Onibaba (#226)

Deep in the windswept marshes of war-torn medieval Japan, an impoverished older woman and her daughter-in-law murder lost samurai and sell their belongings for the most meager of sustenance. When a bedraggled neighbor returns from battle, lust, jealousy, and rage threaten to destroy the trio’s tenuous existence, before an ominous, ill-gotten demon mask seals their horrifying fate. Driven by primal emotions, dark eroticism, a frenzied score by Hikaru Hayashi, and stunning images both lyrical and macabre, Kaneto Shindo’s chilling folktale Onibaba conjures a nightmarish vision of humankind’s deepest desires and impulses. SPECIAL FEATURES On the Blu-ray: High-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack On the DVD: High-definition digital transfer, with restored image and sound and enhanced for widescreen televisions Audio commentary from 2001 featuring director Kaneto Shindo and actors Kei Sato and Jitsuko Yoshimura (Blu-ray only) Interview from 2003 with Shindo On-location footage shot by Sato Trailer Stills gallery featuring production sketches and promotional art (DVD only) Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition (DVD only) PLUS: An essay by film critic Elena Lazic (Blu-ray only), a 2001 director’s statement by Shindo, and a version of the Buddhist fable that inspired the film