Jigokuhen - 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 (Nakadai), clashes with his despotic
patron, the Lord Hosokawa (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.
STARRING : TATSUYA NAKADAI , KINNOSUKE NAKAMURA
1969 - JAPANESE with Optional English Subtitles - Color - 16:9
ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN - 95 Minutes
