Kobayashi's remarkable 'ghost' stories are a beautiful amalgam of traditional Japanese art and subtle direction. The four stories are adaptations of 18th century ghost stories by Lafcadio Hearn and are eerily compelling. Their dramatic impact is all due to subtle visual nuances. Excellent.
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MOTHER JOAN OF THE ANGELS (1961)
CertificationPG Our Rating
In the 17th Century a group of nuns claimed to be possessed by the devil with Joan, the convent head, leading the possession stakes with at least 8 demons on her slate. An innocent young priest, the latest in a long line sent to investigate, is going to have to go to hell and back to save her soul. Chronologically the film acts as a sequel to Ken Russell's 1971 shocker 'The Devils', and if you've seen that you'll know what a lying bitch Joan is. Superb black and white photography gives an expres
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THE SEVENTH SEAL (1957)
CertificationPG Our Rating
Bergman's fascinating and acclaimed allegorical search for a meaning for human existance. A disillusioned soldier returns from the Crusades to find plague ravaging Europe. Death arrives in person to take his soul, but by beating him at chess he earns a reprieve. Repressive, dark, medieval and superb!
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THE TRIAL OF JOAN OF ARC (1962)
CertificationPG Our Rating
Concentrating on the trial and torture of the young French warrior who provoked such fear in the church and state, a zealot in the eyes of those in power and one whose fate was sealed as soon as her capture was assured. Using historical records as the basis for the film, Bresson's The Trial Of Joan Of Arc has the feeling of a docu-drama and is reminiscent of the claustrophobic intensity of Arthur Miller's ‘The Crucible'. An emotionally harrowing and rewarding observation of untouchable faith and
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