Mishima A Life in Four Chapters The Criterion Collection

Product Description 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 Amazon.com 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