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Kaneto Shindô's Kuroneko (Yabu no naka no kuroneko or The Black Cat Inside the Bamboo Grove) - released to great acclaim in 1968 - is a sparse atmospheric horror story ascribing to the director's philosophy of using beauty and purity to evoke emotion. Eccentric and more overtly supernatural than its breakthrough companion piece Onibaba Kuroneko revisits similar themes to reveal a haunting meditation on duty conformity and love. In this magnificently eerie and romantic film - loosely based on the Japanese folktale The Cat's Return - a mother and daughter-in-law (Nobuko Otowa and Kiwako Taichi) are raped and murdered by pillagers but return from the dead as vampiric cat spirits intent on revenge. As the ghosts lure soldiers into the bamboo groves a fearless samurai Gintoki (Kichiemon Nakamura) is sent to stop their reign of terror. Kuroneko remains a standout film of the kaidan eiga genre of period ghost stories often based on old legends or kabuki plays. Marking Shindô’s first use of wire work as Yone and Shige battle against samurai blades the film is subtly complimented by Kiyomi Kuroda's award-winning chiaroscuro cinematography Hikaru Hayashi's vibrant score and riveting performances from many of the greatest actors of Japan's golden age of film. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Kuroneko for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK. Special Features: Newly restored 1080p transfer in its original 2.35:1 original aspect ratio Optional English subtitles (new translation) Original Theatrical Trailer 24-page booklet with an essay by Doug Cummings a reprint of a vintage interview with Shindô by Joan Mellen and rare archival imagery
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