Demon Pond 4K 1979 Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

A traveling scholar stumbles upon a drought-stricken village near a legendary pond where a dragon is said to dwell. As he makes his way further into the forest, he comes upon a hut inhabited by a young beauty and - suddenly - his long mysteriously disappeared friend. Suspecting the woman to be a sorceress, the scientist decides to save his friend from the spell and take him away from this place.

Review 4K Movie

YASHAGAIKE (Demon Pond) has been missing from the Home Video Market for far too long (as in forever). How very strange that one of the few examples of Bando Tamasaburo's art, and perhaps his most accessible to the west, is so little known. I first saw this film on the late-lamented "Z Channel" in Los Angeles in the early 1980's and have always wanted to become reacquainted with it. If memory serves, it was such a surprise to see so many genres, visual styles of scenery, costume, lighting and period assembled with such naiveté in one film. Perhaps that is one of the reasons that it is not readily available. Also, my one viewing on television gave the impression of already fading non-technicolor processing. I hope that this is wrong. Yet, anyone who has seen "Das Geschriebene Gesicht" by Daniel Schmid (only available on PAL at the present), or Tamasaburo's collaboration with Yo-Yo-Ma in his Bach series will be anxious to see anything by the great Kabuki onnagata. Perhaps "Natassia" will appear some day.