After being raped by an evil feudal lord and subsequently getting banished from her village, a peasant girl makes a pact with the Devil to gain magical powers and take her revenge.After being raped by an evil feudal lord and subsequently getting banished from her village, a peasant girl makes a pact with the Devil to gain magical powers and take her revenge.After being raped by an evil feudal lord and subsequently getting banished from her village, a peasant girl makes a pact with the Devil to gain magical powers and take her revenge.
- Awards
- 2 nominations
- Jeanne
- (voice)
- …
- Narrator
- (voice)
- The Lord
- (voice)
- The Priest
- (voice)
- Jean
- (voice)
- (as Katsutaka Ito)
- Walla
- (voice)
- Walla
- (voice)
- Walla
- (voice)
- Walla
- (voice)
- Walla
- (voice)
- Walla
- (voice)
- Walla
- (voice)
- Walla
- (voice)
- Walla
- (voice)
- Walla
- (voice)
- Walla
- (voice)
- Devil
- (voice)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe last film produced by Mushi Production. They went bankrupt shortly after its release.
- GoofsThe end of the film references the French Revolution of 1789, but then an image is shown of Eugène Delacroix's famous painting "Liberty Leading the People." That painting - "Liberty Leading the People" - depicts the July Revolution of 1830, not the French Revolution of 1789.
- Quotes
Jeanne: What ails you little one? Do you want me?
Page: Jeanne, Don't you recognize me? I'm the Lady's page. She hates you, so I hated you too. I'm the one who slashed your green cloak.
Jeanne: Your point, little page?
Page: I did it because... I love her.
Jeanne: Are you here to kill me?
Page: I need your help, Jeanne. Hear my plea. I want to make love to her. But... I'm only a lowly page. She'd never consider me.
Jeanne: Who cares about status?
Page: God granted us our status. Ignoring that is against God! The Work of the Devil! Hower... I'm willing to sell myself to the devil for my love.
Jeanne: Enough.
[Jeanne hug the Page]
Page: [Page gets scared] Filthy witch! How dare you!
Jeanne: [Jeanne lauging] Very well, I'll help you.
- Crazy creditsThere are no ending credits or a 'THE END' title; all the credits are at the beginning. The opening theme is reprized over a blank screen after the final scene. The 2015 restoration adds a copyright byline and credits for the restoration.
- Alternate versionsAccording to the liner notes booklet contained with the Japanese DVD of the film, there are six known versions of the film.
- The first was a draft version that was hastily created to meet a deadline that the film had to be shown to the distributor, Nippon Herald, for their perusal by August 1972. This version, which contains temporary placeholder shots made by a team separate from the main crew, has never been shown to the public.
- The second version was completed by the end of 1972, and premiered at the 1973 Berlin International Film Festival. Aside from the placeholder shots of the first version being replaced with material created by the main team, the scene in which Jeanne makes her pact with the Devil was immediately followed by a 5-minute live-action montage shot by Daido Moriyama depicting sexual acts performed in parks and red light establishments. This version also ends with the Devil laughing in the crowd after Jeanne's execution. Because this ending was poorly-received at the Festival, Eiichi Yamamoto decided to alter it in later versions.
- The third version was used early on during the film's Japanese theatrical release. It omitted Moriyama's live-action montage, but still retained the Devil's laughter at Jeanne's death.
- The fourth version, created partway through the Japanese theatrical run, removed the Devil's laughter, and featured an instrumental version of the film's theme song over the ending. An edited presentation of this version was used for some TV broadcasts.
- The fifth version was edited for an attempted 1979 re-release. In an effort to appeal to female college students, Yamamoto cut 8 minutes' worth of material from the original camera negative, removing most of the film's scenes of sexual violence. This version also made alterations to the film's ending: a newly-animated shot of female bystanders at Jeanne's execution, whose faces morph into Jeanne's visage, was added, as well as a final montage of title cards describing the role of women in the 1789 French Revolution, with the film's final shot being of Eugène Delacroix's painting "Liberty Leading the People". Some revisions were also made to the film's opening credits roll. This version was released on VHS by Pony Canyon in the early 1980s.
- The sixth version was created in 1986 for the film's VHS re-release and first release on LaserDisc. Although otherwise based on the 1979 re-release, it reinstates all of the sexual content omitted from that version. This is the version that has remained in circulation since, and was restored in 4K for its 2016 re-release.
- ConnectionsFollows A Thousand & One Nights (1969)
- SoundtracksInside the Pale Mirror
Lyrics by Chinatsu Nakayama
Music by Masahiko Satô
Performed by Chinatsu Nakayama
The object of the film seems to purely be a simple and impressive formula of the Sorceress's way of life, which sadly is darkend by the very elaboration of their ruled existence. The film sympathizes with the sufferings of peasants and women in the Middle Ages, or, most possibly, throughout all ages. The strong point is to start, not from the devil, from an empty conception, but from a living reality, the Sorceress, a warm, breathing reality, rich in results and possibilities. A topic which the film contains, the showing of people refering or confusing Belladona's transformation to the devil's work, or to be more exact, the root of her shapeshifting. Which thus shouldn't be confused with the devil because rather its the oppressor. Its shows the ignorant.
The films also blends severe nudity in with its narrative, which could be explained as part of the rebellion and a seemingly violent outcry against everything that is consider tabu and holding the individuals restraint, prohibiting their freedom and keeping them locked in chains. Showing (sex) as one of the pleasures life has to offers. In addition, the film presents dancing and music as one of the cures for the deadly plauge, which is too, an enigmatic pleasure of life, which either can't be explained.
Apart from the story faultering quite a bit from its lack of focused narrative but also deficient meaning when reflecting the visuals. Fortunately, the brilliant visual artistry is enough to keep the audience enraptured In a spellbinding torrent of beautiful flowing- aquarelle artworks. Containing both vivid, erotic and grotesque imagery, including rape, orgies etc. As well as feminine beauty - dangerous, seductive and delicious. A beautiful combination of: A magnificent mixture of water colour, as well as regular animation, an Idyllic torrential flow in moving object, poetic storytelling and accompanied by a very 1970s score by the avant-garde jazz composer Masahiko Satoh.
A wonder of the film is the physicaddlic element which creates an atmosphere of surreal, hallucinogenic and delirius experience, of godlike/mysterious insanity-inducing proportion. It shows something out of human direct-understanding but consciousness.
Extremely stylistic as well as original - work of art. An animation style I have never seen on film before, but one of, if not, the best.
- XxEthanHuntxX
- Oct 6, 2021
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- The Tragedy of Belladonna
- Filming locations
- Tokyo, Japan(Mushi Production)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $105,841
- Runtime1 hour 26 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1