Formerly "A Movie A Day" :/

Monday, September 28, 2009

Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters - 1985 - Dir. Schrader

I'm usually not one for biopics. I have trouble really concentrating on them much of the time, thinking about context mostly. I sort of knew that Mishima wasn't your usual biopic but I didn't really know why. So, YES. I did like Mishima... but I don't know just how much. That is to say, I'm not sure if I've enjoyed it fully yet. It's put together in a terribly interesting way, structurally. I got a real kick out of it. The idea of having the story told in three ways isn't exactly new. We see either Mishima in 1970, within that a series of flashbacks, as well as sorta theatrical versions of three of his works. But that way Schrader combines the three and his execution makes this stand out. It's a very focused on structure just as saaayy: THE PHILIP GLASS SCORE. OMG! Schrader is more interested, it seems, in portraying the theme of the Man than his life. Indeed, we don't learn a whole lot about the man. Factually at least. The film is almost completely interested in theme rather than plot or events. Which makes it a terribly interesting perspective of the man. Not only that but the film is working with destruction, the link between art and action, aesthetics, samurai honor, the power of words, and HARAKIRI! So we get to see such topics thrown around with Schrader's perfectly hallucinogenic visuals or KEN OGATA'S sweet-ass Mishima.

I'm always wondering what the hell that blue thing is.

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