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Movies / On DVD / Mishima - A Life in Four Chapters
Mishima - A Life in Four Chapters

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Mishima - A Life in Four Chapters (1985)

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Reviews Counted:20

Fresh:19

Rotten:1

Average Rating:7.4/10

Consensus: Paul Schrader’s directorial masterpiece is a classy and imaginative portrait enriched by a stunning score and impressive cinematography.

Rated: 15

Runtime: 2 hrs 1 min

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:10-07-2009

Synopsis: MISHIMA: A LIFE IN FOUR CHAPTERS is director Paul Schrader's stunning film biography of one of Japan's most celebrated post-World War II writers--Yukio Mishima (Ken Ogata). A fictionalized account... MISHIMA: A LIFE IN FOUR CHAPTERS is director Paul Schrader's stunning film biography of one of Japan's most celebrated post-World War II writers--Yukio Mishima (Ken Ogata). A fictionalized account in four segments, three of the segments parallel events in Mishima's life with his novels (THE TEMPLE OF THE GOLDEN PAVILLION, KYOKO'S HOUSE, and RUNAWAY HORSES), while the fourth depicts November 25, 1970, the last day of his life, a day in which he committed two puzzling, stunning acts--one political, one deeply personal. MISHIMA is an amazing, disturbing multidimensional character study whose stunning visual splendor is supported by a riveting score by Philip Glass. It is a daring film that explores an obsessed artist--and tries to understand him--through his own writing. [More]

Starring: Ken Ogata, Kenji Sawara, Yasosuke Bando, Toshiyuki Nagashima

Starring: Ken Ogata, Kenji Sawara, Yasosuke Bando, Toshiyuki Nagashima

Director: Paul Schrader

Director: Paul Schrader
Composer: Philip Glass

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Mishima - A Life in Four Chapters

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1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

The cerebral cool of Schrader's perspective sacrifices emotional connection to its subject.

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
07/10/09
Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Independent

Philip Glass’s score still takes the breath away.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
07/10/09
David Gritten
David Gritten
Daily Telegraph
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Paul Schrader’s 1985 biopic necessarily guts his controversial life — but the visual style is superb.

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
07/10/09
Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm
This is London

The gorgeous, artsy 1985 biopic Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is the best movie that Paul Schrader has yet directed.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
07/10/09
Kevin Maher
Kevin Maher
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

From Philip Glass's glorious score to John Bailey's rich cinematography, Schrader's movie is never less than ravishing.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
07/10/09
Richard Luck
Richard Luck
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Those unfamiliar with Mishima’s work may find the expressionistic novel sequences overly rich, but Schrader’s film is a visually arresting, imaginative and intelligent overview of a difficult subject.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
07/10/09
Rob Daniel
Rob Daniel
Sky Movies

Graced with a throbbing orchestral score from Philip Glass and John Bailey’s luminous photography, this is appropriately monumental filmmaking.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
07/10/09
Tom Huddlestone
Tom Huddlestone
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/26/09
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
03/27/03
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

No review available.

comment Comment
08/22/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
05/23/06
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

It’s fetishistic, lyrical, narcissistic and, at key moments, borderline berserk. In other words, the movie captures its subject to a tee.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
12/10/08
David Fear
David Fear
Time Out New York

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
03/30/04
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
06/14/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Offers a mesmerizing profile of the famous Japanese writer whose life was filled with drama.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
08/22/04
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

No review available.

comment Comment
11/14/03
James O'Ehley
James O'Ehley
Sci-Fi Movie Page

Gorgeous to look at, but so what?

comment Comment
02/02/03
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

It's Mishima's diagrammatic structure that most perfectly suits its subject, defined by his will to harmony.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
12/16/08
Nick Pinkerton
Nick Pinkerton
Village Voice

No review available.

comment Comment
08/19/04
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
07/26/02
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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