Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters

1985
R
2h

IMDb RATING

7.9/10

14K

YOUR RATING

Ken Ogata in Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)

Play trailer1:24

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99+ Photos

Biography Drama

A fictionalized account in four chapters of the life of celebrated Japanese writer Yukio Mishima.A fictionalized account in four chapters of the life of celebrated Japanese writer Yukio Mishima.A fictionalized account in four chapters of the life of celebrated Japanese writer Yukio Mishima.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.9/10

14K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination

Trivia
Yukio Mishima's family originally cooperated with the making of this film but when their request that the gay bar scene be removed was denied, they withdrew their help.

Goofs
Mishima didn't exaggerate his illness. He was declared unfit for military service because of an inexperienced Army physician's misdiagnosis.

Quotes
Yukio Mishima (Narrator): The average age for a man in the Bronze Age was eighteen, in the Roman era, twenty-two. Heaven must have been beautiful then. Today it must look dreadful. When a man reaches forty, he has no chance to die beautifully. No matter how he tries, he will die of decay. He must compel himself to live.

Crazy credits
Yukio Mishima is acknowledged to have been a real person, but his acts have been fictionalized by writers. Other persons and events in this film are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons and events is unintentional.

Alternate versions
On Japanese television, the gay bar scene is cut out.

Connections
Featured in Mardi cinéma: Episode dated 14 May 1985 (1985)

User reviews52

Review

Featured review

9/10

Complicated but still easy to watch

There are very few films that are able to tell such a complicated story on so many levels as well as Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters. One of the most difficult aspects of story telling is the ability to flashback and forward without losing the pace of the film. This film not only flashes back and fourth with the greatest of easy, but it also flows through some of Yukio Mishima greatest stories. This film exceeds in every aspect and is a joy to watch. Not to mention the incredible Philip Glass Soundtrack.