Yamamoto Eiichi's 70s Erotic Anime BELLADONNA OF SADNESS Is Being Restored For US Release

Los Angeles based distributor Cinelicious Pics has been turning heads over the last few months. The brand-new company may have licensed only a few titles yet, but those include some ScreenAnarchy favorites, like for example Ragnar Bragason's Metalhead, and Anurag Kashyap's epic Gangs of Wasseypur.

This weekend, Cinelicious Pics announced they have licensed Yamamoto Eiichi's Japanese animated feature Belladonna of Sadness, with exclusive rights to restore and re-release the film.

Made in 1973, Belladonna of Sadness is known for its fiercely erotic content and psychedelic images, which do not resemble what was typically seen in anime at the time.

A mixture of the legend of Joan of Arc and Michelet's 1862 book La Sorcière, it tells the story of a young woman in medieval times who is raped by a Baron, after which she turns to money-lending, witchcraft and finally rebellion, to avenge herself.

The film was not a commercial success upon release, but has grown in status over the decades, and is now considered a rarely seen masterpiece by some. To be honest I had never heard of it, until Brussel's Offscreen Festival had it in its program last year, a festival I unfortunately couldn't visit (nor the film's repeat screening in Amsterdam shortly after). I checked out if there were good quality legal English-friendly versions available, but alas.

Therefore I wish Cinelicious Pics the best with their endeavor, and hopefully we'll see the results soon! Including a Blu-ray, please?