Demon Pond (1979 film)
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| Demon Pond | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Masahiro Shinoda |
| Written by | Haruhiko Mimura Tsutomu Tamura |
| Based on | Demon Pond by Izumi Kyōka |
| Starring | Tamasaburo Bando Go Kato Tsutomu Yamazaki |
| Cinematography | Masao Kosugi Noritaka Sakamoto |
| Edited by | Zen Ikeda Noritaka Sakamoto |
| Music by | Isao Tomita |
| Distributed by | Shochiku |
Release date |
|
Running time | 124 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Demon Pond (Japanese: 夜叉ヶ池, Hepburn: Yasha-ga-ike) is a 1979 Japanese romantic fantasy film directed by Masahiro Shinoda. It is an adaptation of the 1913 play of the same name by Izumi Kyōka, with an adapted screenplay written by Haruhiko Mimura and Tsutomu Tamura. The film stars Tsutomu Yamazaki, Go Kato, and Kabuki actor Tamasaburo Bando.
Synopsis
[edit]Wandering through the countryside, a schoolteacher arrives at a village suffering from severe drought. There, he discovers his long-lost friend, Akira, who is now married to Yuri, a potential sorceress whose fate is intertwined with a bell that must be rung to appease a nearby lake's dragon god—otherwise, an apocalyptic flood will be unleashed upon the region. Desperate for water, the foolish villagers are planning to sacrifice Yuri to the dragon; meanwhile, a host of pond spirits, led by the love-smitten Princess Shirayuki, debate whether they should save these humans from their deserved doom.[1]
Cast
[edit]- Tamasaburo Bando as Yuri / Shirayuki, the dragon princess
- Go Kato as Akira Hagiwara
- Tsutomu Yamazaki as Gakuen Yamasawa
- Koji Nanbara as Priest Shikami
- Yatsuko Tanami as Nurse
- Norihei Miki as Catfish messenger
- Fujio Tokita as Crab
- Hisashi Igawa as Carp
- Jun Hamamura as Yatabei, the bell keeper
- Megumi Ishii as Camellia
- Juro Kara as Denkichi
- Toru Abe as Village leader
- Shigeru Yazaki as Village teacher
- Hatsuo Yamaya as Villager Yoju
Release
[edit]Shochiku released Demon Pond in theaters on October 20, 1979. However, besides one television broadcast on TV Asahi, the film was not re-released in 42 years. It would eventually be restored on 2021 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Shochiku as a film distributor. Director Shinoda and actor Bando supervised a 4K restoration of the film, which aired on the Shochiku-operated channel Satellite Theater in March of that year. It was re-released theatrically in the following summer.[2]
Janus Films handled the American distribution of the film. The restored version made its premiere at MoMA as the opener of its Beyond Ozu: Hidden Gems of Shochiku Studios series on June 10, 2022.[3] The Criterion Collection released the film on 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD on October of 2024, its first ever home video release in North America.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "Demon Pond". Janus Films. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
- ^ "篠田正浩監督×坂東玉三郎主演「夜叉ヶ池」4Kデジタルリマスター版で42年ぶりによみがえる" ["Yasha-ga-ike," directed by Masahiro Shinoda and starring Tamasaburo Bando, is revived for the first time in 42 years in a 4K digitally remastered version.]. eiga.com (in Japanese). January 28, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
- ^ "Yashagaike (Demon Pond). 1979. Masahiro Shinoda". MoMA. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
- ^ "Demon Pond (1979)". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved October 19, 2024.