Revenge of a Kabuki Actor

The visual flair is audacious, lively, and incredibly enjoyable to behold. The colors are vibrant, the staging absolutely exquisite. Masterful use of empty space. He exploits the widescreen scope in dazzling and unusual ways. He effortlessly tosses off one bold stylistic flourish after another as if to say, "there's plenty more where that came from!" The acting is top-notch across the board. The story is full of intrigue, suspense, romance, melodrama, and an astonishing playfulness and wit.

Ichikawa plays wonderfully with conventions, cliches and expectations. Even though An Actor's Revenge was made in 1963 (fucking 1963!), it's still one of the best-looking movies I've ever seen. The acting is excellent, especially Hasegawa. The movie is, perhaps, a little bit slow in parts.

It's a nice little film with some clever cinematography and a cool story that comes full circle. That said, it never really captured my interest to the degree that a great film can. The first 30 minutes were brutal in comparison to the last parts in terms of pacing and story. Thought the best part of the film was the score, which was cleverly constructed and always interesting. Decent but nowhere near a tier 10.

The actor's voice is really annoying, although it suits the role. Other than that its a fantastic film.

Kon Ichikawa's melodrama can be summed up by looking at the title, but it's in the presentation that the film really soars. Beautiful use of color, bravura performances from all, especially Kazuo Hasegawa in a dual role as Yukinojo, the titular actor, a female impersonator who plays at effeminacy even off-stage, and as a wily thief who ultimately aids the actor's revenge. The stylization is breathtaking, but the emotional impact--especially the tragedy of Lady Namiji--is not blunted.