Demon Pond
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Demon Pond |
| Original title | Yasha-ga-ike |
| Country of production | Japan |
| original language | Japanese |
| Publishing year | 2005 |
| length | 129 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Takashi Miike |
| script | Keishi Nagatsuka |
| music | Kōji Endō |
| occupation | |
| |
Demon Pond ( Japanese 夜叉 ヶ 池 , Yasha-ga-ike , Eng . "Pond of the Yaksha ") is a Japanese theatrical adaptation by the director Takashi Miike with well-known film actors in the leading roles. The work is based on the Kabuki drama of the same name by the author Kyōka Izumi , which was adapted as a film by Masahiro Shinoda in 1979 .
The staging told in a reduced stage a mystical and tragic story of Akira and his wife Yuri, the day near a lake bell have to ring a ruined temple to fulfill an old agreement. The lake mentioned in the story also exists in reality. It is located in the border area between Gifu Prefecture and Fukui Prefecture .
The direct-to-video production was first published on May 25, 2005 in Japan. In Germany, the theater performance, filmed in front of a sold-out house, went on sale on September 29, 2006 by the Cologne film distributor Rapid Eye Movies (rem) in the original language with German subtitles.
action
Hokuriku , Chūbu at the beginning of the 20th century : The inhabitants of the small mountain village Shikami not far from the Devil's Lake suffer from drought and lack of water. Despite the persistent drought, the superstitious village population avoids the lake and a small river, as it is believed to be the location of a terrifying dragon.
The young couple Akira and Yuri live in isolation by a small stream near the settlement. The life of Akira, the guardian of the local bell tower, and his companion is isolated from the rest of the village community. The young man, a stranded scholar from Tokyo, has the responsible task of ringing the temple bell three times a day at certain times. He is the successor of Yuri's father and only stays out of love in order - according to legend - to maintain a pact with the freedom-striving Princess Shirayuki, who is trapped in the mountain lake. Shirayuki longs for the arms of her lover, the master of another mountain lake. However, she is bound to the Teufelssee by an oath of her ancestors, as long as the bell rings on time. As part of the deal, the headstrong princess grudgingly grants protection to the village and the surrounding area from flood disasters. Shirayuki hopes to break away from the insane agreement as soon as possible.
One evening young Gakuen passes the humble house of the bell-ringer couple. The hiker is surprised to find his childhood friend here. After a short conversation, Gakuen asks his host to accompany him to the Devil's Lake. Meanwhile, the anxious Yuri fears the loss of her husband; nevertheless the men set out to reach the Teufelssee at nighttime.
Meanwhile, the situation for the left alone Yuri is coming to a head. The villagers plagued by the drought - belief in the legend dwindles over the years - collectively fear for their existence. Rain is said to be induced in a strange ritual. For this the village beauty Yuri is chosen as a victim. The defenseless woman is overpowered and tied to the back of a black bull in order to please a deity. However, the suddenly returning Akira thwarted the rain ceremony. There is a dispute with angry villagers. Akira is ultimately guaranteed safe conduct in the event that he separates from Yuri and leaves her in the care of the community. But the faithful husband refuses to give up his great love. Fights follow. Yuri recognizes the hopeless situation and chooses suicide . The grieving Akira, now deprived of his loved one, refuses to ring the bell, loses all will to live and also commits suicide.
At the end of the film, a rushing tidal wave pulls everything down with it. Any help comes too late for the residents. Princess Shirayuki is no longer bound by the pact and is therefore free.
Reviews
- "Miike's classic production is well cast and, despite the perhaps somewhat difficult access to Japanese culture and history, gripping and moving." (CNET.de)
- "Whatever genre or medium Miike plows, something always comes out that has not been seen before." (10kbullets.com)
- "Enriched [...] especially in the first part, with a lot of humor [...] which certainly not everyone can laugh about" (Filmstarts.de)
- "Miike knocks things out pretty well, not [...] as far as I know, he somehow shot this over the weekend" (Dread Central)
- "A truly extraordinary experience." (Hkflix.com)
Web links
- Demon Pond in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Demon Pond at the ZDF Theaterkanal
Individual evidence
- ↑ cf. The film was staged on October 24, 2004 ( memento of the original from February 15, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Japanese)
- ↑ a b cf. Dogville (D: Lars von Trier , 2003) Björn Becher: Demon Pond. In: Filmstarts.de. Retrieved February 16, 2009 .
- ↑ cf. Image of the water ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved February 14, 2009
- ↑ see http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1213576/releaseinfo
- ↑ Jason Buchanan: Demon Pond (2005). (No longer available online.) In: All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008 ; accessed on February 16, 2009 (English, at GreenCine). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Demon Pond. (No longer available online.) In: CNET.de. CBS Interactive GmbH, formerly in the original ; Retrieved February 16, 2009 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Michael Den Boer: Demon Pond (2005). In: 10kbullets.com. April 28, 2008, accessed on February 16, 2009 (English): "No matter what genre or medium that Takashi Miike works in the end result is always something that is unlike anything you have ever seen before"
- ↑ DVD Releases: Horror of the Frontiers. In: Dread Central. Dread Central Media, LLC, accessed February 16, 2009 : “Man, Miike really knows how to turn 'em out, no? [...] for all I know he made the damn thing in a weekend and forgot about it "
- ↑ Demon Pond (Stage Play). In: hkflix.com. hkflix.com, accessed on February 16, 2009 (English): "a truly exceptional experience"
