Kwaidan (4K Restoration)

Screening as part of Enzian's 13+ Films of Halloween.

***NOMINEE – 1966 Best Foreign Language Film – 1966 Academy Awards

New 4K Restoration! Original Japanese Cut! Featuring an Enzian Film Club discussion with Dr. Milt Moise of Rollins College.

A haunting masterpiece of world cinema, Kwaidan remains one of the most visually astonishing horror films ever made. Directed by the legendary Japanese filmmaker Masaki Kobayashi (Harakiri) and based on the collected folklore Lafcadio Hearn, this anthology film presents four supernatural tales: a doomed samurai haunted by his past, a snow spirit's deadly bargain, a blind musician performing for the dead, and a mysterious encounter with a man who cannot stop smiling.

Produced during the golden age of Japanese cinema, Kwaidan was an ambitious and extraordinarily expensive undertaking, with Kobayashi constructing elaborate expressionistic sets that transform traditional ghost stories into breathtaking cinematic nightmares. Eschewing realism in favor of stylized color palettes, theatrical staging, and an eerie, avant-garde soundscape by composer Tōru Takemitsu (Akira Kurosawa’s Ran), the film created a visual language that continues to influence filmmakers more than sixty years later.

Premiering in 1964, Kwaidan earned the Special Jury Prize at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival and received an Academy Award® nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, helping introduce generations of Western audiences to Japanese horror traditions. This new restoration of Kwaidan reflects the full, original three-hour cut of the film as originally released in Japan.

Restored in 4K by Toho Co., Ltd.

Featured Cocktail (Available Starting October 1):

The Yuki-Onna
Japanese Gin, Sake, Earl Grey Syrup, Clarified Milk, and Lemon Juice with Whipped Cream
 

_{1965, 183 minutes, Japan, In Japanese with English Subtitles, directed by Masaki Kobayashi, Unrated, Digital}