#584: SHINDO, Kaneto: Kuroneko (1968)

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SHINDO, Kaneto (Japan)
Kuroneko [1968]
Spine #584
DVD


In this poetic and atmospheric horror fable, set in a village in war-torn feudal Japan, malevolent spirits are ripping out the throats of itinerant samurai. When a military hero is dispatched to confront the unseen force, he finds that he must struggle with personal demons as well. From Kaneto Shindo, director of the similarly terrifying Onibaba, Kuroneko (a.k.a. Black Cat) is a spectacularly eerie twilight tale, with a surprising feminist angle, evoked through ghostly special effects and exquisite cinematography.

99 minutes
Black & White
Monaural
in Japanese
2:35:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2011
Director/Writer


Kaneto Shindo was 56 when he wrote and directed Kuroneko.

Other Shindo films in the Collection:

#811: The Naked Island (1960)
#226: Onibaba (1964)

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Thirty-two page booklet featuring an essay by film critic Maitland McDonagh and an excerpt from film scholar Joan Mellen’s 1972 interview with Shindo.

Commentary

None.

Video interview

With director Shindo from the Directors Guild of Japan.
Theatrical trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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