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Belladonna of Sadness |
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Director: Eiichi Yamamoto |
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Cast: Aiko Nagayama, Tatsuya Nakadai, Chinatsu Nakayama |
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Studio: Cinelicious Pics |
Genre: Anime & Animation |
Pre-Order Date:
11-30--0001 |
Release Date:
07-12-2016 |
Production Year:
1973 |
SRP:
$39.99 |
Catalog #: CP663390001189BD |
UPC: 663390001189 |
Format: Blu-ray |
Number of Discs:
1 |
Language:
Japanese |
Subtitles: English |
Picture Format:
Full Screen 1.33:1 |
Audio Format:
DTS-HD MA Stereo/DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono |
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Plot
Summary: |
One of the great lost masterpieces of Japanese animation, never
before officially released in the U.S., BELLADONNA OF SADNESS is a mad,
swirling, psychedelic light-show of medieval tarot-card imagery with
horned demons, haunted forests and La Belle Dame Sans Merci, equal parts
J.R.R. Tolkien and gorgeous, explicit Gustav Klimt-influenced eroticism.
The last film in the adult-themed Animerama trilogy produced by the
godfather of Japanese anime & manga, Osamu Tezuka and directed by his
long time collaborator Eiichi Yamamoto (“ASTRO BOY” and “KIMBA THE WHITE
LION”), BELLADONNA unfolds as a series of spectacular still watercolor
paintings that bleed and twist together. An innocent young woman, Jeanne
(voiced by Aiko Nagayama) is violently raped by the local lord on her
wedding night. To take revenge, she makes a pact with the Devil himself
(voiced by Tatsuya Nakadai, from Akira Kurosawa’s RAN) who appears as an
erotic sprite and transforms her into a black-robed vision of madness
and desire.
Extremely transgressive and not for the easily offended, BELLADONNA
is fueled by a mindblowing Japanese psych rock soundtrack by noted
avant-garde jazz composer Masahiko Satoh. The film has been newly
restored by Cinelicious Pics using the original 35mm camera negative and
sound elements – and including over 8 minutes of surreal and explicit
footage cut from the negative. On par with Rene Laloux’s FANTASTIC
PLANET and Ralph Bakshi’s WIZARDS as an LSD-stoked 1970s head trip,
BELLADONNA marks a major rediscovery for animation fans. If Led Zeppelin
had a favorite film, this would be it. In other words, Stairway to Hell. |
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Additional Information
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Downloads:
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Blu-ray Artwork
Disc Extras:
- New Video Interviews with Director Eiichi
Yamamoto, Art Director Kuni Fukai, and Composer Masahiko Satoh
- Red Band Trailer
- Green Band Trailer
- Original Trailer
- 16 page booklet
Review Quotes:
A Bewitching Masterpiece Glenn Kenny – The New York
Times
See Belladonna now or be damned to perdition! Robert
Brenner – The Huffington Post
Belladonna Of Sadness is a major re-discovery.Ignatiy
Vishnevetsky – A.V. Club
Yamamoto’s magnum opus may have gotten here four decades
behind schedule, but the wait was more than worth it. Charles Bramesco –
UPROXX
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Screenshots |
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