Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning "ghost story," this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai (Rentarô Mikuni) marries for money with tragic results. A man stranded in a blizzard is saved by Yuki the Snow Maiden (Keiko Kishi), but his rescue comes at a cost. Blind musician Hoichi (Katsuo Nakamura) is forced to perform for an audience of ghosts. An author (Osamu Takizawa) relates the story of a samurai who sees another warrior's reflection in his teacup. Presented in Japanese with English subtitles
Curators note: Masaki Kobayashi omnibus-adapts four stories from Lafcadio Hearn's collections of ghost stories. With an all-star cast, refined photography, and a stunning soundtrack by Toru Takemitsu, Kwaidan won a special jury prize at Cannes and garnered a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars.