RIP Eiichi Yamamoto (1940-2021) 🌹
Belladonna of Sadness (1973), dir. Eiichi Yamamoto, is an unsettling hallucinatory Japanese animated film made up of Expressionistic and Symbolist moving paintings, with a variety of artistic influences. The breathtaking story of Jeanne unfolds through a succession of stunningly ethereal and luridly nightmarish tableaux featuring symbolic yet disturbing depictions of rape, violence, suffering, decomposition, and witch trials. Matching the trope of the witch, Jeanne is a formerly pure, now sexually awakened corrupted young woman who acquires magical powers through a pact with the devil. This haunting cinematic tale represents a metaphoric portrayal of women’s liberation and universal liberation.
Read more: https://dianamarin.com/2021/01/27/belladonna-of-sadness-1973
