Kwaidan

Jan 6, 1965

3h 3m

★ 7.7

In the tradition of "RASHOMON" and "GATE OF HELL."

Overview

Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning "ghost story," this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai marries for money with tragic results. A man stranded in a blizzard is saved by Yuki the Snow Maiden, but his rescue comes at a cost. Blind musician Hoichi is forced to perform for an audience of ghosts. An author relates the story of a samurai who sees another warrior's reflection in his teacup.

Genres

Horror

Fantasy

Drama

Production Companies

Ninjin Club

Kwaidan Trailers

Cast

First Wife (segment "The Black Hair")

Michiyo Aratama

Husband (segment "The Black Hair")

Rentaro Mikuni

Second Wife (segment "The Black Hair")

Misako Watanabe

Father (segment "The Black Hair")

Kenjirō Ishiyama

Mother (segment "The Black Hair")

Ranko Akagi

(segment "The Black Hair")

Fumie Kitahara

(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)

Kappei Matsumoto

(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)

Yoshiko Ieda

(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)

Otome Tsukimiya

(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)

Kenzō Tanaka

(segment "The Black Hair") (uncredited)

Kiyoshi Nakano

Minokichi (segment "The Woman of the Snow")

Tatsuya Nakadai

Although based on a novel by Georges Simenon, director (and songwriter) Serge Gainsbourg has superimposed several dark emotions and a subtle brutality over the weak plot about a man's trip to Africa and his unfortunate passion for a murderess whose amorality sends the disillusioned fellow back to Europe. Sometimes described as frustrating and self-centered, reactions to this film swing across a broad spectrum of complaints -- not the least might be whether or not Gainsbourg is using a clichéd and stereotypical view of "dark Africa" to convey what he sees in his characters.

7.7

Edward Scissorhands

Dec 7, 1990

A small suburban town receives a visit from a castaway unfinished science experiment named Edward.

7.4

Jackie Brown

Dec 25, 1997

Jackie Brown is a flight attendant who gets caught in the middle of smuggling cash into the country for her gunrunner boss. When the cops try to use Jackie to get to her boss, she hatches a plan — with help from a bail bondsman — to keep the money for herself.

7.5

The Name of the Rose

Sep 24, 1986

14th-century Franciscan monk William of Baskerville and his young novice arrive at a conference to find that several monks have been murdered under mysterious circumstances. To solve the crimes, William must rise up against the Church's authority and fight the shadowy conspiracy of monastery monks using only his intelligence; which is considerable.

8.0

The Wages of Fear

Apr 22, 1953

In a run-down South American town, four men are paid to drive trucks loaded with nitroglycerin into the jungle through to the oil field. Friendships are tested and rivalries develop as they embark upon the perilous journey.

7.7

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul

Mar 5, 1974

Emmi Kurowski, a cleaning lady, is lonely in her old age. Her husband died years ago, and her grown children offer little companionship. One night she goes to a bar frequented by Arab immigrants and strikes up a friendship with middle-aged mechanic Ali. Their relationship soon develops into something more, and Emmi's family and neighbors criticize their spontaneous marriage. Soon Emmi and Ali are forced to confront their own insecurities about their future.

7.5

Volver

Mar 17, 2006

A resourcefull working-class woman living in Madrid gets her hands dirty in family secrets with the help of a teenage daughter and hairdresser sister.

7.5

East of Eden

Apr 10, 1955

In the Salinas Valley in and around World War I, Cal Trask feels he must compete against overwhelming odds with his brother for the love of their father. Cal is frustrated at every turn, from his reaction to the war, how to get ahead in business and in life, and how to relate to his estranged mother.

7.2

The Outsiders

Mar 25, 1983

In 1960s Tulsa, class divisions ignite a violent rivalry between the working-class Greasers and the privileged Socs. When a deadly encounter forces two Greasers, Ponyboy and Johnny, to flee, their struggle for survival and redemption exposes the fragile innocence and enduring bonds of youth on the wrong side of town.

7.3

The Blue Angel

Apr 1, 1930

Prim professor Immanuel Rath finds some of his students ogling racy photos of cabaret performer Lola Lola and visits a local club, The Blue Angel, in an attempt to catch them there. Seeing Lola perform, the teacher is filled with lust, eventually resigning his position at the school to marry the young woman. However, his marriage to a coquette -- whose job is to entice men -- proves to be more difficult than Rath imagined.

7.8

Stand by Me

Aug 8, 1986

After learning that a boy their age has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four Oregon boys decide to go see the body. On the way, Gordie, Vern, Chris and Teddy encounter a mean junk man and a marsh full of leeches, as they also learn more about one another and their very different home lives. Just a lark at first, the boys' adventure evolves into a defining event in their lives.

8.7

The Godfather

Mar 14, 1972

Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.

8.6

The Godfather Part II

Dec 20, 1974

In the continuing saga of the Corleone crime family, a young Vito Corleone grows up in Sicily and in 1910s New York. In the 1950s, Michael Corleone attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.

6.7

About a Boy

Apr 26, 2002

Will Freeman is a good-looking, smooth-talking bachelor whose primary goal in life is avoiding any kind of responsibility. But when he invents an imaginary son in order to meet attractive single moms, Will gets a hilarious lesson about life from a bright, but hopelessly geeky 12-year-old named Marcus. Now, as Will struggles to teach Marcus the art of being cool, Marcus teaches Will that you're never too old to grow up.

7.2

Zatoichi

Sep 6, 2003

Blind traveler Zatoichi is a master swordsman and a masseur with a fondness for gambling on dice games. When he arrives in a village torn apart by warring gangs, he sets out to protect the townspeople.

7.2

Ghost

Jul 13, 1990

After a young man is murdered, his spirit stays behind to warn his lover of impending danger, with the help of a reluctant psychic.

7.5

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

Jun 29, 1971

When eccentric candy man Willy Wonka promises a lifetime supply of sweets and a tour of his chocolate factory to five lucky kids, penniless Charlie Bucket seeks the golden ticket that will make him a winner.

6.7

Oliver Twist

Sep 23, 2005

When 9-year-old orphan Oliver Twist dares to ask his cruel taskmaster, Mr. Bumble, for a second serving of gruel, he's hired out as an apprentice. Escaping that dismal fate, young Oliver falls in with the street urchin known as the Artful Dodger and his criminal mentor, Fagin. When kindly Mr. Brownlow takes Oliver in, Fagin's evil henchman Bill Sikes plots to kidnap the boy.

8.1

Metropolis

Feb 6, 1927

In a futuristic city sharply divided between the rich and the poor, the son of the city's mastermind meets a prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.