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The Witches of the Orient

Play trailer 1:56 Poster for The Witches of the Orient Released Jul 9, 2021 1h 40m Documentary Sports & Fitness Play Trailer Watchlist
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92% Tomatometer 26 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Verified Ratings
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.
The Witches of the Orient

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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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Critics Reviews

View All (26) Critics Reviews
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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews
The Witches of the Orient

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Movie Info

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