Blind Beast
Blind Beast (盲獣, Mōjū), aka Moju the Blind Beast[1] is a 1969 Japanese film directed by Yasuzo Masumura. It is based on a novel by Edogawa Rampo.
| Blind Beast | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Yasuzo Masumura |
| Produced by | Kazumasa Nakano[1] |
| Screenplay by | Yoshio Shirasoka[1] |
| Based on | Moju by Rampo Edogawa |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Hikaru Hayashi[1] |
| Cinematography | Setsuo Kobayashi[1] |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Cast
- Eiji Funakoshi as Michio Sofu
- Mako Midori as Aki Shima
- Noriko Sengoku as Shino, Mutter
Release
Blind Beast was released in Japan on January 1969.[1] The film was released by Daiei International Film with English subtitles in April 1969.[1] It was reissued by Roninfilm under the title Warehouse in February 1974.[1]
Reception
In a contemporary review, Variety praised the cinematography and Shigeo Mano's art direction, while noting that his previous films dealt with sexuality such as Daini no Seo and Manji but "these are kindergarten material compared with The Blind Beast...it's a sick film."[2]
Retrospective reviews include critic Jasper Sharp calling it "One of the most fascinatingly freakish of all the big screen adaptations of the works of Japanese mystery writer Edogawa Rampo".[3] Tom Vick of AllMovie compared the film to The Collector and opined that "Masumura, a master of dark humor and macabre psychodrama, strikes an odd balance between silliness and horror throughout the film. One of the nuttier entries in his oeuvre, Blind Beast is a delicious guilty pleasure."[4] Sight & Sound referred to the film as a "fascinating curiosity" with "bizarre production design, tendency towards outlandish symbolism and eccentric performances, it seems at least partly tongue in cheek even at its most extreme."[5]
See also
References
Footnotes
- Galbraith IV 1996, p. 122.
- Galbraith IV 1994, p. 183.
- Sharp, Jasper. "The Blind Beast". Midnight Eye. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- Vick, Tom. "Blind Beast (1969)". AllMovie. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
- Macnab, Geoffrey (August 2006). "Blind Beast". Sight & Sound. Vol. 16 no. 8. British Film Institute. p. 95.
Sources
- Galbraith IV, Stuart (1994). Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. McFarland. ISBN 0-89950-853-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Galbraith IV, Stuart (1996). The Japanese Filmography: 1900 through 1994. McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0032-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)