Paul Schrader’s 1985 biopic necessarily guts his controversial life — but the visual style is superb.
Comment
07/10/09
Mishima - A Life in Four Chapters (1985)
95
%
Tomatometer
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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.
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... [More]
Starring: Ken Ogata, Kenji Sawara, Yasosuke Bando, Toshiyuki Nagashima
Director: Paul Schrader
Reviews for Mishima - A Life in Four Chapters
Graced with a throbbing orchestral score from Philip Glass and John Bailey’s luminous photography, this is appropriately monumental filmmaking.
07/10/09
Top CriticFrom Philip Glass's glorious score to John Bailey's rich cinematography, Schrader's movie is never less than ravishing.
07/10/09
Top CriticThe gorgeous, artsy 1985 biopic Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is the best movie that Paul Schrader has yet directed.
07/10/09
Top CriticPhilip Glass’s score still takes the breath away.
07/10/09
Top CriticThose 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.
07/10/09
The cerebral cool of Schrader's perspective sacrifices emotional connection to its subject.
07/10/09
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03/26/09
Top CriticIt's Mishima's diagrammatic structure that most perfectly suits its subject, defined by his will to harmony.
12/16/08
It’s fetishistic, lyrical, narcissistic and, at key moments, borderline berserk. In other words, the movie captures its subject to a tee.
12/10/08
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05/23/06
No review available.
06/14/05
Offers a mesmerizing profile of the famous Japanese writer whose life was filled with drama.
08/22/04
No review available.
08/19/04
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03/30/04
No review available.
11/14/03
No review available.
08/22/03
No review available.
03/27/03
Gorgeous to look at, but so what?
02/02/03
No review available.
07/26/02
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