Peony Lantern - 1968 - 7/10
AKA - Botan Dōrō // 牡丹燈籠
Elders arrange for the third son to marry a recent widow, and profitably join two families.
To their dismay, the male prefers to teach poor village children, and stalls on any alliance.
That night, during the summer festival, he encounters two females who alter his fate.
He falls deeply in love with the beautiful courtesan, not realizing she and her attendant are ghosts.
Haunting story of temptation and obsession.
The compositions are spare but immaculate, and this benefits from a lush orchestral score reminiscent of Herrmann.