Ghost Cat of Otama Pond
怪猫 お玉が池 (Kaibyo Otama-ga-Ike)

New York Premiere

In 1960, Yoshihiro Ishikawa, who had apprenticed under Shintoho harbormaster Nobuo Nakagawa, made his directorial debut with The Ghost Cat of Otama Pond. The story—a young couple caught in a web of ghostly revenge, with a black cat serving as a conduit between the worlds of the living and dead–is familiar from the era’s horror films, though the sumptuous production, as well as the use of color, is rare for a film by a Shintoho first-timer. Nakagawa’s influence can be seen in everything from the use of otherworldly shades of red and green to the shadowy period atmospherics of the "ghost mansion," supplied by art director Haruyasu Kurosawa, a frequent Nakagawa collaborator. The film’s theatricality, from the sets to the performance styles, also echoes Nakagawa in his more Kabuki-esque moods. Ishikawa learned his lessons well—and delivers shocks and chills that would have done his teacher proud.

Japan. 1960. Color, blu-ray, 75 min., in Japanese with English subtitles. Directed by Yoshiro Ishikawa. With Shozaburo Date, Hiroshi  Sugi, Noriko Kitazawa, Namiji Matsuura, Fumiko Miyata, Torahiko Nakamura.

Part of the Globus Film Series 2013

TICKETS
$12/$9 Japan Society members, seniors and students

Buy tickets online or call the Japan Society Box Office at (212) 715-1258, Mon. – Fri. 11 am – 6 pm, Weekends 11 am – 5 pm.