MOVIE: JAPANESE ARTHOUSE 101: "KWAIDAN" (1965)

Cross-posted with LA & OC Weirdo Music & Art Forum

Part of the series Arthouse 101: Japanese Cinema

Dinner 5:30 TBD

Tickets: $9 https://thefridacinema.org/movies/kwaidan/

Trailer here

Director: Masaki Kobayashi Run Time: 183 min. Release Year: 1965

Language: Japanese

Starring: Kenjirō Ishiyama, Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe, Ranko Akagi, Rentaro Mikuni

Kicking off the August portion of our Arthouse 101: Japanese Cinema series is Kwaidan, director Masaki Kobayashi’s fascinating meditation on memory, regret, and the delicate boundary between the living and the dead.

Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning “ghost story,” this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai marries for money with tragic results. A man stranded in a blizzard is saved by Yuki the Snow Maiden, but his rescue comes at a cost. Blind musician Hoichi is forced to perform for an audience of ghosts. An author relates the story of a samurai who sees another warrior’s reflection in his teacup.

Arthouse 101: Japanese Cinema is a curated 12-film trip through the evolution of Japan—from the quiet post-war resilience of the 1940s all the way to the radical reinventions of the 1990s. Each Monday this July-September, we will explore a new facet of this incredible nation’s cinematic journey throughout the 20th century! All films will be presented in their original Japanese language with English subtitles!