Now shipping: Onibaba (Criterion) region 1

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from Disc Emporium:

Japanese Cinema / Criterion Collection
Direction: Kaneto Shindo

Deep within the wind-swept marshes of war-torn medieval Japan, an impoverished mother and her daughter-in-law eke out a lonely, desperate existence.

Forced to murder lost samurai and sell their belongings for grain, they dump the corpses down a deep, dark hole and live off of their meager spoils. When a bedraggled neighbor returns from the skirmishes, lust, jealousy, and rage threaten to destroy the trio’s tenuous existence, before an ominous, ill-gotten demon mask seals the trio’s horrifying fate.

Driven by primal emotions, dark eroticism, a frenzied score by Hikaru Hayashi, and stunning images both lyrical and macabre, Kaneto Shindo’s chilling folktale Onibaba is a singular cinematic experience.

Features: English sub-titles . B&W . New video interview with writer/director Kaneto Shindo; Rare super-8 black & white and color footage provided by actor Kei Sato, shot on location during the filming of Onibaba; Original trailer; Stills gallery featuring production sketches and promotional art; Rare English translation of the original short Buddhist fable that inspired the film; Filmmaker’s statement from writer/director Kaneto Shindo.