Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ 

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985) -- P. Schrader

I’ve only read one of Yukio Mishima’s novels (Temple of the Golden Pavillion) and it’s dark and complex.  I was familiar with the story of his ritual suicide and right-wing pro-Emperor views (as well as his reported bisexuality).  I even watched the short film he directed (Patriotism) and the film by Masamura that he starred in (Man of the Biting Wind).  As Schrader depicts him here, Mishima seems to have treated life as a sort of performance art, rigidly applying a controlled discipline to his writing (at midnight each evening), his body (excessive workouts at the gym), and his politics (leading his own private militia).  Schrader segments his film into inter-locking thirds:  the present (in “normal” color, detailing the final hours of Mishima’s life), the past (in which Ken Ogata narrates Mishima’s own autobiographical words to show key events), and scenes from several of his novels (shot on theatrical sets in garish candy colors).  The three threads come together in one final knot at the end.  Although not always enthralling (if you don’t know Mishima’s books), Schrader’s film is certainly a work of art and extends his well-known themes (e.g., Taxi Driver). Of course, there is an added layer to contemplate when one thinks of Japan as mediated through Western eyes – apparently Mishima’s family complained and the film was banned in Japan.