A ‘cursed masterpiece’ is simply another name for a work too far ahead of its time. In 1973, Mushi Production unveiled Belladonna of Sadness, an audacious work of avant-garde animation for adults. Based on Michelet’s La Sorcière, the film follows Jeanne, who, after being violated by a feudal lord on her wedding night, makes a pact with the devil and is reborn as a witch. Its radical visual approach - the camera gliding across static watercolor paintings - and Fukai Kuni’s sensual artwork, reminiscent of Klimt and Beardsley, challenge the very definition of animation. Adding to its allure, acclaimed actor Nakadai Tatsuya voices the devil, while a psychedelic rock score washes over the images. Conceived as a last gamble by Mushi Production, which was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy after Tezuka Osamu’s departure, the film was a box-office disaster, and the studio ultimately shut its doors. Yet this commercial failure was invited to the Berlin Film Festival upon its release and, decades later, was revived with a 4K restoration in 2016, becoming a cult classic abroad before it found recognition in Japan. This is a rare opportunity to experience on the big screen its provocative vision of transforming a history of female suffering into a myth of liberation.
Born in 1940. He joined Mushi Production, founded by Osamu Tezuka, in 1960 and went on to direct the theatrical Animerama series aimed at adult audiences. The three films—A Thousand and One Nights (1969), Cleopatra (1970), co-directed with Tezuka, and Belladonna of Sadness—were part of Tezuka’s project to create theatrical animation for adults, with Belladonna of Sadness marking the final installment in the series.
From Busan International Film Festival 2026, No. 31
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Belladonna of SadnessBusan International Film Festival 2026, No. 31Special Program in Focus: Japanese Animation Special: Masterpieces of Madness, Exhilarating Prospects 12+1
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