkeimen und schickt sich an, des Nachts, vermeintlich unbemerkt von der Alten, das Lager mit Hachi zu teilen. Daraufhin schmiedet die Mutter einen verhängnisvollen Plan. „Onibaba“ ist ein Film, der auf der einen Seite einen unverstellten, geradezu zynischen-materialistischen Blick in die Lebensbedingungen vom Kriege gezeichneter Menschen tut, sich dabei andererseits aber einer überwältigenden Bildersprache bedient, die manchmal freilich auch mit schwarzem Humor einhergeht. Dominiert wird der Film von den Bildern des Schilffeldes, das den Frauen sowohl Schutz für ihr finsteres Treiben gibt, dabei indes auch ein Symbol für die Verwilderung des Landes infolge des Krieges ist: Viele Höfe sind verlassen, und die Natur erobert oberflächlich kultiviertes Terrain zurück – ein Vorgang, den man auch in die Psyche der Figuren verlegen kann. Liegt die junge Frau nachts auf ihrer Strohmatte und wartet darauf, daß die alte endlich einschlafe, damit sie sich heimlich zu Hachi aufmachen könne, dann scheinen ihr die sich im Wind wiegenden Schilfwipfel draußen ungeduldig zuzuwinken, ihren Trieben nachzukommen. Auch das Loch, in dem die zwei Mörderinnen ihre Opfer verschwinden lassen, hat vielerlei symbolische Bedeutungen. Manche sind in ihrer freudianischen Einfachheit kaum ernstzunehmen, etwa wenn Hachi schweißdurchnäßt nach einem langen Lauf durch das Schilf vor dem Loch stehenbleibt und in die dort unten harrende Kamera hineinruft: „I want a woman!“ In anderen Kontexten steht das Loch für eine Barriere, die man überwinden muß, um sich aus seinem bisherigen Leben zu befreien, wie etwa am Ende, wenn die alte Frau [1] mit den Worten „I am not a demon. I am … human“ über das Loch springt und der Film abrupt mit ihr in der Luft endet. Wird sie den Sprung zurück in die Menschlichkeit schaffen oder aber im Loch zu den anderen Leichen verschwinden? Der Zuschauer bleibt im ungewissen. „Onibaba“ ist allerdings nicht nur ein Film über die Verwilderung des Menschen in Zeiten der Not, über seine Reduzierung auf tierische Triebe – man beachte nur die Mahlzeiten der beiden Frauen, bei denen sie wortlos ihre Nahrung hinunterschlingen –, sondern auch ein Film über den Krieg, den wir jedoch stets nur aus der Ferne, der Perspektive der zwei Frauen, sehen. Da gibt es die Ausbeuter, die durch den Krieg ihre Gewinne einstreichen, wie etwa den häßlichen Ushi, der die ältere der beiden Frauen sogar zur Prostitution – für einen weiteren Sack Hirse – überreden will. Auf seine geäußerte Befürchtung, daß es mit dem Ende des Krieges mit seinem guten Leben vorbei sein könnte, antwortet Hachi kaltschnäuzig: „They’ll carry on till the country is ruined. It’s a business with them.“ Der hochrangige Krieger mit der Hannya-Maske ist in diesem Zusammenhang auch als Versinnbildlichung des Krieges zu lesen, denn unter der furchteinflößenden Maske verbirgt sich nicht etwa besondere Schönheit, wie er der alten Frau sagt, sondern ein von Krankheit zerfressenes Gesicht. Zum einen mag hierin eine Anspielung auf die Strahlenopfer des Atombombenabwurfes bestehen,[2] doch kann man in dieser Fratze auch eine Anklage gegen die korrupten Eliten sehen, die aus dem Krieg ein schäbiges, aber einträgliches Geschäft gemacht haben. Letzteres wird noch durch die Worte der alten Frau unterstrichen, die, über die Leiche des Samurai gebeugt sagt, er habe Männer wie ihren Sohn in den Tod geschickt, und nun habe der Tod endlich auch ihn ereilt. Die Folgen des Krieges haben aber auch die Frau zu einem bösen Dämon werden und sie zu Mitteln wie Täuschung und Mord greifen lassen, und ob es ihr gelingt, sich aus ihren moralischen Verstrickungen zu befreien, ist eine Frage, mit der Shindô den Zuschauer entläßt. Rezensiert wurde „Onibaba“ auf Grundlage der sehr hochwertigen Ausgabe des Labels „Eureka! – The Masters of Cinema Series“, die den Film sowohl auf DVD als auch auf BR bietet. Filmsprache ist Japanisch mit ausblendbaren englischen Untertiteln. Als Dreingabe gibt es unter anderem eine Audiokommentarspur seitens des Regisseurs und der Schauspieler Kei Satô und Jitsuko Yoshimura sowie eine Einleitung durch den britischen Filmkritiker Alex Cox. Bild- und Tonqualität – letztere besonders wichtig wegen des unheilvollen Soundtracks, der die Bilder des wogenden Schilfmeeres eindrucksvoll mit unterschiedlichen Stimmungen unterlegt – sind tadellos. Auch das sehr umfangreiche Booklet, das Hintergrundinformationen zum Film und der von ihm erzählten Geschichte liefert, ist erwähnenswert. [1] Sie hat den Maskenkrieger in einen Hinterhalt gelockt und dessen Dämonenmaske gelüftet, unter der allerdings nur ein von Lepra entstelltes Gesicht zum Vorschein kam. Um ihre Schwiegertochter daran zu hindern, nachts weiterhin zu Hachi zu gehen, benutzt sie die Dämonenmaske, mit der sie die junge Frau erschreckt. Allerdings kann sie diese Maske schließlich nicht mehr absetzen, und als sie und ihre Schwiegertochter dies schließlich mit Gewalt versuchen, sehen Zuschauer und die junge Frau, daß die Züge der Alten ähnlich leprös zerfressen sind wie das des Kriegers. In Panik flieht die junge Frau durch das Schilf, und die Mutter läuft ihr hinterher, unwissend über ihre eigene Entstellung. [2] Immerhin war der in Hiroshima geborene Shindô einer der ersten Regisseure, der 1952 mit „Kinder von Hiroshima“ die Folgen des Atombombenabwurfes auf die Leinwand brachte.

I have watched a lot of Japanese movies this year. Most of them are either Samurai films or based upon those ancient times. These films have led me off course to some truly unique movies, one of the most memorable is Onibaba. An experience that I'm pretty sure I'll never ever forget. Onibaba is a film directed by Kaneto Shindo. Released through the Toho brand and produced by the Tokyo Eiga and Kindai Eiga Kyokai companies in 1964, this film has more than enough to put people on edge. The film stars two women Nobuko Otowa and Jitsuko Yoshimura with Kei Sato playing the man who comes between them. The story is about the two women previously mentioned. They are at the point of starving in their run down hut. The only means of acquiring food is to kill fleeing Samurai in their local tall grass and sell his equipment to some shoddy dealer. Kei Sato's character has been off fighting with the older woman's son and the younger's husband. He quickly becomes obsessively infatuated with the young lady and they soon become inseparable. The old woman doesn't like the idea and does everything in her power to keep them apart. The story is very dramatic, to say the least. The couple in love are very convincing in their lusting for each other and the hatred coming from the "Old Woman" is superbly done. The movie is fairly simple taking place in a large grass field with two huts at either side. The way the director managed to make such an intense movie over such a small space is impressive. The tension that starts to creep into the film becomes down right horrific by the end and I love it for it's simplicity. This is one of those movies that leaves information out and lets you patch it up with your own imagination. I felt a bit surprised by the sudden end, but it certainly kept me thinking when it was well and truly done. Some people might not like that but I thought it was great, if not a bit surprising. Onibaba is also quite a visual masterpiece, in my opinion. This Eureka! print has very little damage to it and looks pretty sharp through out. This impressive image quality really helps bring out the artistry in the visuals. Despite the fact the majority of the film takes place in a large grassy field, the images they managed to put on film are absolutely stunning. The way the wind catches all the tall vegetation as it moves in the wind never got old. Add some rain, a little blood and the occasional river scene and you have a fairly impressive looking movie. This film might not be what some people expect. It seems to be considered more of a horror movie to some rather than a drama. But I would most definitely consider it more of the latter. The end does have a good bit of horror in it but those looking for an entire film like that will be disappointed. Me, I rather enjoyed this movie. I thought it was very memorable in a lot of ways and I would definitely recommend it if you're into this sort of thing. It's a very fine print of the film, one that should do me for a long time.

Case completely shattered when arrived. very annoying because these criterion releases aren't cheap.