ampe@ucla-cs.UUCP (10/13/85)
No one has mentioned MISHIMA yet, so I will write a few notes about it. I thought it was a great movie; quite a refreshing change from the Hollywood formula; although backed by some of the biggest names in Hollywood. MISHIMA of a mosaic film biography of Japan's most prolific and respected post-war novelist, who, on November 25, 1970, held a Japanese army general hostage while he addressed the garrison, then committed ritual suicide. The film interweaves the events of November 25th with flashbacks from Mishima's life, and scenes from his novels. The flashback scenes are black-and-white, while the November 25th and novel scenes are in color. Dialogue is in Japanese with English sub- titles, with some English narration by Roy Scheider. MISHIMA is directed by Paul Scrader, and stars Ken Ogata. Music is by Phillip Glass. It is written by Paul Scrader and Leonard Schrader, and pro- duced by Mata Yamamoto and Tom Luddy. The executive producers are George Lucas and Francis Coppola. The sound track album by Phillip Glass is available and is also quite fine. Let's hope that MISHIMA has some success at the box office; Hollywood may then become a little more adventurous in supporting alternative film.
leeper@mtgzz.UUCP (m.r.leeper) (10/31/85)
MISHIMA
A film review by Mark R. Leeper
Capsule review: Stylistically, MISHIMA is a very
good film that is challenging on many levels. It is
intellectually stimulating; at the same time, it is
entertaining. Its great downfall is in its failure to
allow the viewer to see more than just a superficial view
of Mishima's philosophy.
On November 25, 1970, Yukio Mishima took a general in the Japanese army
hostage, made a speech to the soldiers on the general's military base, and
then committed ritual suicide. Even Mishima's greatest detractors have to
admit the man's accomplishments were impressive. He was a novelist, a
philosopher, and a man who had built his own army. It was as if Lyndon
LaRouche, John Updike, Eric Hoffer, and John Wayne were combined in one man.
Paul Schrader has brought to the screen a portrait of the man in MISHIMA.
The film takes the form of a series of reminiscences of Mishima on the
day of his death. We see a little of Mishima's life and the influences that
forged his philosophy that Japan should be restored to its military
greatness through the code of Bushido. Mishima works out his personal
problems and builds his philosophy through his novel writing. Three of his
novels are presented as stylized plays inter-edited with scenes from
Mishima's past and scenes of the day of his suicide. The three elements are
easily distinguished, however, since the scenes in his memory are in black
and white, and the scenes from the novels are done in so stylized a manner
that there is no confusing them with the scenes of reality.
In each of the novels we see Mishima's philosophy work itself out as
characters are honor-bound to carry out strange or even insane-seeming
courses of action--even as Mishima himself felt compelled toward the actions
of the day he died. Schrader and Mishima himself, however, make the same
mistake in assuming that because Mishima could win followers, his philosophy
is easily conveyed and self-evident. To the film's audience, as well as the
audience who listened to Mishima's final speech, little more is conveyed
than the macho and nostalgic philosophy that things were better in Japan's
great feudal past and that Japan must be returned to her former glory with
all men living by the warrior virtues of the past. This has to be a very
superficial treatment of the philosophy and the treatment makes Mishima seem
a romantic but tragic fool.
MISHIMA is a strikingly beautiful film. The stories within the main
story use color vibrantly and the set design for these plays is ingenious.
Philip Glass's score for the film is really the first piece of his music I
have heard that was not driving me crazy after three minutes. I suppose the
music is just less minimalist than his usual fare. I give MISHIMA a +2 on
the -4 to +4 scale, but it would have been more if I really felt that I
understood the character better when I left the theater than when I came in.
Mark R. Leeper
...ihnp4!mtgzz!leeper