The Mad Fox

Tomu Uchida's 1962 Japanese film opens with a court fortune-teller losing his lover to a conspiracy. He loses his mind; meeting the dead woman's twin sister brings hope, but a clan of shape-shifting foxes tangles matters. What the film is known for is its form. Uchida stages his scenes in the manner of traditional theatre, using painted backdrops, openly artificial sets and passages imitating puppet theatre. Realism is never attempted. The colours are intense and the composition painterly. The narrative comes from folk tale and takes its logic from there. Uchida made this film in the late part of a long career. Who it's for: those who like classic Japanese cinema and formal experiment. Who it's not for: viewers expecting realistic storytelling; the film speaks in the language of theatre.