Belladonna of Sadness 4K 1973 JAPANESE Ultra HD 2160p

Storyline
Blessed--and at the same time cursed--with the precious but fatal gift of beauty, the young peasant, Jeanne, falls in love with the beautiful villager, Jean, in middle-aged France. However, as the village's foul feudal lord exercises the "Droit du Seigneur" or the "Right of the First Night" on the couple's wedding night, a desperate plunge to a world of disturbing hallucinations will eventually lead Jeanne to a damned Faustian bargain with the Prince of Darkness. Thirsting for power and sweet retribution, Jeanne will gradually transform into an omnipotent and destructive vessel of seduction, as her newly acquired powers go hand in hand with the blackest of witchcraft. Is there a limit to Jeanne's hatred?

User Review
A feministic potration and idolization- Interwoven love story, Interwoven history of medieval witchcraft as an act of rebellion against the oppression of feudalism and the Roman Catholic Church. This rebellion took the form of a secret religion inspired by paganism and fairy beliefs, organized by a woman who became its leader - Belladonna, born out of sadness and oppression. But the young, beautiful, innocent woman's sexuality is unlocked through a numerous painful processes. Often she struggles against this awakening of physical desire-but when she lets go and gives in, she gains power, especially over men. Her presence threatens the dominant order. And thus she is sent to her death.

The object of the film seems to purely be a simple and impressive formula of the Sorceress's way of life, which sadly is darkend by the very elaboration of their ruled existence. The film sympathizes with the sufferings of peasants and women in the Middle Ages, or, most possibly, throughout all ages. The strong point is to start, not from the devil, from an empty conception, but from a living reality, the Sorceress, a warm, breathing reality, rich in results and possibilities. A topic which the film contains, the showing of people refering or confusing Belladona's transformation to the devil's work, or to be more exact, the root of her shapeshifting. Which thus shouldn't be confused with the devil because rather its the oppressor. Its shows the ignorant.

The films also blends severe nudity in with its narrative, which could be explained as part of the rebellion and a seemingly violent outcry against everything that is consider tabu and holding the individuals restraint, prohibiting their freedom and keeping them locked in chains. Showing (sex) as one of the pleasures life has to offers. In addition, the film presents dancing and music as one of the cures for the deadly plauge, which is too, an enigmatic pleasure of life, which either can't be explained.

Apart from the story faultering quite a bit from its lack of focused narrative but also deficient meaning when reflecting the visuals. Fortunately, the brilliant visual artistry is enough to keep the audience enraptured In a spellbinding torrent of beautiful flowing- aquarelle artworks. Containing both vivid, erotic and grotesque imagery, including rape, orgies etc. As well as feminine beauty - dangerous, seductive and delicious. A beautiful combination of: A magnificent mixture of water colour, as well as regular animation, an Idyllic torrential flow in moving object, poetic storytelling and accompanied by a very 1970s score by the avant-garde jazz composer Masahiko Satoh.

A wonder of the film is the physicaddlic element which creates an atmosphere of surreal, hallucinogenic and delirius experience, of godlike/mysterious insanity-inducing proportion. It shows something out of human direct-understanding but consciousness.

Extremely stylistic as well as original - work of art. An animation style I have never seen on film before, but one of, if not, the best.