Onibaba
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| Onibaba | |
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 Italian poster for Onibaba |
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| Directed by | Kaneto Shindo |
| Produced by | Toshio Konya |
| Written by | Kaneto Shindo |
| Starring | Nobuko Otowa Jitsuko Yoshimura Kei Sato |
| Music by | Hikaru Hayashi Tetsuya Ohashi |
| Cinematography | Kiyomi Kuroda |
| Editing by | Toshio Enoki |
| Release date(s) |  Nov 21, 1964 |
| Running time | 103 min. |
| Language | Japanese |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Onibaba (鬼婆?) (1964) is a Japanese horror film based on a Buddhist parable. Directed by Kaneto Shindo, the film is set in rural Japan in the fourteenth century and features Nobuko Otowa and Jitsuko Yoshimura as a woman and her daughter-in-law who lure passing samurai to their death in a deep pit and rob them of their goods.
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[edit] Story
During the Nanboku-chō period a woman (Nobuko Otowa) and her daughter-in-law (Jitsuko Yoshimura) live in a small hut in a susuki grass swamp. They make a living by killing samurai, disposing of their bodies in a deep pit and selling their armor and weapons.
The daughter-in-law begins a relationship with a man who lives nearby (Kei Sato), and sneaks out to visit him at night. Her mother-in-law tries to end the relationship by playing on the younger woman's fears of ghosts and punishment for sins of the flesh. She does this by pretending to be a demon: donning a mask obtained from a samurai she has lured to his doom in the death pit. However the plan goes awry when she discovers to her horror that the demon-mask is stuck to her face and is impossible to remove. She pleads with the youger woman to help take it off, promising not to disturb them again. Reluctantly the younger woman takes out an axe and chops it off, revealing the older woman's now ravaged features, similar to that of other victims glimpsed during the film.
Onibaba is notable for its raw sensuality, demonstrated by the basic carnal desires of the protagonists and symbolised by its setting amid a sea of waving susuki grass in the oppressive heat of mid-summer. Also notable is the taiko drum soundtrack and the grisly conclusion.
[edit] Production
According to a Criterion Collection documentary, Kaneto Shindo said he wanted to film Onibaba in a field of susuki grass, however there were very few fields of susuki grass at the time so Kaneto Shindo sent out assistant directors to find suitable locations.[1] Once a location was found near a river bank, they built several houses to live in. They had a rule that if somebody left they would not get any pay, so it kept the crew motivated to continue. The crew could only film at daylight, because during the night hours the riverbank would overflow so crabs would infect the area, and that insects invaded locations during night also. So to film night scenes inside the tent the characters lived in they would put up screens to block the sun, and changing the shot would require setting the screens in a completely different spot.[2]
Onibaba's score was done by Hikaru Hayashi and notably includes a Taiko drum soundtrack, and the natural sounds of pigeons chirping, resulting in a frenzied soundtrack.[3]
The film makes use of rapid editing and slow motion, often at distorted or strange angles.
[edit] Distribution
It was released on DVD March 16, 2004 for the Criterion Collection.[4][5]
[edit] Reception
Reaction to Onibaba remains mixed. Matt Cale, a reviewer for Ruthlessreviews.com, said: "Based on my initial, purely gut reaction, Onibaba is a visual masterpiece, but also the sort of story that contains layer after layer of insight. I wouldn’t argue that I understood everything after one viewing, but I’m so intrigued that I want to read more reviews, scan a few clips, and even revisit the film in its entirety. It’s the sort of film made for contemplation; so mysterious and so blissfully unconcerned with immediate gratification that I have no doubt it will begin the slow climb up the list of films near and dear to my heart."[6] Members of Variety opened their review with: "Raw fare is sometimes high adventure and exciting, at other times dull in its so-called symbolism. Too often, it turns out to be a pot-pourri of ravenous eating and blatant sex",[7] refering to the films violence and sexual overtones. A.H. Weiler stated that he found it hard to relate to.[8] Despite negative reviews, Onibaba has generally been well received.[9]
[edit] Historical Setting
The story takes place shortly after the Battle of Minatogawa. The older woman is optimistic that the troubles will be over soon, however, this battle began a period of over 50 years of civil war, the Nanboku-chō period (1336 to 1392) and demonstrates the class warfare between the peasants and the elite samurai at that time. It is based on an old Buddhist fable.
[edit] Analysis
The effects of the mask on those who wear it is possibly symbolic of the disfigurement of the victims of Hiroshima, the film reflecting the traumatic effect of this visitation on post-war Japanese society.[10][11]
[edit] References
- ^ Shindo, Kaneto (Director). (2007-03-13). Onibaba, DVD Extra: Interview with the director [DVD]. Criterion Collection.
- ^ Kuroda, Kiyomi (Cinematography). (2007-03-13). Onibaba, DVD Extra: Making of feature [DVD]. Criterion Collection.
- ^ The Criterion Collection: Onibaba by Kaneto Shindo
- ^ The Criterion Collection: Onibaba by Kaneto Shindo
- ^ Amazon.com: Onibaba - Criterion Collection: Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Kei Sato, Jukichi Uno, Taiji Tonoyama, Senshô Matsumoto, Kentaro Kaji, Hosui Araya, Fudeko Tanaka, Kaneto Shindô: Movies & TV
- ^ Movie Review of ONIBABA only at RuthlessReviews.Com
- ^ Onibaba Review - Read Variety's Analysis Of The Movie Onibaba
- ^ Onibaba Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/onibaba/
- ^ SAGE Journals Online - Search Results
- ^ Spring 2005 | Researchreview | University of Pittsburgh
[edit] External links
- Onibaba at Allmovie
- Onibaba at the Internet Movie Database
- Onibaba at the Japanese Movie Database
- Onibaba at Rotten Tomatoes
- Onibaba at the TCM Movie Database
- Criterion Collection essay by Chuck Stephens
[edit] Sources
- Thompson, Nathaniel (2006). DVD Delirium: The International Guide to Weird and Wonderful Films on DVD; Volume 3. Godalming, England: FAB Press, pp.407-408. ISBN 1-903254-40-X.
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