Kwaidan (Masaki Kobayashi, 1964)

Kwaidan (Masaki Kobayashi, 1964)
Rating: 9.3

Kobayashi directs an anthology of four Japanese folk tales and ghost stories that predate the J-horror phenomenon, but share many of it's elements including psychological tension rather than gore and an infatuation with the spirit world. Apparently at the time it was made Kwaidan was the most expensive film in the history of Japanese cinema. The lavish production is truly beautiful to look at, although I think the color photography and expressionistic sets both compliment and hinder the film in certain respects. The look lends a surreal supernatural fairy-tale feel, but on the other hand there is an obvious artificiality that takes me out of it at times, especially during exterior sequences. The cinematography and sound design are the two most impressive aspects of the film in my opinion. The music really sets the mood throughout, and the sound effects correlate with the pacing and rhythmic editing. Several instances employ an interesting technique where the diegetic sounds such as the screams of the characters and other foley are muted as eerie echoing sounds are put in place, representing the presence of the spirit. The four tales include "The Black Hair," "The Woman of the Snow," "Hoichi the Earless," and "In a Cup of Tea." "Hoichi The Earless" serves as the centerpiece and most elaborate with a duration almost double that of the other three. The opening montage juxtaposes images of painting of a sea battle with reenactments of it taking place. This sequence in particular reminded me of what graphic novel adapatations today like 300 are trying to do.