The Snow Woman

A sculptor and his apprentice embark on a journey up the mountain between Mino and Hida, in Japan, during the dead of winter, in search of a mythical tree, which they seek to fell, in order to carve it into a statue of the Goddess of Mercy, Kannon, for their local temple.

However, before they are able to acquire the tree, they are confronted by the entity of a beautiful woman...who is actually the spirit of the mountain, in the form of the snow witch.

Legend has it that any man who gazes upon her, becomes possessed by her (though cursed is probably a more appropriate term).

So, when she enters the cabin in which the men are staying, she kills the would be sculptor- by freezing him to death- leaving his apprentice to bear the burden of her secret, on penalty of death.

However, she happens to fall in love with the apprentice, so she takes on the form of a regular woman- though one whose beauty is unsurpassed- and makes her way to his village.

Eventually the two are married and have a child, while the apprentice is tasked with carving the statue in absence of his mentor.

Things take a turn for the worse, when the local bailiff (the equivalent of a sheriff, in a western sense) becomes infatuated with the woman, and seeks to possess her by any means necessary...even if that means raping her.

Considering such, he is jealous of the apprentice, and thus constantly harasses him, in an attempt to prevent him from finishing his task.

But he definitely chose to mess with the wrong family...

The whole thing is rather short (at approx 1hour and 15 mins), and is rather simply constructed.

But it's nicely shot, and rather entertaining, despite the fact that the special effects are achieved with rather meager means (some fancy make-up and a few camera tricks).

Despite it's simplicity, however, it's a rather effective ghost story.

As it's both bothersome, and reassuring, to know that no matter what the culture and time frame is,...cops will always be considered bastards.

Long live the snow witch...and FTP.

6 out of 10...

This is essentially the same Snow Witch story as told in the well-known Japanese ghost film anthology, "Kwaidan". Here it is extended out into a 75 minute excursion into the supernatural.

A master sculptor and his apprentice are trapped in a bad snow storm after finding a special tree for carving a statue for the local temple. Finding refuge in an abandoned hut they celebrate their luck n finding the tree but soon they are visited by the Snow Witch who freezes the sculptor to death but takes pity on the apprentice. He must promise to never speak of this or she'll return and kill him. Back in town, the apprentice is promoted and given the task of making the statue. A mysterious beautiful woman arrives during a torrential rain storm and quickly falls in love with the apprentice. Soon she comes under the lustful eye of the evil Baliff who controls the town. And so it goes....

While the painterly method this story is told in Kwaidan is well-known and appreciated, here the story is accomplished with very careful lighting effects and lens filters. In some ways this is a much more beautiful telling of the story. Akira Ikufube provides a familiar yet unique score. Aside from a couple of clumsy spots in the script and the actor playing the apprentice underplays his part, this is an excellent film.

A wonderful story told so well in this adaptation. It is so much more than a horror story. It is a story of love and compassion but with great sadness. It captures the imagination in a way that the Japanese are true masters at.

I want more of these kind of movies!

Last year I watched "Kwaidan" from 1964. In Kwaidan there is a short called "The Woman of the Snow" which is also based on the same ghost story as this film.

Coming into this title I somewhat knew what the story would be about. To my surprise I liked this version of the film much better. It was a much more fleshed out story with beautiful sets, awesome natural looking lighting, and great acting.

This film kept me engaged all the way through and had an interesting story line, and dialog until the end. The cinematography was top level and the actress who played the Snow Woman was very beautiful.

I saved this film to watch on a rainy night and the sound and ambience of the rain fit this film just perfect. I loved "The Snow Woman" I can see myself re-watching it more times in the future.

If you're a fan of Japanese culture, classic horror, or ghost stories I strongly recommend "The Snow Woman".

In a certain area of Japan there was a legend of a powerful ghost living in the mountains known as the "Snow Woman" who would kill those she happened to come upon. One particularly snowy day a master carpenter and his apprentice were traveling in the forest looking for a tree to make into a statue for their local shrine. They found the tree but that night the Snow Woman appeared and killed the master as he slept. His apprentice, "Yosaku" (Akira Ishiham) witnessed the whole thing as he lay there completely horrified. She then uncharacteristically tells him that she will spare him as long as he never mentions her or what happened that night. He swears and she leaves. Not long afterward, a beautiful woman named, "Yuki" (Shiho Fujimura) shows up in his village. Yosaku falls in love with her and they get married. Anyway, rather than spoil the story for those who haven't seen it, I will just say that this was a pretty good ghost story which is very Japanese. As such, those who are able to enjoy films from another culture (with English subtitles) will probably find this movie quite interesting. Others may not. Personally, I thought it was a very good film. I especially liked the makeup and the snowy sets the director (Tokuzô Tanaka) used which enhanced the spooky ambiance and gave the film an artistic touch. An above average movie.