Belladonna of Sadness (New 4K Restoration prints)

As part of the new 4K restoration of Eiichi Yamamoto's 1973 film "Belladonna of Sadness", screening May 12-19th, Cinefamily brings you 13 limited edition prints featuring artwork scanned from 4K still frames of the restored Japanese 35mm camera negative. Prints are on heavyweight archival paper, framed and carrying an official embossed seal in the lower right hand corner. Proceeds from the auction are a tax-deductible donation to benefit The Cinefamily, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

"Belladonna of Sadness" is Cinefamily's first undertaking in film restoration.

More about Belladonna of Sadness:

One of the great lost masterpieces of Japanese animation, never before officially released in the U.S., "Belladonna of Sadness" is a mad, swirling, psychedelic light-show of medieval tarot-card imagery with horned demons, haunted forests and La Belle Dame Sans Merci, equal parts J.R.R. Tolkien and gorgeous, explicit Gustav Klimt-influenced eroticism. The last film in the adult-themed Animerama trilogy produced by the godfather of Japanese anime & manga, Osamu Tezuka and directed by his long time collaborator Eiichi Yamamoto (Astro Boy and Kimba The White Lion), "Belladonna" unfolds as a series of spectacular still watercolor paintings that bleed and twist together. An innocent young woman, Jeanne (voiced by Aiko Nagayama) is violently raped by the local lord on her wedding night. To take revenge, she makes a pact with the Devil himself (voiced by Tatsuya Nakadai, from Akira Kurosawa’s Ran) who appears as an erotic sprite and transforms her into a black-robed vision of madness and desire.

Extremely transgressive, "Belladonna" is fueled by a mind-blowing Japanese psych rock soundtrack by noted avant-garde jazz composer Masahiko Satoh. The film has been newly restored using the original 35mm camera negative and sound elements – and including over 8 minutes of surreal and explicit footage cut from the negative. On par with Rene Laloux’s Fantastic Planet and Ralph Bakshi’s Wizards as an LSD-stoked 1970s head trip, "Belladonna" marks a major rediscovery for animation fans.

Dir. Eiichi Yamamoto, 1973, DCP Restoration, 93 min.

The Cinefamily is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of movie lovers devoted to finding and presenting interesting and unusual programs of exceptional, distinctive, weird and wonderful films..

The Cinefamily's mission is to reinvigorate film culture ​​by fostering a spirit of community and a sense of discovery. Like campfires, sporting events and church services, we believe that movies work best as social experiences. They are more meaningful, funnier and scarier when shared with others..