Based
on the European novel La Sorcière by Jules Michelet,
this animated [adult oriented] feature tells the story of a young villager
girl in late 1800's France. Jeanne is blessed and - at the same time
cursed- with the precious but fatal gift of beauty. She falls in love
with a poor peasant boy and they decide to marry. However, an evil feudal
lord presides over the community and he demands a severe wedding tax
on the naive couple. When they can't pay the exorbitant fee, the lord
exercises the "Droit du Seigneur" [the Rite of the First Night]
against Jeanne. He and most of his staff brutally rape the girl on the
wedding night, plunging her into a world of horrid hallucinations which
eventually cause Jeanne to enter a Faustian bargain with the Prince
of Darkness. Thirsting for power and vengeance, Jeanne gradually transforms
into a destructive vessel of seduction and the blackest forms of witchcraft.
The music by Masahiko
Satoh (vocals by Mayumi Tachibana) is some of the best '60s psychedelia
imaginable. Of course, Osamu Tezuka's visual art is the main attraction
here. He was long considered the Godfather of Anime, responsible for
much of Japan's iconic Pop Art, from Astro Boy to Kimba the White Lion. By the late '60s, Tezuka decided to
turn his animation to a more adult audience with theatrical films like
CLEOPATRA,
A Thousand and One Nights and this 1973 production.
A Japanese
with optional ON/OFF English subtitles; widescreen format, (87 minutes),
DVD encoded for ALL REGIONS NTSC FORMAT; extras include theatrical trailer
Graphic
Nudity/Strong Sexual Themes/Rape
Recommended For Adult Audiences
Based
on the European novel La Sorcière by Jules Michelet,
this animated [adult oriented] feature tells the story of a young villager
girl in late 1800's France. Jeanne is blessed and - at the same time
cursed- with the precious but fatal gift of beauty. She falls in love
with a poor peasant boy and they decide to marry. However, an evil feudal
lord presides over the community and he demands a severe wedding tax
on the naive couple. When they can't pay the exorbitant fee, the lord
exercises the "Droit du Seigneur" [the Rite of the First Night]
against Jeanne. He and most of his staff brutally rape the girl on the
wedding night, plunging her into a world of horrid hallucinations which
eventually cause Jeanne to enter a Faustian bargain with the Prince
of Darkness. Thirsting for power and vengeance, Jeanne gradually transforms
into a destructive vessel of seduction and the blackest forms of witchcraft.
