Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985) - News Poster

(1985)

News

‘Tesla’ Review: Ethan Hawke Powers a Strange Biopic About How We’re All Wired Differently

‘Tesla’ Review: Ethan Hawke Powers a Strange Biopic About How We’re All Wired Differently
Before the lights went down at the world premiere of “Tesla,” writer-director Michael Almereyda said that his unconventional biopic of the famously enigmatic futurist was inspired by “Derek Jarman, Henry James, and certain episodes of ‘Drunk History.’” He wasn’t kidding. What starts as an earnest (if lyrical) profile of the man who invented Elon Musk soon explodes into something more appropriately postmodern when Nikola Tesla (Ethan Hawke) and Thomas Edison (Kyle MacLachlan) get into a heated ice cream fight, and a woman’s voice comes over the soundtrack to inform us that it probably didn’t happen this way.

The voice belongs to Eve Hewson, playing J.P. Morgan’s daughter Anne with the same contemporary brio she brought to “The Knick,” and we cut to find her sitting at the Macbook Pro that she’ll be using as a reference guide and slide projector to lead us through the
See full article at Indiewire »

Peter Greenaway’s “The Pillow Book” to be released in February 2020 by Indicator

Inspired by Sei Shōnagon’s first-century diary, Peter Greenaway’s The Pillow Book is an audio-visual tour de force, and a showcase for one of British cinema’s most singular talents.

Starring Vivian Wu (8½ Women), Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting) and Ken Ogata (Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters), the film is among Greenaway’s most daring and adventurous works.

Indicator Limited Edition Blu-ray Special Features:

High Definition remaster

Original stereo audio

Selected scenes commentary with Peter Greenaway (2015)

The Book of the Editor (2020): new interview with editor Chris Wyatt

Rosa (1992): performance film by Anne Teresa De Keersmaker’s Rosas dance company, directed by Peter Greenaway and shot by Sacha Vierny, presented in a new restoration from the original negative

Image gallery: on-set and promotional photography

Theatrical trailer

Original theatrical calligraphic subtitle presentation

New English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing

Limited edition exclusive 40-page booklet with a new essay by Adam Scovell,
See full article at AsianMoviePulse »

Short Film Review: Patriotism (1966) by Yukio Mishima

In general, there is very little distinction between the author Yukio Mishima and many of the characters he has created in his works in his lifetime. In his 1958 play “Rokumeikan”, which was a huge success in his home country, the concept of true patriotism was one of the most important aspects. From then on, over a time period of almost a decade, Mishima dedicated himself to works for classical Japanese theatre as well as the medium of film, two passions he would combine in works such as the 1966 film “Patriotism” or “The Rite of Love and Death”.

“Patriotism” is screening at Japanese Avant-Garde and Experimental Film Festival 2019

The 28-minute-long-feature tells the story of a couple, Lieutenant Shinji Takeyama (Yukio Mishima) and his wife Reiko (Yoshiko Tsuruoka). After a failed coupe d’état, which Takeyama helped planning but did not participate in actively because of his wife, he is forced to
See full article at AsianMoviePulse »

Film Review: Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985) by Paul Schrader

To some it may seem ironical to see American filmmaker Paul Schrader’s “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters” experience a similar notoriety as the man Yukio Mishima himself during his lifetime. Despite the fact it was shot in Japan and Schrader’s careful recognition of the country’s culture as well as its difficult relationship with the author, to this day the film has not been released in Mishima’s home country. Even though the reasons for that may be quite nebulous to many – an essay titled “Banned in Japan”, included in the Criterion release of the film might shed some light into that affair –, the significance of the film as a portrayal of a controversial artist fits perfectly into Paul Schrader’s predilection as a filmmaker and writer for the anti-hero, the protagonist who cannot be categorized and will challenge its viewer, even after the end credits.

“Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
See full article at AsianMoviePulse »

“Nation” – from the Japanese Avant-garde And Experimental Film Festival – opens this weekend in London

With our opening night just days away, we are very excited for all of the attention Nation has received. Starting this Friday 20th and running through Sunday 22nd at the Barbican, Close-Up and MetFilm School, this year we examine national identity, cultural memory and perceptions of history in Japan with a programme of five feature-length films paired with seven short-form pieces, a panel discussion and a free filmmakers’ workshop.

Friday 20th September 2019

Barbican Cinema 3 – Opening night screening 18:00:

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters by Paul Schrader, 1985 + Patriotism (Yūkoku) by Yukio Mishima, 1966.

With intro by Damian Flanagan.

Saturday 21st September

Close-Up Cinema – 20:30 screening:

Fighting Elegy (Kenka erejii) by Seijun Suzuki, 1966 +

Bright Beyond Bearing by Monika Uchiyama, 2017 +

How Can You Know Where to Go If You Do Not Know Where You Have Been by Mizuki Toriya, 2017 +

Chiyo by Chiemi Shimada, 2019.

With intro by Jasper Sharp.

Sunday 22nd September

Barbican
See full article at AsianMoviePulse »

Japanese Avant-garde & Experimental Film Festival (Jaeff) announces full Programme

Tickets are now on sale for Jaeff 2019: Nation!

This year’s festival will be held at the Barbican Centre, Close-Up Film Centre and MetFilm School from Friday 20 September through Sunday 22 September. Jaeff 2019: Nation will see five feature-length films screened alongside seven short-form films. We will again be hosting a panel discussion at the Barbican, and are very excited to announce a free filmmakers’ workshop at the MetFilm School.

Friday 20 September 201 – Barbican Cinema 3 – 6pm

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters

USA 1985, Dir Paul Schrader, 120 mins, Digital presentation

+ Patriotism (Yūkoku)

Japan 1966, Dir Yukio Mishima and Domoto Masaki, 28 mins, Digital presentation

Reimagined in vibrant, expressionist colour, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters marries an author to his fiction—a vivid middle where man and myth collide. Yukio Mishima (Ken Ogata) is considered to be one of Japan’s most important novelists, and via Paul and Leonard Schrader’s unique framing, is
See full article at AsianMoviePulse »

Gaspar Noé Loved ‘Roma’ and ‘First Reformed’ but Won’t Watch the Oscars

Gaspar Noé Loved ‘Roma’ and ‘First Reformed’ but Won’t Watch the Oscars
Gaspar Noé shot his riveting dance-party-gone-wrong thriller “Climax” in just 15 days, but the year he’s spent on the road promoting it has made it hard for him to keep up with other people’s movies. As the Argentine finally returned to his home in Paris, however, he has had the chance to catch up on a few Oscar contenders — but won’t be tuning into the ceremony.

“I really don’t care about the Oscars,” Noé said in a Skype interview over the weekend. “I would never watch the Oscar ceremony. If I cared about who was winning the Oscar, it was when I was a kid when they were giving awards to ‘Midnight Cowboy’ or ‘The Godfather.’”

When “Climax” premiered at Cannes last May, Noé expressed a minority opinion about one future Oscar contender, saying in an interview that he had walked out of “Black Panther.”

Nevertheless, in his most recent interview,
See full article at Indiewire »

Academy Sparks Outrage for Dumping 4 Oscar Categories to Commercial Breaks: ‘I Am So Pissed Off’

Academy Sparks Outrage for Dumping 4 Oscar Categories to Commercial Breaks: ‘I Am So Pissed Off’
The Academy’s decision to present four categories — cinematography, film editing, makeup and hairstyling and live-action shorts — during commercial breaks on this year’s Oscar show has been greeted with widespread outrage, with the condemnation stretching from Oscar watchers to past Oscar winners Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón and Emmanuel Lubezki.

“If I may: I would not presume to suggest what categories to cut during the Oscars show but — Cinematography and Editing are at the very heart of our craft,” wrote del Toro, last year’s Best Director and Best Picture winner, on Twitter. “They are not inherited from a theatrical tradition or a literary tradition: they are cinema itself.”

If I may: I would not presume to suggest what categories to cut during the Oscars show but – Cinematography and Editing are at the very heart of our craft. They are not inherited from a theatrical tradition or a literary tradition: they are cinema itself.
See full article at The Wrap »

Kennedy Center Honors: See St. Vincent’s Virtuosic Tribute to Philip Glass

Kennedy Center Honors: See St. Vincent’s Virtuosic Tribute to Philip Glass
St. Vincent performed a faithful version of the Philip Glass composition “Osamu’s Theme” with the violinist Jennifer Koh at the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington D.C. The event took place on December 2nd and aired Wednesday the 26th on CBS.

“Osamu’s Theme” comes from Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, a 1985 Paul Schrader film scored by Glass along with the Kronos Quartet. The original revolves around hissing cymbals and a light pitter patter on the drums, jangly guitar runs punctuated by power-strums and long runs high on the scale from a violin.
See full article at Rolling Stone »

Kennedy Center Honors: Cher, Philip Glass, Other Honorees Get to Enjoy President-Free Night for a Change

Kennedy Center Honors: Cher, Philip Glass, Other Honorees Get to Enjoy President-Free Night for a Change
Here are the people who are planning on attending the annual Kennedy Center Honors on the evening of December 2:

Cher, an Academy Award-winning actress and legendary singer, most recently seen combining both talents in “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again.” Philip Glass, an iconic composer whose original work has been used in countless films and TV series, including in “Koyaanisqatsi,” “The Hours,” “Notes on a Scandal,” and “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters.” Reba McEntire, a modern country music megastar, who has gone on to have an acting career of her own, including a six-season run on a broadcast sitcom named for her. Wayne Shorter, an 11-time Grammy-winning jazz musician, whose many collaborations include playing alongside musical greats across multiple genres. Lin-Manuel Miranda, Thomas Kail, Andy Blankenbuehler, and Alex Lacamoire, the creators of “Hamilton,” a musical that you might be familiar with.

Here are two people who will not be in attendance that night,
See full article at Indiewire »

Bertrand Mandico's Inspirations for "The Wild Boys"

Bertrand Mandico's The Wild Boys (2017), which is receiving an exclusive global online premiere on Mubi, is showing September 14 – October 14, 2018 as a Special Discovery.French director Bertrand Mandico shared with us the films he thought about before, during, and after making his feature debut, The Wild Boys:ISLANDSThe Saga of AnatahanMatango: Attack of the Mushroom People: The island and its fauna and flora, the mushroom-men, the sinking. A sublime film.Lord Jim: The tempest sequence in the opening and the cowardice of Lord Jim—an amazing film.A High Wind in Jamaica: For the confusion of the captain played by Antony Quinn, the phlegm of James Coburn and the beauty of his young crew.The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea (Lewis John Carlino, 1976): For the erotic figure of the Captain (Kris Kristofferson) and its clique of violent boys.Remorques: A romantic and captivating film with sequences
See full article at MUBI »

New to Streaming: Straub-Huillet, Best of Blaxploitation, ‘Loveless,’ and More

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.

The Best of Blaxploitation

Funk. Soul. Ultra-hip. This month, FilmStruck is highlighting Blaxploitation cinema, a group of films made specifically for African American audiences in the 1970s just as black filmmakers were finally allowed to make Hollywood features. This collection features pivotal Black icons from unforgettable films such as Shaft, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, Cleopatra Jones and Super Fly, presented alongside a discussion of the history of the genre with Malcolm Mays,
See full article at The Film Stage »

‘Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters’: Paul Schrader’s Phantasmagoria of Cartesian Dissociation

More than a few foreign filmmaker have tried relocating to Hollywood, but it’s less often the case that an acclaimed Hollywood artist takes their talents overseas. Paul Schrader, at the height of his post-Taxi Driver, post-Raging Bull success, proved a notable example. In the mid-1980s, he took an opportunity to capitalize on his longstanding fascination with Japan by directing an entire film with an all-Japanese cast and script, his sister-in-law Chieko Schrader serving as linguistic and artistic interpreter. Its subject: Yukio Mishima, a controversial figure whose death so deeply shocked Japan that the film, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, remains banned there. Now — in the U.S. at least — the Criterion Collection is giving the film Schrader considers his finest directorial achievement a new 4K transfer and Blu-ray release.

Mishima, portrayed by Ken Ogata, was one of Japan’s most internationally acclaimed authors, and likely the country’s most infamous suicide.
See full article at The Film Stage »

‘Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters’ Blu-ray Review (Criterion)

Stars: Ken Ogata, Masayuki Shionoya, Junkichi Orimoto, Naoko Ôtani, Masato Aizawa, Gô Rijû | Written by Paul Schrader, Leonard Schrader, Chieko Schrader | Directed by Paul Schrader

Lucasfilm isn’t just about lightsabers, high fantasy and hunky archaeologists, you know. Occasionally it has produced films like this one: Paul Schrader’s truly original biopic about the Japanese author Yukio Mishima (real name Kimitake Hiraoka), a right-wing artist who spearheaded the infamous “Mishima Incident” in 1970. Despite winning awards for production design, cinematography and music (Philip Glass’s theme is instantly recognisable) at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival, the film has never been released in Japan.

“Words are insufficient,” Mishima (Ken Ogata) laments early on. He’s seeking a new form of expression. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is a portrait of a frustrated artist, so it’s easy to see why Schrader – the man who wrote Taxi Driver over a fevered fortnight – would be attracted to the story.
See full article at Nerdly »

Schrader’s Mishima, Cristian Mungiu on Criterion and Dear White People: Jim Hemphill’s Weekend Viewing Recommendations

In a nice bit of cinematic serendipity, Paul Schrader’s singular 1985 film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters arrives on Blu-ray from Criterion at the same moment that his latest movie, First Reformed, is enjoying a deservedly successful art house run. Mishima remains perhaps Schrader’s most original and idiosyncratic film, which is really saying something; a meditation on the life and writings of Japanese author Yukio Mishima, it’s neither a conventional bio-pic nor a straightforward literary adaptation, though it combines elements of both forms. Schrader, writing in collaboration with his brother Leonard (Kiss of the Spider Woman) and sister-in-law Chieko, […]
See full article at Filmmaker Magazine »

Schrader’s Mishima, Cristian Mungiu on Criterion and Dear White People: Jim Hemphill’s Weekend Viewing Recommendations

In a nice bit of cinematic serendipity, Paul Schrader’s singular 1985 film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters arrives on Blu-ray from Criterion at the same moment that his latest movie, First Reformed, is enjoying a deservedly successful art house run. Mishima remains perhaps Schrader’s most original and idiosyncratic film, which is really saying something; a meditation on the life and writings of Japanese author Yukio Mishima, it’s neither a conventional bio-pic nor a straightforward literary adaptation, though it combines elements of both forms. Schrader, writing in collaboration with his brother Leonard (Kiss of the Spider Woman) and sister-in-law Chieko, […]
See full article at Filmmaker Magazine_Director Interviews »

Academy President John Bailey Under Investigation for Three Different Sexual Harassment Claims — Report

John Bailey, who was elected President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences last August, is under investigation for sexual harassment. Variety first reported the news, noting that AMPAS received three different harassment claims on Wednesday and immediately launched its investigation. Bailey, 75, is a cinematographer and occasional director who received the American Society of Cinematographers Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 and a Best Artistic Contribution prize from the Cannes Film Festival in 1985 for Paul Schrader’s “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters.”

No details about the nature of the claims has been released. These allegations come in the midst of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, which began when Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual harassment, assault, and rape by dozens of women beginning last October. Weinstein himself was expelled from the Academy, an incredibly rare move.

Last month’s Oscars featured a video tribute to Time’s
See full article at Indiewire »

‘Mozart in the Jungle’: ‘Too Much TV’ Isn’t The Reason Why This Great Show Gets Ignored

‘Mozart in the Jungle’: ‘Too Much TV’ Isn’t The Reason Why This Great Show Gets Ignored
No matter the genre, so many great shows being made today exist to excite us and to challenge us. It doesn’t matter if they’re a half-hour comedy or an hour-long drama, they exist to do what more traditional shows do not: push boundaries, defy expectations, and ultimately keep us on the edge of seats.

“Mozart in the Jungle” is not really that kind of show, despite the fact that it’s been a critically acclaimed jewel in Amazon’s streaming lineup for four years now, and in so many ways remains an incredibly well-made, intimate dramedy about artists and their passion for music and for life.

The fourth season has been out for a week now, and for fans of the show, there are plenty of interesting developments, as the series continues to further develop its eclectic ensemble, once centralized around a New York City symphony but now
See full article at Indiewire »

‘Midnight Cowboy,’ ‘Graduation,’ ‘Au hasard Balthazar,’ and More to Join the Criterion Collection

‘Midnight Cowboy,’ ‘Graduation,’ ‘Au hasard Balthazar,’ and More to Join the Criterion Collection
May is going to be a good month for fans of the Romanian New Wave, as Cristian Mungiu’s two most recent films are both joining the Criterion Collection. “Graduation” and “Beyond the Hills” will be released alongside new additions “Midnight Cowboy,” “The Other Side of Hope,” and “Moonrise”; “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters” and “Au hasard Balthazar,” which have already been released on DVD, are getting Blu-ray upgrades.

“Au hasard Balthazar”

“A profound masterpiece from one of the most revered filmmakers in the history of cinema, director Robert Bresson’s ‘Au hasard Balthazar’ follows the donkey Balthazar as he is passed from owner to owner, some kind and some cruel but all with motivations outside of his understanding. Balthazar, whose life parallels that of his first keeper, Marie, is truly a beast of burden, suffering the sins of humankind. But despite his powerlessness, he accepts his fate nobly.
See full article at Indiewire »

Paul Schrader’s Secret New Movie: How the Director Resurrected a Wild Nicolas Cage Performance Without Permission

Paul Schrader’s Secret New Movie: How the Director Resurrected a Wild Nicolas Cage Performance Without Permission
In September 2014, veteran filmmaker Paul Schrader was livid. He had recently directed “Dying of the Light,” a grim thriller starring Nicolas Cage as CIA agent Evan Lake, who obsesses over tracking terrorists while suffering from a brain disease and losing his mind. The movie’s financiers wanted a more conventional espionage thriller than Schrader’s experimental, subjective narrative, so they took the movie away from Schrader, who sent an email explaining the conundrum to Cage. The actor struck a note or resignation.

“The unfortunate aspect to my having had so many careers in so many genres is that they can make a case to put me in box b instead of box a for money’s sake,” Cage wrote, in an email shared with IndieWire years later.

Schrader could relate. “Dying of the Light” arrived nearly 40 years after Schrader catapulted to fame with his screenplay for “Taxi Driver” and maintained
See full article at Indiewire »
An error has occured. Please try again.

IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.

See also

Showtimes | External Sites


Clear your history

Recently Viewed