Masaki Kobayashi
Japan,
1965
After more than a decade of sober political dramas and socially minded period pieces, the great Japanese director Masaki Kobayashi shifted gears dramatically for this rapturously stylized quartet of ghost stories. Featuring colorfully surreal sets and luminous cinematography, these haunting tales of demonic comeuppance and spiritual trials, adapted from writer Lafcadio Hearn’s collections of Japanese folklore, are existentially frightening and meticulously crafted.
Please note: the DCP version of Kwaidan is a 4K restoration of the original three-hour cut. The 35mm of Kwaidan is the 161-minute Cannes print.