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Mishima - A Life in Four Chapters Actors: Philip Glass, Ken Ogata, Masayuki Shionoya Director: Paul Schrader Number of Items: 1 Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Running Time: 120 minutes Studio: Warner Studios Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Region Code: 1 Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2001-08-07 Buy from Amazon |
 "a well done portrayal"While not completely factual, the film takes the watcher on a journey of Mishima's struggles, both as a person and a writer. Without attempting to analyze him or his works, the portrayal of the man is extremely well done and tasteful. We may never know exactly what Mishima felt, but the turmoil of his life - its conflicts, idealism, confusion and passion - are put forth for the viewer no to judge, but simply to experience.  "Why ... please tell me! .... Why?"While in college I accidentally discovered this film as it was part of a double feature in a New York City theater. Although it was a very late showing, and my lady companion had fallen asleep in her seat, I could not leave because this film had quickly captured my facination. At films end, I was overwhelmed by this masterpiece of sheer beauty and artful execution. Few films have ever impressed me as much as this one. I have anxiously awaited the release of this film on DVD for years! Especially with respect to the profound Phillip Glass score. With eager enthusiasm I began to watch the DVD adaptation of this film. Strangely, I first thought there was something wrong with my DVD player, because the narration voice sounded distored. Shortly thereafter my heart sunk when I realized the original narration by Roy Scheider had been replaced by another voice, which, in my opinion, does not do this film justice. The DVD version does add the benefit of directors commentary, but I suggest that the VHS version, which carries the original narration, is preferred. Mr. Schrader, how could you let this happen to such a work of Art! Please tell me ... Why? "Will wait to purchase my favorite film ever!!!!!"I have not seen this DVD version but because of the comments on this list I shall wait to buy it (would however have been realy exciting to get on DVD) until they put back the original narration. Sigmar Thormar Iceland "Why Region 1 only?"This film is a masterpiece of cinema and by far my favourite film. I have video copies of the English version and the Japanese version (Japanese narration with English subtitles), and would love to be able to buy it on DVD. But this DVD is Region 1 and unplayable in the UK where I live. This does seem shortsighted. The film was released years ago and doesn't need Regional protection, and it is extremely unlikely that anyone will produce a UK version of the DVD. My 5 star rating is for the cinematic content, not the DVD.  "a rich, aesthetically pleasing mess."Unlike many of the films he has written for other directors, I have yet to see a film directed by Schrader that entirely works. He's talented for sure, but there are definite limits to that talent. And, unlike most directors, its difficult to locate where the boundaries of those limitations begin and end. ("Light Sleeper" is the only flat-out lousy Schrader-directed film I've seen - it's badness accentuated by the lifting of whole passages from "Taxi Driver.") Usually you know there's a lot wrong, but there's something good there too that keeps you watching. "Mishima" doesn't work as biography and it doesn't work as literary adaptation, either. Seeing this film won't give anyone much of a sense of the man's character or the character of his work. It's not particularly illuminating - but it IS luminous. The visual, aural and narrative structure of this film is magnificent. Its a sort of cinematic poem that uses Mishima's life and art as it's inspiration, rather than the poetic representation of his life and art that it tries to be. It's far from perfect - but when a movie looks and sounds this good and is as cleverly designed, one cares little about it's (considerable) shortcomings. It's always bothered me that Ogata isn't a better physical match for Mishima - given the author's obsession with (and the film's limitation to) surface appearances. Schrader says in the commentary that he couldn't find a more visually suitable actor who could also carry off the performance. Given the end result, I can't believe that he searched very hard. It's not Ogata's fault. He's a fine actor. We don't get the feeling we do when Anthony Hopkins seems to be channeling Nixon, or even the irritating awareness that Woody Harrelson's Larry Flynt is well studied, but false. We just get that Ogata's Mishima is miscast. The crazed, narcissistic arrogance that infused much of his later writings, and those weird beefcake photos that are recreated here, doesn't come across. Nor does the sense of deep obsession, the fetishism or the occasional lacerating insight that could rip through the page. And you never get the creeped-out ticking grenade feeling that you do when Mishima writes on and on about "purity." When we see Ogata's Mishima rehearsing seppuku in his little movie it doesn't have any weight. Certainly not the weight of his actual romance and gore-soaked performance, caught on film (now THERE would have been an extra!), or when he rehearsed it over and over again on paper. You never get a real sense of what the act (at least before the fact) meant to him emotionally and spiritually - which comes through loud and clear elsewhere. But the sets and Glass' music that matches up perfectly with Schrader's nifty structure can actually make you forgive all that and more. (The acting in the "Golden Pavilion" scenes is really atrocious - but one is easily distracted from it.) Schrader's commentary is interesting and helpful - but one is advised to take some of his cultural observations with a big grain of salt. ("Japan is a land of no contracts, but a great deal of honor," or some such quaintness. Then he goes on to tell a story that probably shouldn't be repeated whether it's true or not.) I wasn't at all in love with the original narration in the first place, so the fact that it can be heard in Japanese (or even French) on DVD means that I don't have to miss it. The best thing is that there are optional Japanese subtitles! Is this a sly little F.U. to the Mishima estate? If only it were a region-free disc. |
