Belladonna of Sadness
Seen it?1973 | 87 min | Animation, Drama, Fantasy
Saturday SpecialWhy it’s a Saturday Special
It earned strong reviews (90% 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 fantasy fans and animation lovers. If you loved Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Emotional (bring tissues), feel-good.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 27 min.
- What might put you off
- No age rating on record, so check it first for young kids.
- It's in Japanese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
- Made in 1973: an older pace and style.
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
An evil feudal lord rapes a village girl on her wedding night and proceeds to ruin her and her husband's lives. After she's eventually banished from her village, the girl makes a pact with the devil to gain magical ability and take revenge.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
90% on Rotten Tomatoes, 70 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
7.4 out of 10
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Reach & staying powerSolid
Streaming release that reached a modest audience; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactStrong
About 123K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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The Pianist Friday Night FlickAnother critically acclaimed drama.
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Cast & crew
Directed by Eiichi Yamamoto
- Aiko NagayamaJeanne / Belladonna (voice)
- Takao ItōJean (voice)
- Tatsuya NakadaiThe Devil (voice)
- Masaya TakahashiThe Lord (voice)
- Shigako ShimegiThe Lord's Mistress (voice)
- Masakane YonekuraThe Priest (voice)
- Natsuka YashiroThe Witch (voice)