Yotsuya kaidan

Ronin Iyemon Tamiya (Tatsuya Nakadai) returns home to find that his pregnant wife Oiwa (Mariko Okada) has been forced to work in a brothel by her father; in order to get his wife back, Iyemon resorts to murdering his father-in-law. Meanwhile, Iyemon's buddy Naosuke (Kanzaburô Nakamura) kills Yomoshichi Satô (Mikijirô Hira), who stands in his way of wooing Oiwa's sister Osode (Junko Ikeuchi). The men cover up their crimes and vow to avenge the murders.

Iyemon soon realises that being a husband and father to a newborn son isn't all he thought it would be -- finding a position as a samurai is actually more important to him. To achieve this, he aims to marry the daughter of a rich, influential man who can recommend his services to a lord, but first, he must get rid of Oiwa. Iyemon gives his wife some special medicine that he has been told will make her ugly, thereby giving him a reason to leave her; instead it makes her very ill. When Oiwa learns what Iyemon has done, her husband sticks her with his sword and dumps her body, but being dead doesn't stop his wife from taking revenge.

I get the feeling that I am expected to like Illusion of Blood more than I do simply because its Japanese, has a respected cast and director, and is from the'60s; unfortunately, I found the whole thing very labored, not very scary, and overlong, with a narrative that doesn't flow all that well. Even the much-touted visuals failed to impress me, although this may well have been due to the rather lousy picture quality of my DVD. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it is a boring film, but I definitely struggled to remain engaged, and was relieved when it was finally all over.

While the US were pounding out wall to wall Westerns, Japan (Most notably Toho) were making Samurai movies from epics to action films to horrors like Illusion of Blood.

Based on a tale that had been adapted many times before it tells the story of a samurai tormented by the death of his ex-wife which he had part in. Gradually he begins to lose his mind as he is besieged by haunting visions.

I can only hope that the other adaptations of the tale are better because in no way did I appreciate this one. It failed to engage, the story is a mess and engulfed in side plots that ultimately contribute little.

Tatsuya Nakadai leads, a man I found obnoxious as the antagonist of Sanjuro (1962) but that's what they were going for. Here he's just annoying, it's hard to dislike a character when you simply can't find it in yourself to care.

The visuals are strong, the performances are passable but the story was shoddily told.

Even a studio like Toho can drop the ball sometimes, but based on the rating I can appreciate I'm in the minority thinking this.

The Good:

Looks the part

The Bad:

Tatsuya Nakadai is not on form

Story is dreadfully crafted

Tatsuya Nakadai has played in a lot of superior films over his career. Among them Kiru, Ran, and Yojimbo. Here he plays in a fantasy/horror film that results from murder.

Iuemon (Nakadai) loses his lord and becomes a ronin and is not allowed to marry Oiwa (Mariko Okada), the girl of his dreams. He loses his temper and kills Oiwa's father and two companions. All is not lost as Naosuke (Kanzaburo Nakamura) witnesses the fight and has plans on Oiwa's sister Oume (Mayumi Ozora). However, he hasn't a penny and Takuetsu (Masao Mishima) is in the way.

So, Naosuke convinces Iuemon to blame the killing on someone else. While they are off seeking revenge, they kill Takuetsu. Now, they both have the women they desire.

It would have been a standard thriller, but it goes in another direction. Iuemon and Naosuke have a taste for blood and can't stand being broke. They hatch another plot to kill Oiwa and marry Iuemon to a rich girl. This is when the fantasy/horror part begins as Oiwa will not stay dead and comes back to haunt Iuemon. He manages to kill off his new family while being haunted.

Oume finds out what happens to her sister and joins forces with Takuetsu, who survived, to seek vengeance.

Tatsuya Nakadai does a very good job as a tortured soul who lets another lead him in the wrong direction.

I do like Japanese cinema a lot. One of the problem is they make some movies in many different versions. This one I have seen before I do not remember from what yea but a shorter and better version.

This version is simply too long. Besides that all actors including the lead Tatsuya Nakadai delivers a less than engaging performance. It may very well be the director that is the problem since everything in this movie is so dull. It does take nearly 50 minutes before things do get interesting. And then it is too late to save the movie.

I would recommend try another and shorter version

The lead actor is regarded as Japan's Laurence Olivier, and is perhaps Japan's top Shakespearian. I've seen several terrific performances of his, including in the outstanding SEPPUKU.

Which makes this film all the more of a let-down. Upfront, I must declare that I watched this film on a VCD with Chinese subs only, and without my resident translator, which, of course, means I clearly missed much of the fine detail and perhaps some subtleties. However, I believe that good film (and, for that matter, bad film as well !) tends to transcend language barriers.

I think the main problem is the script. The story is very uneven. Apparently normal life goes on for quite a while, then spooky things start to happen, then normal life returns and stay for ages, then a few more spooky things happen. There appears to be none of the buildup that one expects from a good scary ghost tale, regardless of whether it's in Japan or Hollywood. And Tatsuya's acting is unrestrained, which is okay when his character is getting scared, but he lays it on too thick for too long.

I note with extra horror that there is a Japanese version of this film which goes for over three hours. That is truly horrifying.

It is with some sadness that I say that I cannot recommend this film.