Belladonna of Sadness
Directed by Eiichi YamamotoAn evil feudal lord rapes a village girl on her wedding night and proceeds to ruin her and her husband's lives. After she's eventually banished from her village, the girl makes a pact with the devil to gain magical ability and take revenge.
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Belladonna of Sadness Ratings & Reviews
- cyberpu7October 7, 2025Unless you're watching this as a homework assignment I recommend your favorite vices to accompany you on this psychedelic trip of an art exhibit telling a tragic tale of cruelty and revenge.
- Shamus2kJuly 10, 2025Belladonna of Sadness begins with striking, almost hypnotic artwork that initially draws the viewer in, but as the film progresses, it quickly becomes increasingly ponderous and meandering. It relies heavily on still images and narration, feeling less like a film and more like an illustrated fever dream that drags well past its welcome. Its high IMDb rating appears to be heavily skewed by a cult following that celebrates its obscurity and shock value more than its actual substance. Beneath the surface, the film offers little meaningful narrative and falls into a troubling pattern seen in certain corners of Japanese animation and cinema—an unnerving fixation on sexual violence, particularly rape and torture, framed as artistic or symbolic. Rather than challenging or transcending those themes, Belladonna seems to aestheticize them, which undermines any deeper message it might have intended.
Belladonna of Sadness Trivia
Belladonna of Sadness was released on June 30, 1973.
Belladonna of Sadness was directed by Eiichi Yamamoto.
Belladonna of Sadness has a runtime of 87 min.
Belladonna of Sadness was produced by Keiko Koike, Makoto Motohashi, Osamu Tezuka, Tadami Watanabe, Teruaki Yoshida.
The key characters in Belladonna of Sadness are Jeanne / Belladonna (voice) (Aiko Nagayama), Jean (voice) (Takao Itō), The Devil (voice) (Tatsuya Nakadai).
Belladonna of Sadness is rated Not Rated.
Belladonna of Sadness is an Animation, Fantasy, Drama film.
Belladonna of Sadness has an audience rating of 7.4 out of 10.