02-27-2009, 05:03 PM
Imagine, if you will, a crowded college law class. One student, sitting halfway back, observes a student in the front row frantically writing down everything the lecturer says. Neither of these students will grow up to be a lawyer, and they soon go their separate ways. The former, Yasuzo Masumura, becomes a legendary film director. The latter, Yukio Mishima, becomes the greatest Japanese writer of the 20th century.
Now imagine Yasuzo's surprise when, at the height of his career, he is told that Yukio Mishima wants to act in one of his films, and that he has three conditions: that it be a gangster movie, that he gets to wear a black leather jacket throughout, and that he dies in the end.
Perhaps against his better judgment, Yasuzo accepts. It's not an easy shoot. Yukio knows nothing about acting, and Yasuzo must work long hours with him for every scene -- positioning, delivery, countless nuances that an actor would just know. It is an exhausting shoot, made still more difficult for the lead actress, because Yukio constantly roughs her up, even in scenes where it's not called for. One gets the feeling that he's an egotistical and insensitive brute -- though this clashes with the extreme sensitivity one sees in his writing.
Enough background. Over the years I've been Yakuza'd to death and now try to avoid this type of flick. But I couldn't resist seeing Yukio as an actor. In the earliest scenes he's very darting, jumping out of frame certainly to the director's chagrin, but he learns quickly and actually gives a decent if swaggering performance. It's the tale of a young yakuza (Yukio) just out of prison who is ordered to hit an enemy boss. But his heart hardly seems into it, and as the hours and days pass, his loyalty and courage are questioned.
Certain scenes stick in my mind, and one, near the end, still haunts me. I don't want to oversell the film, because it is JAYM (just another yakusa movie). Still, Yukio does bring novelty value to the table, and Yasuko as director (check out BLIND BEAST, HANZO THE RAZOR (2 and 3), RED ANGEL, GIANTS AND TOYS, BLACK TEST CAR) lifts the table still higher.
I really don't know what to make of Mishima these days, as if I ever did. Some people are born to eat someone -- like that German guy. Some people are born to be eaten -- like that other German guy. Mishima was born to commit ceremonial suicide. It was his obsession. Virtually everything he said and did and wrote resonates with this destructive impulse. To him it would be a glorious achievement, the ultimate self sacrifice for a greater cause. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around that.
Anyway, you could do worse than watch Yukio rehearsing his fate yet again.
Now imagine Yasuzo's surprise when, at the height of his career, he is told that Yukio Mishima wants to act in one of his films, and that he has three conditions: that it be a gangster movie, that he gets to wear a black leather jacket throughout, and that he dies in the end.
Perhaps against his better judgment, Yasuzo accepts. It's not an easy shoot. Yukio knows nothing about acting, and Yasuzo must work long hours with him for every scene -- positioning, delivery, countless nuances that an actor would just know. It is an exhausting shoot, made still more difficult for the lead actress, because Yukio constantly roughs her up, even in scenes where it's not called for. One gets the feeling that he's an egotistical and insensitive brute -- though this clashes with the extreme sensitivity one sees in his writing.
Enough background. Over the years I've been Yakuza'd to death and now try to avoid this type of flick. But I couldn't resist seeing Yukio as an actor. In the earliest scenes he's very darting, jumping out of frame certainly to the director's chagrin, but he learns quickly and actually gives a decent if swaggering performance. It's the tale of a young yakuza (Yukio) just out of prison who is ordered to hit an enemy boss. But his heart hardly seems into it, and as the hours and days pass, his loyalty and courage are questioned.
Certain scenes stick in my mind, and one, near the end, still haunts me. I don't want to oversell the film, because it is JAYM (just another yakusa movie). Still, Yukio does bring novelty value to the table, and Yasuko as director (check out BLIND BEAST, HANZO THE RAZOR (2 and 3), RED ANGEL, GIANTS AND TOYS, BLACK TEST CAR) lifts the table still higher.
I really don't know what to make of Mishima these days, as if I ever did. Some people are born to eat someone -- like that German guy. Some people are born to be eaten -- like that other German guy. Mishima was born to commit ceremonial suicide. It was his obsession. Virtually everything he said and did and wrote resonates with this destructive impulse. To him it would be a glorious achievement, the ultimate self sacrifice for a greater cause. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around that.
Anyway, you could do worse than watch Yukio rehearsing his fate yet again.