Kanashimi no Belladonna produced by Mushi Production was part of a film trilogy developed by the godfather of manga Osamu Tezuka. Eiichi Yamamoto directed this phantasmagoric masterpiece of animation which was a loose adaption of Jules Michelet's 1862 non-fiction book La Sorcière, an exploration of the history of Satanism and witchcraft. This is very disturbing film I should mention if you have not watched it yet although it is an absolute visual feast. Years ago I screened my import Japanese DVD copy in Los Angeles to a sold out underground warehouse show that sparked several industry folks that were there that night to talk with the production company Cinelicious who eventually got the film restored & redistributed back in the public eye. I am happy to have played a part of this incredible work of animation was rediscovery. Here are a few of my favorite stills from the film & some original works by Fukai from a couple of vintage magazines I have along with some scans of the Japanese DVD booklet.
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