• 藪の中の黒猫 (Kuroneko)

1/9/24 (Tues)

Shindo Kaneto’s 1968 horror film is less scary than it is spooky and moody. It takes place in Kyoto near Rajomon (known later as Rashomon), the massive gate that had become a dilapidated structure by the late Heian Period when, judging from the clothing and the presence of Lord Raiko, the movie is set. The gate was by this time known as a haunted spot good for disposing of corpses and unwanted infants. (The film’s full Japanese title, “Black Cat [or Cats] in a Grove”, perhaps intentionally recalls Akutagawa’s short story In a Grove that was the basis for Kurosawa’s Rashomon. I’m not sure why they chose Kuroneko as the English title rather than the translation, Black Cat.) Cats are supernatural beings in Japanese folklore in the form of “bakeneko” (ghost cats), so the notion of felines lurking somewhere in the woods immediately signals something shadowy.

A mother and her daughter-in-law are raped and murdered by a band of samurai. They come back as vengeful ghosts living deep in a bamboo grove, where they lure and kill passing samurai. Gintoki, who has returned home with the rank of samurai after his achievements in battle, is ordered by Lord Raiko to get to the bottom of this. (The historical Raiko had a follower named Kintoki, the gold (kin) to this film’s silver (gin) Gintoki.) He is shocked to discover that the killers are his mother and wife. As he is now a samurai, they must kill him too. The wife, however, overcome with love, breaks her vow and spends a lusty week with him, only to be consigned to hell. As the mother is still determined to kill Gintoki, he is forced to deal with her. He slashes off her arm, which turns magically into a cat’s paw. He presents the paw to the lord, telling him that she is dead. Unfortunately for him, that proves untrue…

The filming is classy with some gorgeous images, like the samurai riding before Rajomon or against a massive sun, the evil cat eyes, the scenes in the woods, the women delivering sake to their intended victims, and Gintoki’s crazed battle with the demon at the end. The chilling opening scene shows samurai emerging from the woods like cockroaches, approaching the small home, raping the woman and vandalizing the property, setting it on fire, and calmly leaving – all in nearly total silence. When the fire burns off, we see the intact bodies of two female corpses being licked by a black cat. Visually, the movie is stunning.

The dialogue is unnatural, though that may be to match the fantastical setting. Nakamura Kichiemon, a Kabuki actor who was later designated a Living National Treasure by the Japanese government, is no more convincing here than he was in Double Suicide but has undeniable presence as Gintoki, while Taichi Kiwako as his wife and especially Otowa Nobuko (the director’s real-life wife) as his mother are superb. Sato Kei is cartoonish as the mustachioed Raiko. His startlingly hirsute body made me wonder if he was being compared to a black cat. In addition to Kabuki star Kichiemon, the film featured Noh star Kanze Hideo (A Last Note) as the Mikado.

The film was punctuated by dance-like movements by Otowa and the steely gaze of a black cat. The flying sequences felt dated, and the sight of Otowa with the cat paw in her mouth was a bit much. The depictions of the ghosts were best when they were understated, especially in scenes where the women lured samurai to their deaths.

Shindo’s earlier Onibaba also featured Otowa as a woman who joined her daughter-in-law in killing random samurai after her son was forced to go to war, but that was a much harder-hitting piece. This is more a stylish horror pic. But a very good one.