Belladonna of Sadness

New digital restoration!

BELLADONNA OF SADNESS (1973) Never before released in the U.S., this film is a mad, swirling, adult-themed psychedelic light-show with horned demons and haunted forests. BELLADONNA unfolds as a series of spectacular still watercolor paintings that bleed and twist together. An innocent young woman is attacked by the local lord on her wedding night. To take revenge, she makes a pact with the Devil, who appears as an erotic sprite and transforms her into a black-robed vision of madness and desire. Extremely transgressive and not for the easily offended, 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 from the original 35mm camera negative and sound elements – and includes over 8 minutes of surreal and explicit footage cut from the negative. On par with FANTASTIC PLANET and Ralph Bakshi’s WIZARDS as an LSD-stoked 1970s head trip, BELLADONNA marks a major rediscovery for animation fans.
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Showtimes

Friday, June 10