Belladonna of Sadness (1973 -- Lost, now Found!)

[AaronJ]

Apparently, they have put together a restoration of this completely trippy, completely X-rated sexual animated psycho-fantasy. And it's going to be showing at a couple locations in the US, soon.

From Indiewire:

(See the red band trailer at the link.)

Among the great lost works of cinema is the tantalizing psychedelic "Belladonna of Sadness." Eiichi Yamamoto Japanese animated film has been missing since the 1970s and is finally being distributed stateside my Cinelicious Pics in May, starting in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The film will be restored using the original 35mm camera negative and sound elements, including over 8 minutes of surreal and explicit footage cut from the negative.

"Belladonna" is surrealist exploration of adult themes. The plot centers around an assaulted woman who takes revenge by making a pact with the Devil. The trippy watercolor aesthetics mix well with the Japanese psych rock soundtrack by noted avant-garde jazz composer Masahiko Satoh. The film is the final entry in producer Osamu Tezuka's "Animerama" trilogy.

"Belladonna of Sadness" opens May 6 at the brand new Metrograph theater in New York and the Alamo Drafthouse at the New Mission in San Francisco, and at The Cinefamily in Los Angeles the week of May 13, with a national rollout to follow. Watch the trailer above.

[ThatOneGuy]

Well that was an interesting trailer... I have no clue what the hell this is about.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by John Klein

Well that was an interesting trailer... I have no clue what the hell this is about.

I'm not sure that I care.

It definitely looks interesting, and there's no question it's a product of its time. It was 1973 after all. As I won't get a chance to see it in either SF or NYC, I truly hope that we'll get a Blu release sooner rather than later.

I could easily see picking this up day one, almost totally blind. It looks just that crazy!

[ThatOneGuy]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

[Show spoiler]I'm not sure that I care.

It definitely looks interesting, and there's no question it's a product of its time. It was 1973 after all. As I won't get a chance to see it in either SF or NYC, I truly hope that we'll get a Blu release sooner rather than later.

I could easily see picking this up day one, almost totally blind. It looks just that crazy!

Drugs man, they even made their way to Japan man.

But yeah, I would probably get this on Blu-Ray just for the simple fact of it being so weird and different.

[Monroville]

You should seek out 1001 NIGHTS by the same director (music by Tomita). Really good film. CLEOPATRA is not quite as good, but still a good watch.

Here is hoping that Criterion or someone eventually releases SON OF THE WHITE MARE onto blu-ray too.

[Thomas Guycott]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

I truly hope that we'll get a Blu release sooner rather than later.

They're working on it.

[ThatOneGuy]

Originally Posted by Thomas Guycott

They're working on it.

Wonderful, even if I end up not liking the film, it'll be nice to have some of this style of Japanese animation in my collection.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by Monroville

You should seek out 1001 NIGHTS by the same director (music by Tomita). Really good film. CLEOPATRA is not quite as good, but still a good watch.

Here is hoping that Criterion or someone eventually releases SON OF THE WHITE MARE onto blu-ray too.

Thanks for the suggestions. Will definitely search them out.

Originally Posted by Thomas Guycott

They're working on it.

Great! Thanks.

[Craig-Rogers]

Belladonna will be in theatres across the country starting next month and then the blu-ray will be out this summer!

We hope to be able to announce some more news soon that'll have many folks very happy. Stay tuned!

[ThatOneGuy]

Originally Posted by spiffnme

Belladonna will be in theatres across the country starting next month and then the blu-ray will be out this summer!

We hope to be able to announce some more news soon that'll have many folks very happy. Stay tuned!

Thanks for the update!

[willtopower]

Originally Posted by Monroville

You should seek out 1001 NIGHTS by the same director (music by Tomita). Really good film. CLEOPATRA is not quite as good, but still a good watch.

Here is hoping that Criterion or someone eventually releases SON OF THE WHITE MARE onto blu-ray too.

Thanks for the suggestions.


I decided to check this out in theatres before it left. I thought it appropriate if I make efforts to enhance the experience prior to viewing.

The one bad thing was some very rude couple came in late, sat in front and the girl pulled out her phone and started recording. I had to yell at her several times before she finally put her phone away.

Aside from that, this was a truly exceptional experience. I didn't watch the trailer before going so I was a completely blank slate. My unpreparedness was to my benefit, I think. If altered states-kind of movies are your thing, this film is perfect. The visuals are blissful and truly hypnotizing. I walked out affected by the film. Obviously there were variables at work on me, but damn, I'm still reminiscing about the experience three days later.

I will have to buy this blu ray.

[jlk5844]

This is STILL at $39.99 on Amazon?

[ThatOneGuy]

Originally Posted by jlk5844

This is STILL at $39.99 on Amazon?

Yes.

[jacobsever]

Still regret not going to see this in theaters when it was here.

[willtopower]

Originally Posted by jlk5844

This is STILL at $39.99 on Amazon?

Deepdiscount has it for $21.99 currently. Debating if I should wait for a 15% code or just pull the trigger now.