The Witches of the Orient

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1:56

The Witches of the Orient

Released Jul 9, 2021

1h 40m

Documentary

Sports & Fitness

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Popcornmeter

92%

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26 Reviews

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The Japanese volleyball players called the “Oriental Witches” are now in their seventies. From the formation of the team at the factory until their victory at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, memories and legends rise to the surface and blend inextricably.

Critics Consensus

As visually stylish as it is overall captivating, The Witches of the Orient takes a solidly crafted look at a fascinating chapter of Olympic history.

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Robert Abele

Los Angeles Times

Fusing exquisitely shot color 16mm footage from 1964 of the team's training sessions, drone-like music and splices of animation, we get a delirious sense of what these committed women endured six out of seven days a week.

Jul 22, 2021

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Josh Kupecki

Austin Chronicle

Faraut finds and obsesses over the rhythm of bodies in motion, using repetition and cross-cuts of the team's training footage and gameplay with anime sequences and textile manufacturing.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 16, 2021

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Danny Leigh

Financial Times

The film might be mistaken for pure style. But all kinds of narrative freight is in the mix and between the lines: the traumas of 20th-century Japanese history, cultural stereotypes, changing norms.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 14, 2021

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Dorothy Woodend

The Tyee (British Columbia)

Women are tough. Perhaps even tougher than we realize. If you need any further reminder of this truism, I give you Julien Faraut's documentary, The Witches of the Orient.

Nov 8, 2021

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Sean Fallon

Film Inquiry

This is one of those documentaries that does what historical documentaries should do: it takes a monumental achievement that the viewer might not know about and gives it the presentation and love it deserves.

Aug 28, 2021

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Dan Schindel

Hyperallergic

More than presenting the mere facts of history, the film explores how a series of events can capture the attention of a culture at large, and what that means for the people at its center.

Aug 3, 2021

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Julien Faraut

Director

Julien Faraut

Writer

William Jéhannin

Producer

Yutaka Yamazaki

Cinematographer

Jason Lytle

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The Witches of the Orient: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

The Japanese volleyball players called the “Oriental Witches” are now in their seventies. From the formation of the team at the factory until their victory at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, memories and legends rise to the surface and blend inextricably.

Director: Julien Faraut
Producer: William Jéhannin
Screenwriter: Julien Faraut
Production Co: Institut National du Sport, de l'Expertise et de la Performance, Centre National du Cinéma et de L'image Animée, La Région Île-de-France, UFO Production
Genre: Documentary, Sports & Fitness
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 9, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 26, 2021
Runtime: 1h 40m