Kwaidan
Seen it?1965 | 183 min | Horror, Fantasy, Drama
Saturday SpecialWhy it’s a Saturday Special
Critics loved it (91% on Rotten Tomatoes) and it's still drawing plenty of interest. A strong pick for the weekend.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for horror fans and fantasy fans. If you loved Nosferatu, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Scary.
- The pace
- Unhurried and epic, at 3 hr 3 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated PG-13: scary moments and peril. Probably too much for younger kids.
- It's long: 3 hr 3 min.
- It's in Japanese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
- Made in 1965: an older pace and style.
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
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.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
91% on Rotten Tomatoes
- AudiencesSolid
7.7 out of 10
- AwardsSolid
Won 1 Cannes award: Cannes Film Festival: Best Foreign Language Film. Also nominated for 1 Oscar. Plus 2 other awards.
- Reach & staying powerSolid
Streaming release that reached a modest audience; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactStrong
About 146K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Masaki Kobayashi
- Michiyo AratamaFirst Wife (segment "The Black Hair")
- Rentaro MikuniHusband (segment "The Black Hair")
- Misako WatanabeSecond Wife (segment "The Black Hair")
- Kenjirō IshiyamaFather (segment "The Black Hair")
- Ranko AkagiMother (segment "The Black Hair")
- Fumie Kitahara(segment "The Black Hair")
- Kappei Matsumoto(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)
- Yoshiko Ieda(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)
- Otome Tsukimiya(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)
- Kenzō Tanaka(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)