Portrait of Hell
STARRING : TATSUYA NAKADAI , KINNOSUKE NAKAMURA, NAITO YOKO
Portrait of Hell is a ferocious horror film based on the short story "Hell Screen" by writer Akutagawa Ryunosuke, whose tales "In a Grove" & "Rashomon" became the Kurosawa classic Rashomon.
Almost 1,000 years ago, during the Heian era in Japan, Yoshihide, the greatest painter in Japan (Tatsuya Nakadai), clashes with his despotic patron, the Lord Hosokawa (Kinnosuke Nakamura), insisting on painting only the truth, and only what he himself has witnessed -- the poverty and suffering that surrounds him.
When he finally convinces the Lord to let him paint a Portrait of Hell, the descent into madness begins for both men... for Yoshihide must see Hell in order to paint it, and his sadistic patron is all too willing to arrange a viewing.
The battle of wills between the Lord & the Artist leads ultimately to the madness of both men, and unleashed ghosts drive even Lord Hosokawa to suicide.
Remastered Print
1969 Color Anamorphic Widescreen 95 Min.
Japanese with English subtitles.
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