The Ghost Cat and the Mysterious Shamisen
A quintessential example of the period "ghost cat" (bakeneko or kaibyo) movie, this was one of at least six such titles released by the studio Shinko Kinema between 1937-40 featuring Japan's first scream queen, Sumiko Suzuki. Here she plays Mitsue, the possessive onna-kabuki actress betrothed to apprentice shamisen player Seijiro. When one day Okiyo, a beautiful young girl of samurai class, is led to Seijiro's house by his lost cat Kuro, she becomes besotted with him. Dark jealous passions are invoked in Mitsue, which are intensified when Seijiro gifts Okiyo his precious shamisen. The cat is the first to suffer at the end of Mitsue's hairpin, but returns from the grave to assist Okiyo's younger sister Onui avenge her sister's murder.
Year: 1938
Genre: Horror
Studio: Shinko
Director: Kiyohiko Ushihara
Cast: Sumiko Suzuki, Mitsuko Mori, Kinue Utagawa, Shinpachirō Asaka, Eigorō Onoe, Mitsugu Terashima
Crew: Kiyohiko Ushihara (Director), Takenori Takahashi (Director of Photography), Shōtarō Saijō (Original Story), Shōtarō Saijō (Screenplay)
Runtime: 74 minutes
Release: Nov 02, 1938
IMDb: 7.75/10 by 4 users
Popularity: 0
Country: Japan
Language: 日本語
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Similar Movies
