SUB SECTIONS

DVD QUICK LINKS

MY ACCOUNT

SITE MATTERS


Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters - Criterion Collection DVD

R (Restricted) :: Criterion Collection :: Released: 2008-07-01

zoom box image

$30.96USD In Stock
$35.99 In Stock
Amazon Marketplace New:$27.65 37 Available
Amazon Marketplace Low:$24.50 12 Available
Amazon Marketplace Collectible:$40.99 1 Available
Buy.com:$33.84 In Stock
CD Universe:$31.25 In Stock
Deep Discount DVD:$32.60 In Stock
DVD Boxoffice:$38.45 On Order, Ships in 5 to 10 days
Rent Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters... at BLOCKBUSTER (USA)
Rent Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters... with Zip.ca (Canada)


Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters - Criterion Collection Summary Paul Schrader's visually stunning, structurally audacious collage-like portrait of acclaimed Japanese author and playwright Yuko Mishima (played by Ken Ogata) investigates the inner turmoil and contradictions of a man who attempted an impossible harmony between self, art, and society. Taking place on Mishima's last day, when he famously committed public seppuku (ritual suicide), the film i

Paul Schrader's Visually Stunning, Structurally Audacious Collagelike Portrait Of Acclaimed Japanese Author And Playwright Yukio Mishima (played By Ken Ogata) Investigates The Inner Turmoil And Contradictions Of A Man Who Attempted An Impossible Harmony Between Self, Art, And Society. Taking Place On Mishima's Last Day, When He Famously Committed Public Seppuku (ritual Suicide), The Film Is Punctuated By Extended Flashbacks To The Writer's Life As Well As Gloriously Stylized Evocations Of His Fictional Works. With Its Rich Cinematography By John Bailey, Exquisite Sets And Costumes By Eiko Ishioka, And Unforgettable, Highly Influential Score By Philip Glass, Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters Is A Sincere Tribute To Its Subject, And A Bold, Investigative Work Of Art In Its Own Right.

special Features

- Director-approved Special Edition Double-disc Set Features
- New, Restored High-definition Digital Transfer Of The Director's Cut, Supervised And Approved By Director Paul Schrader And Cinematographer John Bailey
- Optional English And Japanese Voice-over Narrations, The Former By Roy Scheider, The Latter By Ken Ogata
- New Audio Commentary Featuring Schrader And Producer Alan Poul
- The Strange Case Of Yukio Mishima, A 55-minute Bbc Documentary About The Author
- New Interviews With Donald Richie And John Nathan, Collaborators And Friends Of Yukio Mishima
- New Interviews With Bailey, Producers Tom Luddy And Mata Yamamoto, Composer Philip Glass, And Production Designer Eiko Ishioka
- A New Audio Interview With Coscreenwriter Chieko Schrader
- A Video Interview Excerpt Featuring Mishima Talking About Writing
- Theatrical Trailer
- New And Improved English Subtitle Translation
- Plus: A Booklet Featuring A New Essay By Critic Kevin Jackson And A Piece On The Film S Censorship In Japan

With Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, Paul Schrader constructs a puzzle-box portrait of the controversial author (1925-1970) who turned his life into a work of art. Presented by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas, Schrader outdoes his benefactors in sheer audacity alone. In the opening sequence, which weaves throughout the film, Yukio Mishima (riveting Shohei Imamura regular Ken Ogata) prepares for death as the director cuts to pivotal moments from his past. Shot by American Gigolo's John Bailey and designed by The Cell's Eiko Ishioka, stately black and white footage alternates with eye-popping color sequences. With an assist from Leonard and Chieko Schrader, his brother and sister-in-law, the filmmaker blends Mishima's fiction into his biography, and splits the whole four ways: beauty, art, action, and harmony of pen and sword (the brothers also wrote Sydney Pollack's Japanese thriller The Yakuza). Encouraged by his controlling grandmother, Mishima becomes a conflicted figure, torn between mind and body, pain and pleasure--men and women. As he states, "All my life I have been acutely aware of a contradiction in the very nature of my existence." (This collector's edition includes separate voice-over tracks by Ogata and Roy Scheider.)

The first disc houses a gorgeous transfer of the film, the theatrical trailer, and comprehensive commentary from Schrader and producer Alan Poul; the second offers a making-of featurette (with Bailey, Ishioka, and composer Philip Glass), audio and video interviews (including translator and biographer John Nathan), a 1966 chat with Mishima for French TV, and a 1985 John Hurt-narrated documentary for the BBC. Unlike Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima, which found favor in the East, Paul Schrader's risk-filled endeavor resulted in a ban in his subject’s home country--and the director's crowning achievement. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters [2... DVD Techincal Details Cast:
Director: Paul Schrader
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Rated: R (Restricted)
Running Time: 120 mins
UPC: 715515029728
Binding: DVD
Studio: Criterion Collection
Release Date: 2008-07-01
Region Code: 1
Specs: Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language & Subtitles Japanese (Original Language), English (Original Language), English (Subtitled),
You may be interested in..