Yashagaike (Demon Pond). 1979. Masahiro Shinoda

Film

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Yashagaike (Demon Pond). 1979. Japan. Directed by Masahiro Shinoda. Courtesy Shochiku

Yashagaike (Demon Pond). 1979. Japan. Masahiro Shinoda. Screenplay by Haruhiko Mimura, Tsutomu Tamura. With Tamasaburo Bando, Gô Katô, Tsutomu Yamazaki. DCP. In Japanese; English subtitles. 124 min.

MoMA’s Shochiku series opens with the New York premiere of Demon Pond, a delirious kabuki adaptation of epic scale, in a breathtaking 4K restoration overseen by the film’s director, Masahiro Shinoda (Pale Flower and Double Suicide) and lead actor, Tamasaburo Bando. A scholar arrives at the Demon Pond to investigate the legend surrounding it. There he encounters a beautiful woman named Yuri who, together with her husband, must ring a tower bell three times daily for fear the Dragon Gods will otherwise flood their village. In his first film roles—twinned performances that astonished Martin Scorsese—Tamasaburo Bando, a popular onnagata (male kabuki actor who performs female roles) plays both Yuri and the ethereal Princess of the Dragon Gods. The soundtrack by Isao Tomita, a pioneer in electronic and analog synthesizer music, brings the film’s otherworldliness to dazzling heights. DCP from Shochiku; courtesy Janus Films

This film accompanies Beyond Ozu: Hidden Gems of Shochiku Studios.

Past events

Thu, Jun 16, 2022, 4:00 p.m.

MoMA, Floor T2/T1, Theater 1

The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 1
Fri, Jun 10, 2022, 6:30 p.m.

MoMA, Floor T2/T1, Theater 2

The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2

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