Kwaidan LaserDisc, Rare LaserDiscs
Criterion LaserDiscs Laser Disc

Worlds Leading Rare LaserDisc Authority

Bullet-proof Boxing Systems

Member Sign-In

Forgot your password ?

Stay Signed-in

Go To Sign-in Page

Criterion LaserDiscs Kwaidan WS Criterion #119 Rare LaserDisc Japanese Horror Foreign

Kwaidan WS Criterion #119 Rare LaserDisc Japanese Horror Foreign

Japanese Language with English Subtitles

Kwaidan WS Criterion #119 Rare LaserDisc Japanese Horror Foreign

Japanese Language with English Subtitles

Rare Widescreen, Special LaserDisc Movie Near-Mint LaserDiscs and Gatefold Jacket with some edge-wear

$8.97

Click to Zoom-in on Hi-res Pictures

Kwaidan WS Criterion #119 Rare LaserDisc Japanese Horror Foreign

Japanese Language with English Subtitles

Rare Widescreen, Special LaserDisc Movie Near-Mint LaserDiscs and Gatefold Jacket with some edge-wear

$8.97

Member Options

$8.97

Rare Widescreen, Special LaserDisc Movie

Near-Mint LaserDiscs and Gatefold Jacket with some edge-wear

Rentaro Mikuni and Misako Watanabe in...

Kwaidan

Criterion Collection

( Catalog Number CC1237L )
(2.50:1) (3 Sides) (CLV) (NTSC)

LaserDisc Special Features

Best Version on LaserDisc
Japanese Language with English Subtitles confined within lower blackbar margin
See the History of Criterion LaserDiscs at DaDon's...

Kwaidan
1964 - 164 min. - Color
Genre: Horror
Not Rated
Country: USA

LaserDisc Movie Storyline:
Director Masaki Kobayashi invested five years of preparation before shooting this anthological adaptation of four tales of the supernatural by Lafcadio Hearn. The first, "Black Hair," stars Rentaro Mikuni as a poverty-stricken samurai who leaves his kind wife (Michiyo Aratama) to marry the daughter (Misako Watanabe) of a wealthy official. After years of misery with this woman he returns to his first wife to find a bitter surprise. In the second, "The Woman of the Snow," a woodcutter (Tatsuya Nakadai) and his brother take shelter from a snowstorm in a deserted hut. However, trouble arises when a strange woman (Keiko Kishi) appears. The third, "Hoichi the Earless," features a blind temple musician (Katsuo Nakamura), who is known for his mastery of the ballad of the Heike clan. A samurai ghost bids him sing the ballad at the Heike tomb, and Buddhist priests protect him by painting his body with a depiction of the sacred text. In the last tale, "In a Cup of Tea," a samurai (Ganemon Nakamura) famed for courage, has a recurring vision of the face of another samurai in his tea. Shot entirely on a soundstage to allow the director complete control of the film's palette, it's a stunning display of sensuous color, perfectly suited to these otherworldly tales of the macabre. Takemitsu's "musique concrete" score is eerily appropriate.

LaserDisc Movie Review:
Kwaidan is an impressively mounted anthology horror film based on four stories by Lafcadio Hearn, a Greek-born writer who began his career in the United States at the age of 19 and moved permanently to Japan in 1890 at the age of 40, where he eventually became a subject of the empire and took on the name Koizumi Yakuno. Hearn became a conduit of Japanese culture to western audiences, publishing journalism and then fiction incorporating traditional Japanese themes and characters. "Black Hair," the first tale, concerns a samurai who cannot support his wife; he leaves her for a life of wealth and ease with a princess. Returning years later, he spends the night with his wife in their now-dilapidated house, only to awake to a horrifying discovery which drives him insane. In "The Woman of the Snow" (deleted from U.S. theatrical prints after the film's Los Angeles opening; it is on the DVD version), two woodcutters seek refuge during a snowstorm in what appears to be an abandoned hut. A snow witch appears and kills one of them but lets his partner free. Years later, the survivor meets and married a lovely young woman, only to learn her true identity. The most visually impressive tale is "Hoichi the Earless," in which a blind musician is asked by the ghost of a samurai to play for his late infant lord at a tomb. The monks who house the musician cover him with tattoos to prevent any harm coming to him, but they forget his ears. He returns from the engagement with his ears cut off; however, his misadventure propels him to fame. "In a Cup of Tea" concerns a samurai who is haunted by the vision of a man he sees reflected in his tea. Even after he drinks from the cup, he still sees the man while on guard duty. --- Tom Wiener

Elegantly shot in widescreen by Yoshio Miyajima and impressively scored by Toru Takemitsu (Japan's greatest film composer), Kwaidan is a visual or aural feast. It's also the last great film by director Masaki Kobayashi, best known for his epic World War II trilogy The Human Condition. For contemporary western film audiences used to slice-and-dice horror films cut to rock & roll rhythms, it will seem impossibly slow and tame, but that's because it makes no concession at all to western sensibilities. On its original release in 1965, the film was greeted with indifference by U.S. audiences, whose idea of Japanese horror was honed by the pulpy exploits of Godzilla and Mothra. Lafcadio Hearn's source stories delve into the psyches of men who venture into unknown territory; they often begin fearlessly but wind up mad or maimed by their experiences, often at the hands of evil women. In an odd way, Kwaidan resembles a series of film noir tales. Ultimately, though, it is a series of very spooky ghost stories, clearly mounted with great skill on lovingly constructed studio sets (designed by Shigemasa Toda), whose artificiality actually ratchets up the sense of dislocation. --- Tom Wiener

Thanks for Visiting DaDon's !

Reviews, Articles, Newsletter and Information for Movies on LaserDisc LD Laser Disc, LazerDisc.

Cast for Kwaidan

Rentaro Mikuni - Samurai
Misako Watanabe - Second Wife
Michiyo Aratama - First Wife
Tetsuro Tamba - Michi
Keiko Kishi
Tatsuya Nakadai - Woodcutter
Katsuo Nakamura - Hoichi
Ganemon Nakamura - Kannai
Jun Tazaki
Joichi Hayashi - Yoshitsune
Ganjiro Nakamura - Head Priest
Takashi Shimura - Priest
Noburo Nakaya - Heinai

Crew for Kwaidan

Masaki Kobayashi - Director
Shigeru Wakatsuki - Producer
Lafcadio Hearn - Story Author
Yoko Mizuki - Screenwriter
Yoshio Miyajima - Cinematographer
Toru Takemitsu - Composer (Music Score)
Hisashi Sagara - Editor
Shigemasa Toda - Art Director

Awards for Kwaidan

Best Foreign Film (nom) 1965 Academy
Competing Film Masaki Kobayashi 1965 Cannes Film Festival
Special Jury Prize (win) Masaki Kobayashi 1965 Cannes Film Festival
Best Foreign Film Masaki Kobayashi 1965 New York Film Critics Circle

Feature Details

Title: Kwaidan
Feature Release Date: 1964
Genre: Horror
Rating: Not Rated
Color: Color
Runtime: 164 Minutes
Chapters: 33
Picture: Letterboxed
Ratio: 2.50:1
Playback Format: CLV

IMDB Info...

Technical Details

LD Release Date: 9 Nov 1990
Catalog Number: CC1237L
UPC: 715515000536
ISBN: 1-55940-076-5
Manufacturer: Pioneer USA
Collection: Criterion Collection
Publisher: Criterion

Diameter: 12"
Sides: 3
Cover: Gatefold Jacket
Spoken Language: Japanese
Country: USA
Video Format: NTSC

Model: CC1237L
Shipping Weight: 2 lbs
0 in Stock

Rare Widescreen, Special LaserDisc Movie

Near-Mint LaserDiscs and Gatefold Jacket with some edge-wear

Rentaro Mikuni and Misako Watanabe in...

Kwaidan

Criterion Collection

( Catalog Number CC1237L )
(2.50:1) (3 Sides) (CLV) (NTSC)

LaserDisc Special Features

Best Version on LaserDisc
Japanese Language with English Subtitles confined within lower blackbar margin
See the History of Criterion LaserDiscs at DaDon's...

Kwaidan
1964 - 164 min. - Color
Genre: Horror
Not Rated
Country: USA

LaserDisc Movie Storyline:
Director Masaki Kobayashi invested five years of preparation before shooting this anthological adaptation of four tales of the supernatural by Lafcadio Hearn. The first, "Black Hair," stars Rentaro Mikuni as a poverty-stricken samurai who leaves his kind wife (Michiyo Aratama) to marry the daughter (Misako Watanabe) of a wealthy official. After years of misery with this woman he returns to his first wife to find a bitter surprise. In the second, "The Woman of the Snow," a woodcutter (Tatsuya Nakadai) and his brother take shelter from a snowstorm in a deserted hut. However, trouble arises when a strange woman (Keiko Kishi) appears. The third, "Hoichi the Earless," features a blind temple musician (Katsuo Nakamura), who is known for his mastery of the ballad of the Heike clan. A samurai ghost bids him sing the ballad at the Heike tomb, and Buddhist priests protect him by painting his body with a depiction of the sacred text. In the last tale, "In a Cup of Tea," a samurai (Ganemon Nakamura) famed for courage, has a recurring vision of the face of another samurai in his tea. Shot entirely on a soundstage to allow the director complete control of the film's palette, it's a stunning display of sensuous color, perfectly suited to these otherworldly tales of the macabre. Takemitsu's "musique concrete" score is eerily appropriate.

LaserDisc Movie Review:
Kwaidan is an impressively mounted anthology horror film based on four stories by Lafcadio Hearn, a Greek-born writer who began his career in the United States at the age of 19 and moved permanently to Japan in 1890 at the age of 40, where he eventually became a subject of the empire and took on the name Koizumi Yakuno. Hearn became a conduit of Japanese culture to western audiences, publishing journalism and then fiction incorporating traditional Japanese themes and characters. "Black Hair," the first tale, concerns a samurai who cannot support his wife; he leaves her for a life of wealth and ease with a princess. Returning years later, he spends the night with his wife in their now-dilapidated house, only to awake to a horrifying discovery which drives him insane. In "The Woman of the Snow" (deleted from U.S. theatrical prints after the film's Los Angeles opening; it is on the DVD version), two woodcutters seek refuge during a snowstorm in what appears to be an abandoned hut. A snow witch appears and kills one of them but lets his partner free. Years later, the survivor meets and married a lovely young woman, only to learn her true identity. The most visually impressive tale is "Hoichi the Earless," in which a blind musician is asked by the ghost of a samurai to play for his late infant lord at a tomb. The monks who house the musician cover him with tattoos to prevent any harm coming to him, but they forget his ears. He returns from the engagement with his ears cut off; however, his misadventure propels him to fame. "In a Cup of Tea" concerns a samurai who is haunted by the vision of a man he sees reflected in his tea. Even after he drinks from the cup, he still sees the man while on guard duty. --- Tom Wiener

Elegantly shot in widescreen by Yoshio Miyajima and impressively scored by Toru Takemitsu (Japan's greatest film composer), Kwaidan is a visual or aural feast. It's also the last great film by director Masaki Kobayashi, best known for his epic World War II trilogy The Human Condition. For contemporary western film audiences used to slice-and-dice horror films cut to rock & roll rhythms, it will seem impossibly slow and tame, but that's because it makes no concession at all to western sensibilities. On its original release in 1965, the film was greeted with indifference by U.S. audiences, whose idea of Japanese horror was honed by the pulpy exploits of Godzilla and Mothra. Lafcadio Hearn's source stories delve into the psyches of men who venture into unknown territory; they often begin fearlessly but wind up mad or maimed by their experiences, often at the hands of evil women. In an odd way, Kwaidan resembles a series of film noir tales. Ultimately, though, it is a series of very spooky ghost stories, clearly mounted with great skill on lovingly constructed studio sets (designed by Shigemasa Toda), whose artificiality actually ratchets up the sense of dislocation. --- Tom Wiener

Thanks for Visiting DaDon's !

Reviews, Articles, Newsletter and Information for Movies on LaserDisc LD Laser Disc, LazerDisc.

Cast for Kwaidan

Rentaro Mikuni - Samurai
Misako Watanabe - Second Wife
Michiyo Aratama - First Wife
Tetsuro Tamba - Michi
Keiko Kishi
Tatsuya Nakadai - Woodcutter
Katsuo Nakamura - Hoichi
Ganemon Nakamura - Kannai
Jun Tazaki
Joichi Hayashi - Yoshitsune
Ganjiro Nakamura - Head Priest
Takashi Shimura - Priest
Noburo Nakaya - Heinai

Crew for Kwaidan

Masaki Kobayashi - Director
Shigeru Wakatsuki - Producer
Lafcadio Hearn - Story Author
Yoko Mizuki - Screenwriter
Yoshio Miyajima - Cinematographer
Toru Takemitsu - Composer (Music Score)
Hisashi Sagara - Editor
Shigemasa Toda - Art Director

Awards for Kwaidan

Best Foreign Film (nom) 1965 Academy
Competing Film Masaki Kobayashi 1965 Cannes Film Festival
Special Jury Prize (win) Masaki Kobayashi 1965 Cannes Film Festival
Best Foreign Film Masaki Kobayashi 1965 New York Film Critics Circle

Feature Details

Technical Details

Members who bought this LaserDisc also purchased...

Breaker Morant WS Rare NEW Criterion

Amarcord Widescreen Criterion LaserDi

Belle de jour WS Criterion #290 Rare

From Russia With Love WS CAV Banned C

The Bad Sleep Well WS Criterion #371

Grand Illusion Rare Criterion LaserDi

Welcome Rare LaserDisc Collector !

In order to purchase from DaDons you need to be a Member Learn more about Membership Benefits

Movie Search

Movie Browser

Disc Label

223

714

247

1007

283

Full Moon - Cult LD's

IMAX - Documentaries

Pioneer Special Edition

188

RKO Classic Collection

152

102

Disc Format

1396

AC-3 Dolby Digital 6.1

Anamorphic / Squeeze

Black & White - B & W

2934

676

274

205

40799

Japan AC-3 Dolby LD's

408

Japan Boxsets

728

Japan Dolby Digital 6.1

115

431

1038

New Factory-Sealed LDs

5834

3969

1309

1540

249

11096

Disc Genre

4158

1163

2513

200

683

5023

3643

1751

6001

358

423

2264

889

2787

164

969

2645

611

DaDon's All Rights Reserved - All trademarks and copyrights on this web site are owned by their respective owners
LazerDisc Movies, Features and Reviews. Information, Articles and Laser Disc Tips and Tricks.

Kwaidan LaserDisc, Rare LaserDiscs Criterion LaserDiscs Laser Disc

Kwaidan WS Criterion #119 Rare LaserDisc Japanese Horror Foreign

Rare Widescreen, Special LaserDisc Movie

LaserDisc Special Features

Rare Widescreen, Special LaserDisc Movie

LaserDisc Special Features

Members who bought this LaserDisc also purchased...

Movie Search

Disc Genre

Kwaidan LaserDisc, Rare LaserDiscs
Criterion LaserDiscs Laser Disc