Sandbox:The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch (1968)
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The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch (蛇娘と白髪魔 Hebi Musume to Hakuhatsu Ma) is a 1968 tokusatsu Gothic[8] horror film directed by Noriaki Yuasa (including special effects) and written by Kimiyuki Hasegawa based on several manga by Kazuo Umezu—most prominently Baby Girl (1967), The Scaly Face (1968), and Red Spider (1965-66). Produced by Daiei Tokyo Studio, the film stars Yachie Matsui, Mayumi Takahashi, Sei Hiraizumi, Yuko Hamada, Yoshiro Kitahara, and Sachiko Meguro. Daiei released it to Japanese theaters on December 14, 1968, on a double bill with Daiei Kyoto's Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare.[3][9] The film first reached the United States through limited English-subtitled screenings in Hawaii in 1969, and was finally brought to home video in the country by Arrow Video in 2021.
Plot
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To be added.
Staff
Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.
- Directed by Noriaki Yuasa
- Written by Kimiyuki Hasegawa
- Based on stories by Kazuo Umezu
- Planned by Kazumasa Nakano
- Music by Shunsuke Kikuchi
- Cinematography by Akira Uehara
- Special effects cinematography by Kazufumi Fujii
- Edited by Yoshiyuki Miyazaki
- Production design by Tomohisa Yano
- First assistant director Masao Kobayashi
Cast
Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.
- Yachie Matsui as Sayuri Nanjo, schoolgirl
- Mayumi Takahashi as Tamami Nanjo, Sayuri's adopted sister / Snake Girl
- Sei Hiraizumi as Tatsuya Hayashi, employee at Megumi Children's Home
- Yuko Hamada as Yuko Nanjo, Sayuri's amnesiac mother
- Yoshiro Kitahara as Goro Nanjo, zoologist[a] and Sayuri's father
- Sachiko Meguro as Shige Kito, housekeeper / Silver-Haired Witch
- Kuniko Miyake as Sister Yamakawa, Megumi director
- Saburo Ishiguro as Mr. Sasaki, biology club supervisor[b]
- Tadashi Date as orphanage custodian
- Michiko Fuji as murdered housekeeper
- Osamu Maruyama as hospital doctor
- Mariko Fukuhara as Sayuri's doll in dream
- Kazuo Umezu as taxi driver (uncredited)[11]
Appearances
Monsters
- Snake Girl (nightmares)
- Large snake (nightmare)
- Red Spider
- Silver-Haired Witch (disguise)
- Animate masks (nightmare)
Gallery
- Main article: The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch/Gallery.
Soundtrack
- Main article: The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch/Soundtrack.
Development
The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch was created out of the need for a Daiei Tokyo film that could be released alongside Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare (1968), which was already in production at Daiei Kyoto.[12] Director Noriaki Yuasa was chosen to helm the project, a welcome change of pace from his yearly Gamera films, whose demanding production cycles he had begun tiring of.[13] The screenplay was penned by Kimiyuki Hasegawa, reteaming with Yuasa for the first time since If You're Happy, Clap Your Hands (1964). Hasegawa pulled elements from several Kazuo Umezu horror manga, all of which had recently been serialized in the girl's magazine Shōjo Friend.[14]
The story primarily combines elements from Umezu's Baby Girl (1967) and The Scaly Face (1968).[14] In particular, the Nanjo family name, Tamami's and Yuko's given names, Sayuri (here named Yoko) being the Nanjos' long-lost daughter, the Nanjos being wealthy and living in a mansion, Yuko hiding Tamami in the attic after she was sent to an institution, Yuko passing Tamami food through a Buddhist altar, Sayuri swapping bedrooms with Tamami, and Tamami tormenting Sayuri out of jealousy for her appearance are all present in Baby Girl.[15] However, the original Tamami had the body of a baby rather than being scaly and snakelike; these elements are instead found in The Scaly Face's antagonist Kurumi Namata, who preys upon her adoptive sister.[16] The Silver-Haired Witch, meanwhile, is taken from Red Spider (1965-66),[14][17] while the setting of the climax appears to be inspired by The Mummy Teacher (1967).[14] Scared of Mama (1965) and its prequel Reptilia (1966) have also been suggested as influences.[18][19]
Moreover, author Raffael Coronelli posits that the film was shaped by Japanese folklore, on account of its known influence on Umezu's and Yuasa's creative processes.[20] He argues that "The use of snakes and the design of the snake girl" are "a deliberate tie to a long-standing connection between snakes and the Japanese occult"[21] and that "Yuasa was an outspoken litterateur of these types of tales, so the allusions in the mind of the audience created by association are likely part of the film's intended horror".[22] He specifically draws comparisons between the film's titular characters and the association of snakes with witches in certain regions of Japan, as well as between the film's snakes and snakelike tsukimono (spirits said to possess people).[23] Coronelli finds it "overwhelmingly clear" that the Snake Girl is connected to tsukimono, either being one herself or having been possessed by one. He also puts forth the possibility that the snakes she commands in Sayuri's nightmares may be tsukimono who seek to turn Sayuri into another Snake Girl, seeing this as being in line with Yuasa's confessed fondness for giving animal characters concrete motivations.[24] Yet another comparison arises in the fact that tsukimono possession was historically combated by Buddhist exorcism ceremonies, and Sayuri's first glimpse of the Snake Girl is through the Nanjos' Buddhist shrine.[22]
Production
All of the film's key departments were headed by past and future Gamera crew. Special effects cinematographer Kazufumi Fujii and production manager Kiyoshi Kawamura had been working with Yuasa since vs. Barugon, and cinematographer Akira Uehara, gaffer Heihachi Kuboe, and production designer Tomohiro Yano since vs. Gyaos, while composer Shunsuke Kikuchi, sound recordist Kisao Tobita, and editor Yoshiyuki Miyazaki were all working with him for the first time. Kikuchi would prove to be Yuasa's favored composer, scoring 11 of the 12 remaining films in the director's career.
As with vs. Gyaos and all of his later Gamera films, Yuasa directed the special effects in addition to the human drama.[25][26] Fujii stepped in as the cameraman for these sequences. The Snake Girl was brought to life using both SFX makeup on actress Mayumi Takahashi and a life-sized puppeteered model.[27] Other observable FX include miniatures for the cars and train that Sayuri sees through the attic window, and for the Nanjo residence itself when it is destroyed by fire; fabricated costumes and props, including the Snake Girl and Silver-Haired Witch's arm/hand pieces, the latter's mask, and the frog that Tamami rips in half; puppets for the various snakes and spiders that menace Sayuri, including an unusually large snake in one of her nightmares; and bluescreen and compositing in numerous places, including a snake transforming into a sword in the same nightmare.
Alternate titles
- The Snake Girl and the Silver Haired Witch (alternate formatting)[refs 2]
- Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch (alternate English title)[refs 3]
- Snake Girl and the Silver Haired Witch (alternate formatting)[6]
- Naked Girl and the Silver Haired Witch (erroneous Hawaiian-English title)[29]
Theatrical releases
U.S. release
The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch's earliest-known release in the United States was an English-subtitled screening at Daiei's New Kokusai Theatre in Honolulu, Hawaii, on February 26, 1969.[31] For at least a week and a half it played twice a night on weekdays, once an afternoon on Saturdays, and continuously from the afternoon onward on Sundays.[32][33] The film returned to the New Kokusai with a similar schedule, this time as a double feature with Wrath of Daimajin (publicized as "The Violent Monster Strikes"), from October 20, 1971, to at least October 24.[34][28] The double bill received sporadic showings at other Hawaiian theaters that year as well, including at the Waipahu on October 28,[29] at the Victory on November 2,[37] and at the Mamo on November 29.[30]
The film was not brought to home video in the U.S. officially until December 14, 2021 (the 53rd anniversary of its premiere),[5] when Arrow Video released it on Blu-ray in cooperation with Kadokawa.[7] The HD master had been produced earlier that year by Japan's IMAGICA Lab. (the successor to Far East Laboratories, which had processed the film originally) and was optimized by London's R3store Studios. The disc features a brand-new English subtitle track by The Engine House Media Services.[7] The film is also available to stream through services like Arrow Player, Prime Video, and Philo.[refs 5]
The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch was included in the lineup at the 2022 Chattanooga Film Festival, which was held virtually from June 23-28. It could be streamed at any point during the event.[35]
Manga adaptation
Kazuo Umezu produced a manga adaptation of The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch ahead of its release. Three chapters were serialized in Teen Look magazine from November 12-26, 1968.[40]
Unmade follow-ups
Daiei Tokyo intended to produce further film adaptations of Kazuo Umezu's horror works after The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch, the next of which was planned to be Cat Eyed Boy (1967-1976).[3] This never came to fruition.
Cat Eyed Boy would ultimately not be adapted to live action until nearly 40 years after its debut, with Art Port and Shochiku's 2006 film of the same name.
Video releases
Daiei Video VHS/Betamax (≤1984)[41]
- Tapes: 1
- SRP: ¥14,800
- Audio: Japanese
Daiei Video VHS (1990s)
- Tapes: 1
- Audio: Japanese
- Notes: Part of the Daiei Video Museum series.
Kadokawa DVD (May 26, 2006)
- Region: 2
- Discs: 1
- SRP: ¥4,500
- Audio: Japanese (mono)
- Subtitles: None
- Special features: Introduction by Jun Miura, trailer, image gallery, list of Daiei tokusatsu movies, cast and staff profiles, booklet including interview with Kazuo Umezu
- Notes: Reissued on January 22, 2014.
DeAgostini Japan DVD (October 13, 2015)
- Region: 2
- Discs: 1
- Audio: Japanese
- Subtitles: None
- Special features: None
- Notes: Packaged with issue 28 of the Daiei Special Effects Movie DVD Collection magazine.
Arrow Video Blu-ray (
September 20 / 
December 14, 2021)[4][5]
- Region: A/B
- Discs: 1
- SRP: £24.99/$39.95
- Audio: Japanese (mono)
- Subtitles: English
- Special features: Audio commentary by David Kalat, "This Charming Woman" featurette with Zack Davisson, trailer, image gallery
- Notes: Cover art by Mike Lee-Graham. Discs from the first pressing came exclusively packaged with a 15-page booklet, including the essay "Coils of Trauma: Symbolism of a Snake Girl" by Raffael Coronelli.
Videos
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Trivia
- Some streaming services describe the film as starring "two rival, shape-shifting sisters" who ally against "an evil creature".[39][6] Neither of these things actually occur.
- A trilogy of tokusatsu horror films involving snakes had earlier been produced by Daiei's Kyoto Studio: White Snake Beauty (1958), Snake of Obsession (1958), and Blue Snake Bath (1959).[42]
- Baby Girl would be adapted to film again as the Nikkatsu-released Tamami: The Baby's Curse (2008). The sequel to Scared of Mama, The Spotted Girl (1965), would also be adapted as Shochiku et al.'s Snake Girl (2005).
- This was lead actress Yachie Matsui's sole film role, not including a theatrical blow-up of episode 8 of Toei's Apparition Parade (1968-69). She retired from acting soon after and became a professional bowler in 1982.
- The murderer in the film's opening scene has scaly, clawed hands; wears a plaid cape; and pets the snake before removing it from its enclosure, all traits consistent with the Snake Girl. The housekeeper's death is later acknowledged by Shige, proving that it really happened, although it is blamed on a heart attack. As the Snake Girl only exists in Sayuri's nightmares, this scene is either entirely fictional, or it depicts Tamami and her appearance is a metaphor. A line from Tamami toward the end of the film, "But I don't want to kill anyone else!" and the Silver-Haired Witch's subsequent goading, "Even if you refuse now, you'll still be a murderer, just like me!" may be seen as support for the latter interpretation.
Notes
- ↑ Specifically studying venomous animals.[3] Coronelli 2021 describes him as a herpetologist,[10] but the presence of a spider and scorpion in his lab suggests that his studies are not limited to herptiles.
- ↑ Motoyama & Matsunomoto 1996 describes him as Sayuri's science teacher,[3] but she tells her mother that she was at a club after school.
- Grouped references
References
This is a list of references for The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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Bibliography
- Ito, Monte (24 February 1969). "Yuzo Kayama in Killer Role". The Honolulu Advertiser. No. 53121. Advertiser Publishing – via Newspapers.com.
- Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Vol. 58 no. 57. 26 February 1969 – via Newspapers.com.
|volume=has extra text (help) - Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Vol. 58 no. 60. 1 March 1969 – via Newspapers.com.
|volume=has extra text (help) - Ito, Monte (18 October 1971). "films from the orient". The Honolulu Advertiser. No. 24062 – via Newspapers.com.
- Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Vol. 60 no. 293. 20 October 1971 – via Newspapers.com.
|volume=has extra text (help) - Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Vol. 60 no. 301. 28 October 1971 – via Newspapers.com.
|volume=has extra text (help) - Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Vol. 60 no. 306. 2 November 1971 – via Newspapers.com.
|volume=has extra text (help) - Hawaii Tribune-Herald. Vol. 48 no. 277. 29 November 1971 – via Newspapers.com.
|volume=has extra text (help) - Ikeya, Noriyoshi (26 November 1984). Daiei Special Effects Collection: Daimajin. Tokuma Shoten.
- Motoyama, Sho; Matsunomoto, Kazuhiro (19 July 1996). The Gamera Chronicles. Takeshobo. ISBN 4-8124-0166-6.
- Shimizu, Takashi; Makuta, Keita; Motoyama, Sho (20 July 2010). Daiei Tokusatsu Movie Chronicle. Kadokawa Shoten Publishing. ISBN 978-4-04-854511-2.
- Daiei Special Effects Movie DVD Collection. No. 28: The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch. DeAgostini Japan. 13 October 2015.
- The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch (U.S. Blu-ray booklet). Arrow Video. 14 December 2021.
- Coronelli, Raffael. "Coils of Trauma: Symbolism of a Snake Girl". In Arrow Video (2021).
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