Onibaba (1964)
Directed by Kaneto Shindô, this is based on a Japanese folk tale and set at the time of feudal wars between Samurai armies. A wife and mother live alone in swampland and survive by ambushing and killing the wounded warriors involved in the conflict and stripping them of their armour, before disposing of their bodies in a hole (‘The Hole’ of the title).
THE WORLD OF THE STORY
(see technique notes: “The World of The Story”)
From the opening frames of the film, the physical environment dominates the story: a sea of waving reeds through which the characters plunge blindly and aggressively on their pre-determined paths. Within a few minutes of the action, the specific values of this world are established as we see the women brutally murder and strip two Samurai warriors.
It’s clear that this is an inversion of a caste system and a symptom of the chaos of war, one in which the weak become predators, and their former lords and masters, the prey. It’s not just the violence. There is a wildness that permeates through the story, a sense that anything can happen in a random and chaotic universe.
© David Clough 2010
Posted in Screenwriting, World of the story, Case Studies, Technique | Tags: Coursework_2, actor, case study, drama, theme, world of the story
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