Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees
1975·Drama·1h 35m
7.1
★
A mountain bandit abducts a woman who demands he kill his other wives to please her, leading to a cycle of violence and madness fueled by superstition and obsession.
Directed by Masahiro Shinoda
decapitated head
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Cast
Tomisaburō Wakayama
Bandit
Shima Iwashita
Shrewish Wife
Hiroko Isayama
Maid
Kō Nishimura
Kenpeishi
Hideo Kanze
Dainagon
Yūsuke Takita
Traveler
Yoshi Katō
Old Man
Jun Hamamura
Beggar
Toshiaki Nishizawa
Husband
Kōji Sekiyama
Sozu
Keiko Koyanagi
Tsuyako Okajima
Crew
Masahiro Shinoda
Director
Taeko Tomioka
Screenplay
Masahiro Shinoda
Screenplay
Shinichiro Ikebe
Original Music Composer
Toru Takemitsu
Original Music Composer
Tatsuo Suzuki
Director of Photography
Ango Sakaguchi
Novel
Setsu Asakura
Art Direction
Popular Reviews
13 reviews
Ethan
By far one of the most gorgeously composed films I’ve ever seen. The beauty in the nature incorporated frames within the frame is astounding. I can’t lie I think it loses a bit of motion at around the forty minute mark, however the ending more than makes up for it.
By far one of the most gorgeously composed films I’ve ever seen. The beauty in the nature incorporated frames within the frame is astounding. I can’t lie I think it loses a bit of motion at around the forty minute mark, however the ending more than makes up for it.
Ethan
By far one of the most gorgeously composed films I’ve ever seen. The beauty in the nature incorporated frames within the frame is astounding. I can’t lie I think it loses a bit of motion at around the forty minute mark, however the ending more than makes up for it.
By far one of the most gorgeously composed films I’ve ever seen. The beauty in the nature incorporated frames within the frame is astounding. I can’t lie I think it loses a bit of motion at around the forty minute mark, however the ending more than makes up for it.
alex glifford
8.0★ · 05/11/25
A lot a lot of fantastic imagery here
Two lunatics just out looning each other the whole time and still manages to stay faithful to studying their characters and personalities
From the get go you get pretty swept up in the manipulation and I was enjoying just seeing where it was gna go the whole time
A ridiculous amount of potential for some almost prophesied folk lore vibe agony here and it tapped into it just enough that I’m still satisfied but there’s more to be done here
That said it would be cruel to fault it for that
It was just all great
The sexual gratification derived from severed heads took me back a bit but it definitely earned its place somehow
Wild ride but all the time good-weird and beautifully strange
Also one of my favourite Letterboxd backdrops of all time
Two lunatics just out looning each other the whole time and still manages to stay faithful to studying their characters and personalities
From the get go you get pretty swept up in the manipulation and I was enjoying just seeing where it was gna go the whole time
A ridiculous amount of potential for some almost prophesied folk lore vibe agony here and it tapped into it just enough that I’m still satisfied but there’s more to be done here
That said it would be cruel to fault it for that
It was just all great
The sexual gratification derived from severed heads took me back a bit but it definitely earned its place somehow
Wild ride but all the time good-weird and beautifully strange
Also one of my favourite Letterboxd backdrops of all time
A lot a lot of fantastic imagery here
Two lunatics just out looning each other the whole time and still manages to stay faithful to studying their characters and personalities
From the get go you get pretty swept up in the manipulation and I was enjoying just seeing where it was gna go the whole time
A ridiculous amount of potential for some almost prophesied folk lore vibe agony here and it tapped into it just enough that I’m still satisfied but there’s more to be done here
That said it would be cruel to fault it for that
It was just all great
The sexual gratification derived from severed heads took me back a bit but it definitely earned its place somehow
Wild ride but all the time good-weird and beautifully strange
Also one of my favourite Letterboxd backdrops of all time
Two lunatics just out looning each other the whole time and still manages to stay faithful to studying their characters and personalities
From the get go you get pretty swept up in the manipulation and I was enjoying just seeing where it was gna go the whole time
A ridiculous amount of potential for some almost prophesied folk lore vibe agony here and it tapped into it just enough that I’m still satisfied but there’s more to be done here
That said it would be cruel to fault it for that
It was just all great
The sexual gratification derived from severed heads took me back a bit but it definitely earned its place somehow
Wild ride but all the time good-weird and beautifully strange
Also one of my favourite Letterboxd backdrops of all time
If I
8.0★ · 07/30/24
The ideal feminist man. Come on guys, we all should strive to be like Bandit #1.
On a serious note, I have found 20th century Japanese cinema to be not too graphic and always portray women as passive background characters. This movie expertly refutes both of these in unexpected and interesting ways, particularly through the maid character compared with the lead. The heads...I can't pretend to know what that was all about. Also Mr. Bandit man goes off and has his own adventures which are sometimes entertaining but I always just wanted to go back to his domestic life in the countryside.
On a serious note, I have found 20th century Japanese cinema to be not too graphic and always portray women as passive background characters. This movie expertly refutes both of these in unexpected and interesting ways, particularly through the maid character compared with the lead. The heads...I can't pretend to know what that was all about. Also Mr. Bandit man goes off and has his own adventures which are sometimes entertaining but I always just wanted to go back to his domestic life in the countryside.
The ideal feminist man. Come on guys, we all should strive to be like Bandit #1.
On a serious note, I have found 20th century Japanese cinema to be not too graphic and always portray women as passive background characters. This movie expertly refutes both of these in unexpected and interesting ways, particularly through the maid character compared with the lead. The heads...I can't pretend to know what that was all about. Also Mr. Bandit man goes off and has his own adventures which are sometimes entertaining but I always just wanted to go back to his domestic life in the countryside.
On a serious note, I have found 20th century Japanese cinema to be not too graphic and always portray women as passive background characters. This movie expertly refutes both of these in unexpected and interesting ways, particularly through the maid character compared with the lead. The heads...I can't pretend to know what that was all about. Also Mr. Bandit man goes off and has his own adventures which are sometimes entertaining but I always just wanted to go back to his domestic life in the countryside.
Nick
7.0★ · 09/27/23
This one snuck up on me. At one point the movie sinks to the depths of hell but simultaneously maintains the same tonal balance throughout the plunge. The movie makes inventive use of transposing us from world to world. There are some seemingly abrupt shifts that made me pause to understand where/when I was. This movie does this several times. It pulls the rug out from under you. You fall deeper into this descent each time.
This one snuck up on me. At one point the movie sinks to the depths of hell but simultaneously maintains the same tonal balance throughout the plunge. The movie makes inventive use of transposing us from world to world. There are some seemingly abrupt shifts that made me pause to understand where/when I was. This movie does this several times. It pulls the rug out from under you. You fall deeper into this descent each time.