'Onibaba' ( Demon Old Woman ) was written and directed by Kaneto Shindo and released in Japan in 1964. Provocatively scored by Hikaru Hayashi and stunningly photographed by cinematographer Kiyomi Kuroda, 'Onibaba' is based on an old Buddhist folk tale. Set in 14th century rural Japan during a period of civil war involving peasants and the samurai classes, the entire story is filmed in an actual Susuki grass swamp (a.k.a. Chinese Silver grass, Zebra grass, and Porcupine grass).
The brash opening notes in which ‘Taiko’ drumming mixes with jazz horns along with the immediate visual focus on the undulating tall grasses let me know that I was in for a wild ride. The sense that the tall grasses were in and of themselves a character in the film was instant. As the film progressed I saw that their movements were able to express everything that was taking place; power, danger, fear, sanctuary, bliss, abundance, terror, joy, radiance, indifference, time, possession, passion, loss, confusion, isolation, interconnectedness, life and death.
As the two women pounced upon the men after killing them I could think only of old National Geographic footage of lions, tigers, hyenas, and vultures descending upon their prey and stripping them of their flesh in the most primitive and unemotional need to eat and survive. When the women returned to the hut with their quarry, guzzled water, stuffed gruel into their hungry mouths and collapsed in a state of sweaty exhaustion the animal images became even more embedded. Eventually emotions such as lust, greed, jealousy, envy, rage, and affection emerged and the HUMAN story began to play itself upon the stage.
And sex was in the grass.
And sex was in the sounds.
Sex was Everywhere and in Everything.
I don’t believe anything has ever caused me to think so much about just how deeply rooted this need to crush our groins together and release ourselves into another human might really be.
I took pages of notes while watching and have endless details that I could comment on. Here are a few examples:
- I loved that in the initial sequence the grasses opened as the samurai moved into them and shut behind them just as quickly.
-I was blown away by the quality and creativity of the sounds. The crispness of the sword striking, the subtle sound of the quiet winds in the grass, the brilliant use of the cooing pigeons as the young girl runs across the field ..
- The dripping sexual excitement as she runs anticipating the connection soon to come with her lover..
-The beads of sweat so distinct on the couples' skin I feel I could put my finger out and wipe them off..
-The shots of the two sleeping women's breasts laid out for comparison…
- In an attempt to gain control over her daughter in law the old woman uses religion as a weapon of fear. She convinces her that her natural desires are SINFUL, replaying the banishing of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and reminding me once again of why I have such antipathy to religion in almost all its’ forms.
-The old woman clawing hungrily at her own breasts and making love to the dead tree as she is consumed with unquenchable desire after seeing the couple having sex.
The brash opening notes in which ‘Taiko’ drumming mixes with jazz horns along with the immediate visual focus on the undulating tall grasses let me know that I was in for a wild ride. The sense that the tall grasses were in and of themselves a character in the film was instant. As the film progressed I saw that their movements were able to express everything that was taking place; power, danger, fear, sanctuary, bliss, abundance, terror, joy, radiance, indifference, time, possession, passion, loss, confusion, isolation, interconnectedness, life and death.
As the two women pounced upon the men after killing them I could think only of old National Geographic footage of lions, tigers, hyenas, and vultures descending upon their prey and stripping them of their flesh in the most primitive and unemotional need to eat and survive. When the women returned to the hut with their quarry, guzzled water, stuffed gruel into their hungry mouths and collapsed in a state of sweaty exhaustion the animal images became even more embedded. Eventually emotions such as lust, greed, jealousy, envy, rage, and affection emerged and the HUMAN story began to play itself upon the stage.
And sex was in the grass.
And sex was in the sounds.
Sex was Everywhere and in Everything.
I don’t believe anything has ever caused me to think so much about just how deeply rooted this need to crush our groins together and release ourselves into another human might really be.
I took pages of notes while watching and have endless details that I could comment on. Here are a few examples:
- I loved that in the initial sequence the grasses opened as the samurai moved into them and shut behind them just as quickly.
-I was blown away by the quality and creativity of the sounds. The crispness of the sword striking, the subtle sound of the quiet winds in the grass, the brilliant use of the cooing pigeons as the young girl runs across the field ..
- The dripping sexual excitement as she runs anticipating the connection soon to come with her lover..
-The beads of sweat so distinct on the couples' skin I feel I could put my finger out and wipe them off..
-The shots of the two sleeping women's breasts laid out for comparison…
- In an attempt to gain control over her daughter in law the old woman uses religion as a weapon of fear. She convinces her that her natural desires are SINFUL, replaying the banishing of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and reminding me once again of why I have such antipathy to religion in almost all its’ forms.
-The old woman clawing hungrily at her own breasts and making love to the dead tree as she is consumed with unquenchable desire after seeing the couple having sex.
-Everything about the thunderstorm…climaxing with the couple making love in the rain while the Onibaba looks upon them, realizing she has utterly and pitifully failed in her mission to come between them…
And of course, the ending.
“I ‘m not a demon! I’m a human being! I am a human being!" the old woman cries as she falls into the pit, descending into the hell that she has created for herself.
And of course, the ending.
“I ‘m not a demon! I’m a human being! I am a human being!" the old woman cries as she falls into the pit, descending into the hell that she has created for herself.
I will miss the tall grasses. But I shall forever picture them in my mind and hear their quiet whisper.
BMM, LLI.
Often I wish we were all sitting in a room together drinking coffee and talking away into the wee hours of the night about our "personal responses and reactions" to the films. Maybe someday we can…perhaps a conference calling conversation could be something in our blog future.?
