Patriotism (1966)
"Yûkoku" (original title)

Two characters on a Noh stage dramatize the rite of love and death of Lieutenant Shinji Takeyama and his wife Reiko. Takeyama was one of a cadre of young officers who staged a coup d'état ... See full summary »

Directors:

Masaki Dômoto, Yukio Mishima

Writer:

Yukio Mishima

Stars:

Yukio Mishima, Yoshiko Tsuruoka

Cast

Cast overview:
Yukio Mishima	...	Shinji Takeyama
Yoshiko Tsuruoka	...	Reiko

Storyline

Two characters on a Noh stage dramatize the rite of love and death of Lieutenant Shinji Takeyama and his wife Reiko. Takeyama was one of a cadre of young officers who staged a coup d'état in February, 1936. He was not arrested when the coup failed, but as an officer of the palace guard, he knew he would be given the order to execute his friends. The night before the execution, he and his wife prepare for hara-kiri, first with passion without shyness, then in uniform and kimono with sword and dagger. Calligraphy figures in the preparation, as Reiko gathers her keepsakes to give to survivors. They embrace in death.

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Plot Keywords:

officer | death | sword | noh | hara kiri | 

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Genres:

Drama | Short

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

12 April 1966 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Patriotism

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is a silent film with a musical track - there is no dialogue spoken. Mishima filmed two versions, one with Japanese title cards, the other with English title cards.

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Connections

Referenced in Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)

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Soundtracks

"Tristan und Isolde"
: Liebestod
by Richard Wagner

User Reviews

recently saw

Short film, i was suprised by the fact that apart from the music that it was silent. The lighting is beautiful and the film is made with obvious care and passion. The end of the film is in direct contrast to the rest with its very extreme imagry of the seppuku ritual, but altogether this film gets my vote as a very artisitc mood film.... A lot of film makers now should consider the use of that lighting!!!!!!!