Belladonna Of Sadness...
I picked up Belladonna Of Sadness aka Tragedy of Belladonna a while back, on one of my anime hunting expeditions out in the suburbs...
I'll be the first to admit that Belladonna Of Sadness isn't for everyone, but, with Osamu Tezuka's name on the back of the box, I couldn't NOT bring the feature home with me, just for the sheer curiosity of it. Though, after seeing Belladonna Of Sadness, I have to say that I can scratch this item off my bucket list. During my research, I read in the Anime Encyclopedia by Jonathan Clements and Helen McCarthy (page 409), ISBN# 1-880656-64-7, that while Osamu Tezuka's company had produced the film, before production began, Osamu Tezuka had already lost control of his company and a different director actually directed the feature. Overall, the feature is interesting from a historical perspective, but, Belladonna Of Sadness was not for me. I gave Belladonna Of Sadness a 1 out of 5.
According to Arbelos, a boutique film distributor and digital film restoration company handling the distribution of Belladonna Of Sadness...One of the great lost masterpieces of Japanese animation, Belladonna of Sadness is the last film in the adult-themed Animerama trilogy produced by the godfather of Japanese anime and manga, Osamu Tezuka and directed by his long-time collaborator Eiichi Yamamoto (Astro Boy and Kimba: The White Lion). An innocent young woman, Jeanne is violently raped by the local lord on her wedding night. To take revenge, she makes a pact with the Devil himself who appears as an erotic sprite and transforms her into a black-robed vision of madness and desire. If Led Zeppelin had a favorite film, this would be it. In other words, Stairway to Hell.
The film has been restored using the original 35mm camera negative and sound elements -- and including over 8 minutes of surreal and explicit footage cut from the negative. On par with Rene Laloux’s Fantastic Planet and Ralph Bakshi’s Wizards as an LSD-stoked 1970s head trip, Belladonna Of Sadness marks a major rediscovery for animation fans.In Belladonna Of Sadness, Jeanne, a peasant woman, is raped on her wedding day by the local lord. Feeling ruined and miserable, Jeanne turns to the devil for her revenge. Let the red ink and carnage ensue. Belladonna Of Sadness plumbs some really dark and evil territory, but, the tone of the feature feels more like an art house film than a typical H title. But, make no mistake, the younger art house anime fans among us need to stay far away. That being said, while there is a lot of suggestive, somewhat abstract imagery, there's no question as to what's happening even though the naughty bits are somewhat obscured in the artistry.
I'll be the first to admit that Belladonna Of Sadness isn't for everyone, but, with Osamu Tezuka's name on the back of the box, I couldn't NOT bring the feature home with me, just for the sheer curiosity of it. Though, after seeing Belladonna Of Sadness, I have to say that I can scratch this item off my bucket list. During my research, I read in the Anime Encyclopedia by Jonathan Clements and Helen McCarthy (page 409), ISBN# 1-880656-64-7, that while Osamu Tezuka's company had produced the film, before production began, Osamu Tezuka had already lost control of his company and a different director actually directed the feature. Overall, the feature is interesting from a historical perspective, but, Belladonna Of Sadness was not for me. I gave Belladonna Of Sadness a 1 out of 5.
