Impressive work of art. The back cover of the Blu-ray states that this is the last film in the Animerama trilogy. In doing a little research I found that Animerama is defined as "...a series of thematically- related adult anime feature films originally conceived and initiated by Osamu Tezuka..." This third film was co-written and directed by Eiichi Yamamoto inspired by the book SATANISM AND WITCHCRAFT by Jules Michelet.

The animation is fairly basic. It's largely comprised of long paintings, done in watercolor. The effect reminds me of certain Japanese scrolls where, as they unwind, the story is told. In the case of this film, however, the camera slowly moves right to left along the painting, occasionally zooming in. There is also other limited use of cell animation where the camera is shooting each of the different cells and they are presented in sequence on film to show progression/movement...at a lower slower frame rate than, say, the average Disney cell animation. As mentioned, it's all fairly basic and yet still works well in combination with the other elements. Which are:

Narration, requiring reading of subtitles for those not fluent in Japanese.

And a great sound/music score that I wouldn't mind having on CD. It ranges from trippy to hauntingly beautiful with a few actual songs that are quite nice. And other chaotic or horrific or beautiful sounds and music. All complementing the imagery in a way that is very important to this type of animated film.

Who would I recommend this to. It deals with some pretty strong subject matter, not the least of which is rape. Horror fans may appreciate some of the darker aspects of the film. But beyond that: Do you appreciate art? Do you appreciate Japanese culture/history? Are you open to alternative forms of storytelling? If you answer yes to all then you will probably like this film. I thought it was one of those rare treats that I likely will revisit. I'm also now curious about the other two films in the Animerama trilogy.

The visuals are so stunning and creative that I want to be like everyone else and proclaim BELLADONNA OF SADNESS is some feminist masterpiece. However, the more I contemplate the story, the more I have to conclude that this is an exploitation film with only the shallowest pretensions to any social commentary.

Jeanne is constantly used by men and defined by her relationship to men, either as a victim, temptress, or savior. I know I'm supposed to view her pact with Satan as potentially liberating (people have pointed out that Satan claims he "is" Jeanne, suggesting he represents repressed desires or whatnot), but considering how Satan (literally depicted as a cartoony phallus) has to coerce a mostly unwilling Jeanne into sex repeatedly, it's hard to find much that's positive in that. It's just another relationship in which Jeanne is being used by a powerful male entity, only this time she'll get magic in exchange.

In general, the movie revels in Jeanne's nakedness to the point where she feels more like an object than a character. The first rape scene at the very least focused on the psychological effects of being violated-- it was brutal but not exploitative, evoking the character's emotional and physical agony rather than merely oogling a naked woman. I can't say the same for subsequent scenes which just luxuriate in Jean being stripped, groped, assaulted, or stimulated against her will. To call it gratuitous would be an understatement.

Jeanne is presented as a messianic figure (she even dies on a cross), but I have no clue if I'm meant to see her as a righteous figure or as something more morally ambiguous. Yes, she hands out medicine to counteract the Black Plague and gives that one impoverished couple herbal contraception so they can enjoy sex without adding more mouths to feed-- she also gives one of the male courtiers drugs to use on his high-status mistress so he can incapacitate and rape her. I have no idea what the movie thinks of this scene-- has Jeanne done something evil or are we supposed to see this as "revenge" for the mistress' earlier complicity in Jeanne being raped by the lord? Is it supposed to make us question Jeanne's motives? Or is it another excuse to show a tormented, topless woman writhing in time to psychedelic jazz for five minutes?

So yeah, I don't see this as terribly feminist. If anything, BELLADONNA is a generic 1960s/1970s "fight the power" message picture in which the elites abuse the peasants, impose sexual/moral/religious rules on them that the elites themselves do not have to abide by, and then punish the revolutionary ringleader without realizing her martyrdom will only inspire others to keep the good fight going. However, once again, the movie is more interested in extended orgies or having the camera leer at Jeanne than engaging those political ideas in a deeper way. It's all so shallow, with about as much depth as the plot in a porno, like the creative team was more interested in provoking people with images of stoned people copulating with dogs than presenting any coherent ideas about politics, sexuality, or gender.

I wanted to think this was some great masterpiece. It's certainly a unique experience aesthetically and I'll definitely revisit the soundtrack, but the movie itself is a thematic mess at best.