Belladonna of Sadness (1973)

Shigako Shimegi: The Lord's Mistress

Quotes 

• The Lord : I've never seen that woman before.

  The Lord's Mistress : Milord, things have been turned upside down while you were away.

  The Lord : What?

  The Lord's Mistress : That farmer bitch is in league with the devil.

  The Lord : The Devil?

  The Lord's Mistress : The villagers respect her more than anyone now. More than you even.

  The Lord : Is this true?

  The Priest : Yes.

  Page : [Page attack to Jeanne]  Satanic fiend!

• Man : It's a colorful's flower. Se extracts juice from it. One sip and my wife's labor pain went away. If I remember correctly... "Belladonna, a beautiful woman" that's what Jeanne called that flower.

  Woman : We just can't afford to have any more children! But... My husband wants to every night... I feel bad to make him suffer. And I get lonely too. So we asked Jeanne if there was a way to do it without making children. Oh we know it's bad and wrong in God's eyes. It's an awful sin. But no punishment could be worse than what we've suffered. Now we're happy. We don't regret it, no matter the punishment.

  Old Lady : I wanted to se my grandson, who died on the battlefield. I heard Jeanne could bring back the dead. Jeanne cried her eyes out when she heard my story. She gave me a stick of tobacco and some blood-red wine to drink.

  The Lord : Did your dead grandson come back?

  Old Lady : No.

  The Lord's Mistress : Did you at least hear his voice?

  Old Lady : No.

  The Priest : Then you were deceived!

  Old Lady : I got on my knees crying and began to pray. My body was burning up. It all seemed like a dream. I built up my courage and raised my eyes...

  The Lord : What did you se?

  The Lord's Mistress : What did you see?

  The Priest : What did you see?

  Old Lady : I could see the host of hellfire wailing for my grandson!

  The Lord : You mean to say that satisfied you?

  Old Lady : Oh yes! I've never been so happy.

  The Priest : Lord save us all. It's a rebellion against God. A revolt against you, milord!

  The Lord's Mistress : Seize that woman at once! Burn her at the stake!

  Guard : But the road is rough and the villagers are on her side. She will run before our soldiers get there.

  The Lord's Mistress : Who is lord of this land? You? Or...

  The Lord : Be patient. We must wait for the enemy to reveal her weakness. Leave it to me!

• The Lord : [In the castle's tower]  Famine and the plague have devastated the village. The surviving villagers must be starving.

  Guard : Yet they sing and dance all night at that witch's festivities in the wilderness!

  The Priest : Magic! Black Magic!

  The Lord : But it can't be. The villagers bring their own food and drink. Filthy swines!

  The Lord's Mistress : [to Jeanne]  That woman is still alive?

• Narrator : Jeanne put on her green dress and went straight into town. They say green is the color of power, the color of the devil. The greedy old moneylender who had even refused to lend money to the lord took one look at Jeanne and loosened his purse strings. Later he grumbled, "That woman must be possessed by the devil." Men love war in every age. The lord marched off in splendid array with his soldiers and conscripted farmers. Women are always the ones left behind to suffer. The men were gone for a long time. Several years passed. Jeanne had become a moneylender and gained control of the town. People feared and revered Jeanne more than the lord's wife and obeyed her gladly.

  The Lord's Mistress : Who is in charge of this land while his lordship is away? Me or that woman?

  Page : You, of course!

  The Lord's Mistress : I didn't ask you.

  Guard : You're right to be angry, milady... But the war has been prolonged. Without her help, even we wouldn't have enough to eat...

  The Lord's Mistress : Silence! That witch will pay for this.

  Narrator : However, despite his newfound stature, Jean spent his days drinking. Suddenly, the lord returned from the war. Women and men were overjoyed to find each other again. The lady rarely left her castle to avoid seeing Jeanne, but that day, she went to the church on the plaza to greet her husband. Jeanne was there, too.

• [first lines] 

  Narrator : May they live happily ever after. But our story is just beginning.

  The Priest : Your Highness, today your loyal subjects Jean and Jeanne were joined in holy matrimony. Honoring tradition, Jean has come to make an offering to show his gratitude.

  Jean : Your Highness, please accept this money in exchange for Jeanne's hand. We sold our milk cow to get it.

  The Lord : How many milk cows?

  Jean : One. We have only the cow.

  The Lord : Ten cows.

  Guard : Your Highness is ordering you to pay ten cows in tax!

  Jean : What? I beg you... We're too poor to pay ten cows.

  Jeanne : Your ladyship, have pity!

  The Lord's Mistress : Is this child chaste?

  Jean's Dad : I vow on my soul that it was a pure marriage. Jeanne has never done anything unseemly.

  Jean's Mom : Earnest and hard working, the pride and joy of our village.

  The Lord's Mistress : Child, do you love this man?

  Jeanne : Yes, your ladyship!

  The Lord's Mistress : And your her?

  Jean : Yes!

  The Lord's Mistress : Listen everyone, after Milord has had his turn, you're all entitled to this offering!

  [the aristocrats they take out Jean from the castle] 

• Jeanne : Jean! Open the door! Hurry! Help! Jean!

  [Jean refuses to open the door] 

  The Lord : So you... didn't kill her.

  The Lord's Mistress : Even better. We'll burn her alive at the stake! That's the best medicine for witches in league with the devil.

  The Priest : Heresy must indeed be nipped in the bud. However, if we burn her body while her soul belongs to Satan...

  Guard : What will happen?

  The Priest : If we set her body aflame on the mountain of tinder only for her soul to survive the flame in its haughty pride, then, though her body has died, Satan would live on in her soul and might spread like sparks from a fire to those all around.

  The Lord : What do you suggest?

  The Priest : Milady, you must lock her deep in a dungeon and hold onto the keys. Then scourge her body until the light of God shines into her soul and teaches her meekness.

  The Lord's Mistress : Very well. I'll see to it. Bring her to me!