• Sign up or login, and you'll have full access to opportunities of forum.

Art reviews by Zephyros

Go to CruxDreams.com
Some more info: The film was the third in the trilogy "Animerama", produced by Osama Tezuka, considered to be the godfather of manga & anime and the Japanese Walt Disney. The three films, "A Thousand and One Nights" (1969), "Cleopatra" (1970) & "Belladona" (1973), were classy, adult-themed animated films. "Cleopatra" maybe the first full length (130 minutes) animated erotic film.

They were directed by Eiichi Yamamoto, who had worked on Tezuka's classics "Astro Boy", "Kimba the White Lion" (which Disney totally ripped off in The Lion King), and the 70s series "Space Battleship Yamato", which aired in the US - heavily edited - under the title "Star Blazers".

As best I can tell, although the trilogy has been released on DVD in Japan, no English dub or subtitle version has ever been officially released.
 
Zephyros said:
Do you remember 1973 - »Kanashimi no Belladona« aka »Belladonna of Sadness«?

The story follows the peasant woman Jeanne, who has just been Happily Married to Jean when the village nobility demands an absurdly high marriage tax. The couple can't pay, so the baron sees fit to have his way with the bride. Tragically, he claims his feudal deflowering right of jus »primae noctis«, at which point he turns the ravaged Jeanne over to his lecherous court.
When she returns home, Jeanne is seduced by a demon and finds herself gradually turning to witchcraft to find empowerment and freedom. Initially, Jean tries to comfort her, but henceforth they can never truly be happy together.
At first, she and her husband are prosperous, but as famine, war, and the bubonic plague strike the rest of the village, suspicion grows and Jeanne is eventually cast out of the village. She wins the villagers over when she offers a miracle cure for the plague, but then the nobility catches wind of her power... She is granted considerable magical powers, and uses them to lead a rebellion in the village.

To put it short: A wonderful film from 1973, translated as »Belladonna of Sadness«. Though created by an anime studio it’s closer to western psychedelic art with a soundtrack to match. The visuals are simply stunning, some of very beautiful art. It’s a combination of still images and animation, and though the swirling flowing hair and smoke were beautifully done, I mostly love the still watercolour paintings.

Some still frames of watercoloured femal crucifixions … and other scenes ...

View attachment 286740 View attachment 286741 View attachment 286742 View attachment 286743 View attachment 286744 View attachment 286745 View attachment 286746

Crucifixion scene as »Gif«

View attachment 286748

two scenes: Just at the beginning and at 00:03:18


and here the trailer ...


Belladonna is an adaptation of La Sorcière, the 1862 novelized history of satanism and witchcraft in the late middle ages. The book was written by feminist, freethinker, and Frenchman Jules Michelet, who, like many other post-revolution French intellectuals, was eager to condemn the barbaric European forces of the prior few centuries. In Michelet's story, the practice of witchcraft is not simply the leftover trace of ancient pagan traditions, but an active rebellion against an oppressive church and system of government. While the church expected serfs to suffer and slave away during their time on earth with only the promise of a better afterlife to console them, witchcraft provided a glimpse of happiness in the here and now. Where the church feared the imperfections of nature, witchcraft embraced them. Where the church could only respond to ailments with prayer and holy water, witchcraft offered painkillers and psychoactive potions from datura plants. According to Michelet, the spirit of rebellion and experimentation found in 14th century witchcraft was a progenitor of the enlightenment values yet to come. Furthermore, this was a movement led by women, those who likely suffered the most at the hands of the church and the feudal system. He insinuates that society's emancipation from oppression is contingent on female liberation and sexual empowerment. It's easy to imagine how these ideas must have resonated with the revolutionary leftist Japanese filmmakers of more than a century later (yes, they were working in animation too).
Click to expand...


Zephyros

Very good!

I do not know what is best, images or soundtrack!

Top Cat
 
OMG No.3 and 4 are just AWESOME! :p
 
Zephyros said:
295778-72fb92c3796e62ac19090638624e3437.jpg
Click to expand...
I've seen that one before ;)
Pictures of the posing for it, and stages of creation
leighheppell.net/erotica/tara/tara1.html

Primus pilus said:
Too uncomfortable Thessela?
Click to expand...
Well Pp holding up one's head from that position, might cause slight neck pains after a while ;)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom