Daily Gusto: <I>Onibaba</i>

April 12, 2004

Onibaba

In war-torn 16th century Japan, a middle aged woman and her young daughter-in-law (both unnamed) struggle for existence. Killing samurai who lose thier way in the tall susuki grass, the two women trade the armor and weapons for food and other supplies, dumping the corpses in a deep, dark hole nearby.

Neighbor Hachi returns from the war, telling of his narrow escape from a death that took women's son/husband. Hachi is eager to cut in on the women's murderous scheme; having been away from the opposite sex for so long, he is also eager to seduce the young widow. The oppressive heat and isolation taking its toll, she finds herself likewise drawn to her neighbor, sneaking off in the middle of the night to pursue furiously passionate sex.

The mother-in-law looks down upon their relationship. Not only is she jealous of their physical bond, but she will be left alone to fend for herself if her daughter-in-law leaves, a prospect that makes her very uneasy.

otowa clouds.jpg

Despite the older woman's strong protests, the daughter-in-law continues to sneak away night after night. Even after her mother-in-law warns her that she will suffer in purgatory for her sins, she cannot keep herself away. The instinct for sex is just as strong as the one to kill in order to survive.

One night while the daughter-in-law is away at Hachi's, a lost samurai stumbles across the women's home. Wearing a frightening demon mask, he demands to be led out of the tall weeds. Seeing the mask, the jealous, frustrated older woman hatches a plan to keep her son's widow to herself.

Beautifully shot in black and white 'scope by Kiyomi Kuroda, Kaneto Shindo's Onibaba (1964) has a sense of location that gives the story (inspired by a Buddhist folk tale) an otherworldly feel. Shindo often dwells on the grass blowing in the hot wind (it is easy to imagine Terrence Malik having seen this film). The daughter-in-law's nighttime dashes through the susuki to Hachi's hut are shot in a quick, kinetic manner that simultaneously conveys her strong desire and the fear of running through the weeds in the darkness. Shindo pulls of these scenes, as well as a climatic thunderstorm, masterfully. He is just as adept at earlier scenes in which the women kill in broad daylight with frightening savagery.

hachi reeds.jpg

Onibaba ha a refreshing frankness about nudity and sexuality missing from most American films of the period (indeed, it is even more up font in this regard than some contemporary movies). The women sleep topless due to the heat, and the purely sexual nature of the young woman's relationship with Haichi is never shied away from. Presented as an instinctual desire for survival, it never comes across as exploitative. Similarly, the killing sequences are shot in a gruesome manner, but are not so violent as to be off putting. The scenes remain shocking today more for the intensity of the performances than any blood spilled.

Those performances are all uniformly fine. As the young widow, Jitsuko Yoshimura has an initially quiet presence that keeps her subservient to her mother-in-law. As she begins her relationship with Hachi, all kinds of pent up frustrations come pouring out. Kei Sato's Hachi is coarse and occasionally vulgar, yet there's something charismatic about him in a rakish way. The film belongs, however, to Nobuko Otowa. A partner in Shindo's production company (and later his wife), her performance is a great feat of murderous intensity. Her fear of losing control of the tenuous existence she has been maintaining is surpassed only by the ferociousness with which she will try to keep things the status quo. Her eyes alone communicate so much, though her body language in the film's climax is nightmarish.

Criterion give Onibaba in an immaculate presentation. There is just something inherently fascinating about black and white scope photography anyway, and the transfer shows off the widescreen compositions to wonderful effect. The night scenes really do feel dark but never so much so that the action is difficult to make out. The mono sound is strong and clear, giving great service to Hikaru Hayashi's percussive score.

For one of their lower-priced titles, Criterion have provided an impressive array of supplements. Shindo provides a recent interview and is still sharp and active in his early nineties. A selection of production sketches and photos are included, including some showing the construction of the "hole" set. Most impressive, however, is the nearly 40 minutes of Super-8 footage (both black and white and color) shot on set by Sato. It provides a greatly valuable look at the day-to-day life of the film crew both at work and as they pass the time between set-ups. The accompanying booklet contains essays as well as an English translation of the folk tale that provided inspiration.

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Posted by jason at April 12, 2004 1:05 PM | TrackBack

Comments

The images accompanying the article look very Kurosawa-ish. Certainly the story and the setting and the time period evoke his work. I'd be curious to hear comparisons of this movie and its direction to Kurosawa's samurai films.

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