Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters

Directed by Paul Schrader • 1985 • Japan, United States

Paul Schrader's visually stunning, 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, the film is punctuated by extended flashbacks to the writer's life as well as by 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 tribute to its subject and a bold, investigative work of art in its own right.

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
  • Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters

    Directed by Paul Schrader • 1985 • Japan, United States

    Paul Schrader's visually stunning, 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 s...

Extras

  • MISHIMA Commentary

    This commentary features director Paul Schrader and producer Alan Poul. It was recorded in 2006.

  • Paul Schrader: Man in a Room

    A titan of the American cinema who emerged from the ranks of the 1970s movie brats with his era-defining screenplay for TAXI DRIVER, writer-director Paul Schrader has pursued a defiantly singular vision in his provocative explorations of guilt and salvation in a soul-sick world. In this original ...

  • Richard Linklater on MISHIMA: A LIFE IN FOUR CHAPTERS

  • MISHIMA Alternate English Narration with Roy Scheider

    This Roy Scheider narration was featured as part of the film's original theatrical and video releases.

  • MISHIMA Alternate English Narration: Guide Track

    This English narration track was used by director Paul Schrader during the editing of the film as a guide track for Roy Scheider, who was recorded later.

  • Making MISHIMA

    This documentary features new interviews with cinematographer John Bailey, production designer Eiko Ishioka, and composer Philip Glass. The interviews were recorded in 2008.

  • Producing MISHIMA

    In this piece, producers Tom Luddy and Mata Yamamoto recount the challenges of producing MISHIMA: A LIFE IN FOUR CHAPTERS. Their interviews were recorded in 2007 and 2008.

  • Chieko Schrader on MISHIMA: A LIFE IN FOUR CHAPTERS

    Working closely with her husband, Leonard Schrader, and her brother-in-law Paul Schrader, Chieko Schrader wrote the Japanese-language screenplay for MISHIMA: A LIFE IN FOUR CHAPTERS. She was also an essential on-set link, translating instructions to actors and crew. This audio interview was recor...

  • John Nathan and Donald Richie on Yukio Mishima

    Translator John Nathan and critic Donald Richie knew Yukio Mishima. Nathan worked closely with him on the translation of “The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea” and later wrote a biography of him. Richie met Mishima on the writer’s first visit to New York in 1952. In this 2008 piece, they d...

  • Mishima on Mishima

    In this interview, journalist and historian Jean Prasteau talks to author Yukio Mishima for an episode of the series “À la vitrine du libraire.” It originally aired on January 15, 1966.