Demon Pond

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Sarfaraz A Masahiro Shinoda directed this Japanese film, which was adapted by Haruhiko Mimura and Tsutomu Tamura for screenplay from the same-titled play of 1913. Starring my favorite Tsutomu Yamazaki. The movie is set in 1933. Between Fukui and Gifu there is a pond known as Demon Pond. The legend states that a dragon resides at the bottom of the pond. The village is experiencing a drought, no rain, no drinking water, and no foods. A professor Yamasawa (Yamazaki) from Tokyo arrives by train to the town, where he cannot find water to quench his thirst, so he wanders farther into the countryside, where he discovers fresh water springs and a young woman, Yuri, whom he initially misidentifies as an elderly woman. A brief chat between Yuri and Yamasawa, who was served tea and pears, explains Yamasawa's search for his closest brother-like friend, Hagiwara. Hagiwara left Tokyo three years ago without informing his parents, found an orphan named Yuri, and married her. He rings a massive bell three times every day to keep the Dragon god from drowning the village. Yamasawa thinks that Yuri is a Dragon goddess who is in love with Hagiwara, much like Hagiwara loves her. Yuri fears Yamasawa has come to take Hagiwara away from her. While wanting to see Demon Pond, the two friends go in the middle of the night as the desperate and superstitious villagers decide to sacrifice a beautiful n*de virgin woman to break the curse of draught. They choose Yuri, who is currently alone in her house. The film's first half-hour, which was free of dialogue, was enchanting to watch, as was the set design. The film's dullness is offset by Yamazaki's strong presence. The film focuses on superstitious people who believe in human sacrifice and swap rationality for madness, to whom both urban educated professors Yamasawa and Hagiwara attempt to reason rationally but are unsuccessful. For its time, the final flooding sequence was masterfully executed and did not seem like shoddy visual effects. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/09/24 Full Review Audience Member One of the most amazing and beautiful films I have ever seen. An artistic and cinematic triumph. Shinoda's telling of this story is compelling and evocative of Japanese "mythology". Tamasaburo Bando V is one of the greatest actors of the 20th Century. Playing not one but *two* female characters, Bando gives an astonishing, incrediby nuanced, and compelling performance. Stanley Kaufmann, when asked by Dick Cavett what makes a movie great, replied, "If it changes your life." This is one of those films. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Demon Pond

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