[J-Anime] Kanashimi No Belladonna 哀しみのベラドンナ (1973)

Synopsis

Loosely based on the nineteenth-century classic “The Witch” by historian Jules Michelet, “Belladonna” tells the story of a young “everywoman” in a brutally repressive and exploitative feudal society; in her powerlessness she is gradually driven to ancient superstitions and satanic practices, and then accused, tortured and executed for witchcraft. This storyline provides for a pageantry of sado-erotic scenes. “Belladonna” hovers uncomfortably on the edge of pornography but the film is saved, and viewer bewitched, by the incredible wealth of imaginative visual flourishes. Yamamoto’s style in this medieval story hovers between classical Japanese landscape painting and twentieth-century underground comics (western style and manga), conjuring up, with accomplished technique, his dark fantasies. Think of Disney’s Fantasia, but with more visual variation of style, and dedicated to the themes of lust and cruelty. “Belladonna” is a very early masterpiece of Japanese anime, anticipating Miyazaki by more than two decades.

Trailer

Title: Kanashimi No Belladonna
Also Known As: 哀しみのベラドンナ / Kanashimi no Beradonna / Belladonna of Sadness / The Tragedy of Belladonna
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Subtitle: English
Year: 1973
Genre: Fantasy, Drama, Anime

Cast:

Jeanne: (Aiko Nagayama)
Jean: (Katsutaka Ito)
Witch: (Tatsuya Tashiro)
The Devil (Tatsuya Nakadai)
Milord: (Masaya Takahashi)
Milady: (Shigaku Shimegi)
Catholic Priest: (Masakane Yonekura)
Narrator: (Chinatsu Nakayama)

Production Credits

Director: Eiichi Yamamoto
Writer(s): Yoshiyuki Fukuda, Eiichi Yamamoto
Producer(s): Tadami Watanabe

Download Kanashimi No Belladonna 哀しみのベラドンナ (1973) (w/English Subtitles):

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