Beginning with the ravishing credit sequence, Kobayashi paints indelible cinematic pictures to be remembered always. The musical score by Toru Takematsu is atonal in character and is more akin to sound effects than music. It enhances the supernatural essence in the precise strokes of a master samurai s blade. Kwaidan comes to DVD in a sumptuous transfer made from a new composite 35mm low-contrast print. The source elements are not in perfect condition.
Numerous scratches show up on the image in the and there are specks of dirt here and there.
But the color depth is a joy to behold. Bright reds, deep blacks, The source material for Kwaidan is excellent with only a sprinkling of age related marking on this laserdisc of the 1964 film. Almost all the images are sharp and there is little edge ringing even in peak transitional scenes. White English subtitles appear on the image. Sound is reasonably good in mono.