Press Release Criterion Press Release: Onibaba (1964) (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

​

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 film
    
    Blu-ray cover illustration by Edward Kinsella (pictured); DVD cover by Lucien S. Y. Yang
    
    October 5, 2021

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Thank you for supporting HTF when you preorder using the link below. If you are using an adblocker you will not see link. As an Amazon Associate HTF earns from qualifying purchases