Synopsis
A fictional account of the life of Japanese author Yukio Mishima, combining dramatizations of three of his novels and a depiction of the events of November 25th, 1970.
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Cast
- Ken OgataYukio Mishima (segment "November 25, 1970")
- Go RijuMishima, age 18-19 (segment "Flashbacks")
- Masayuki ShionoyaMorita (segment "November 25, 1970")
- Hiroshi MikamiCadet #1 (segment "November 25, 1970")
- Junkichi OrimotoGeneral Mashita (segment "November 25, 1970")
- Masato AizawaMishima - age 9-14 (segment "Flashbacks")
- Junya FukudaCadet #2 (segment "November 25, 1970")
- Shigeto TachiharaCadet #3 (segment "November 25, 1970")
- Yuki NagaharaMishima, age 5 (segment "Flashbacks")
- Kyuzo KobayashiLiterary Friend (segment "Flashbacks")
Recommendations
- 100
Chicago Sun-Times
The most unconventional biopic I've ever seen, and one of the best. - 100
The A.V. Club
Calling Schrader's masterpiece a mere biopic doesn't do it justice. It's more a dreamy, hypnotic meditation on the tragic intersection of Mishima's oeuvre and existence that takes place as much in its subject's fevered imagination as the outside world. - 100
Time Out
Graced with a throbbing orchestral score from Philip Glass and John Bailey’s luminous photography, this is appropriately monumental filmmaking. - 90
Village Voice
A sumptuous austerity, paralleling Mishima’s disciplined decadence. - 80
The Guardian
An ambitious, respectful account of the life and work of Yukio Mishima, the prolific Japanese author who made a romantic cult of Japan's lost world of martial glory and spartan warrior-manhood. - 80
Los Angeles Times
A beautiful, deadly serious attempt by Paul and Leonard Schrader to illuminate the life--and death--of one of Japan's most highly visible and self-propelling enigmas. - 75
TV Guide Magazine
Mishima's most stunning aspect is the visual style employed in the dramatizations of the novels. With colorful, theatrical sets by famed Japanese designer Eiko Ishioka, the sequences are quite unique and impressive in their own right, and the entire film is photographed beautifully by John Bailey. - 60
Variety
Beautiful, yet flawed film.
