Kaidan (2007)

Director:

Hideo Nakata

Writers:

Satoko Okudera (screenplay) and
Enchô San'yûtei (story)

Release Date:

4 August 2007 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Romance

Plot:

Japan, 250 years ago. Soetsu is a moneylender who is killed by the cruel samurai Shinzaemon. His body is dumped in the Kasenega-Fuchi river...

Plot Keywords:

Samurai | Impossible Love | Supernatural | Common Law Marriage | Tokyo Edo Japan

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Kumiko Asô
Takaaki Enoki
Reona Hirota
Teisui Ichiryûsai	...	Storyteller
Mao Inoue
Tae Kimura
Taigi Kobayashi
Hitomi Kuroki
Ken Mitsuishi
Shôji Murakami
Naomasa Musaka
Taeko Nishino
Kikunosuke Onoe
Asaka Seto
Yumi Shimizu
Masahiko Tsugawa
Yûrei Yanagi

Directed by
Hideo Nakata

Writing credits
Satoko Okudera		(screenplay)
Enchô San'yûtei		story "Shinkei Kasane-ga-fuchi"

Produced by
Takashige Ichise	....	producer
Junichi Sakomoto	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Kenji Kawai

Cinematography by
Jun'ichirô Hayashi

Production Design by
Yohei Taneda

Art Direction by
Kyôko Yauchi

Set Decoration by
Yoshihito Akatsuka

Costume Design by
Kazuko Kurosawa

Makeup Department
Yûichi Matsui	....	special makeup effects artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Yuuki Nakamura	....	gaffer

Production Companies

• Avex Entertainment
• Eisei Gekijo
• Kaidan Seisaku Iinkai
• Media Factory
• Oz Company
• TV Asahi
• Yahoo Japan

Distributors

• ARM Distribution (2008) (Taiwan) (theatrical)
• Kino Bez Granits (2008) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (2007) (France) (theatrical)
• Shochiku Company (2007) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Xanadeux Company (2007) (Japan) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• CN Entertainment (2008) (Hong Kong) (DVD)
• Lark Films Distribution (2008) (Hong Kong) (all media)
• Lions Gate Entertainment (2007) (worldwide) (all media) (sales) (as Lions Gate International)
• Lions Gate Entertainment (2008) (worldwide) (all media) (sales) (as Mandate International)
• Lionsgate (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2008) (Australia) (DVD)
• Media Factory (2008) (Japan) (DVD)
• TV Asahi (2008) (Japan) (TV)

Other Companies

• Avex Trax  soundtrack
• Cineo Camera  camera equipment supplied by
• Continental Far East  Dolby consultant
• Hoei Sangyo Co. Ltd.  film supplied by
• Ibaraki Film Commission  film commission
• Nihon Shomei Co.  lighting equipment supplied by
• Sanwa Pro Light  lighting equipment supplied by
• Shu Tokki  grip equipment supplied by
• Toho Studios  sound stages

Also Known As:

"J-Horror Theater Vol. 5" - International (English title) (series title)
"Кайдан" - Russia
"Apparition - Amare oltre la morte" - Italy (imdb display title)
"Kísértetjárás" - Hungary
"Kaïdan" - France
"Kaidan - Maldição" - Portugal (imdb display title)
"To potami ton nekron" - Greece (DVD title)

Runtime:

Greece:115 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M (2008) | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:PG | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | USA:Unrated | Portugal:M/16

Filming Locations:

Inashiki, Ibaraki, Japan

Company:

Avex Entertainment

Movie Connections:

Version of Kaidan Kasane-ga-fuchi (1970)

Soundtrack:

Fated

Deadly Jealousness, Curse and Doomed Love

In the Nineteenth Century, the acupuncturist Soetsu lives with his daughters Oshiga and Osano in the Shimousa Province, Japan. He saves some money, becomes a moneylender and lends his money to the samurai Fukami. Three years later, he visits Fukami to collect his money and the samurai kills him and dumps his body in the Kasane Swamp, where bodies disappear and never return to the surface. However, before dying, Soetsu curses Fukami and the samurai goes crazy and kills his wife.

Twenty-five years later, Fukami's son Shinkichi, who is a street vendor of tobacco, meets Oshiga, who is a singing teacher in Edo, and they fall in love with each other. Oshiga is older than Shinkichi and financially supports him. She becomes infamous in Edo and when her student Ohisa flirts with Shikichi, she becomes jealous and decides to give no more classes to her. Shinkichi decides to leave Oshiga and move to his homeland Hanyu with Ohisa. Oshiga has an argument with Shinkichi and he hits her face with the Bachi of her Shamisen. Oshiga has an infection in her face and dies; however, she curses Shinkichi and promises that she will haunt and take to the grave any woman that he loves.

"Kaidan" is a great Japanese ghost story about deadly jealousness, curse and doomed love. This stylized slow-paced film combines romance, drama and supernatural genres with a magnificent cinematography. The romance between Oshiga and Shinkichi in Edo shows beautiful locations and the camera work uses angles and movements to show details sometimes in a corner or in another room or space.

I believed that Hideo Nakata's "Kaidan" would be a remake of the 1964 Masaki Kobayashi's classic masterpiece, but they are totally different stories. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "A Maldição do Rio" ("The Curse of the River")