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Revenge of a Kabuki Actor

Revenge of a Kabuki Actor

1963
Romance, Drama
1h 55m
While performing in a touring kabuki troupe, leading female impersonator Yukinojo comes across the three men who drove his parents to suicide twenty years earlier (imdb)
Your probable score
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Revenge of a Kabuki Actor

1963
Romance, Drama
1h 55m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 70.4% from 245 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(245)
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Rated 24 Jan 2007
94
97th
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.
Rated 09 Feb 2007
95
94th
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.
Rated 07 May 2007
95
96th
The actor's voice is really annoying, although it suits the role. Other than that its a fantastic film.
Rated 12 Aug 2012
6
55th
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.
Rated 20 Jul 2011
92
96th
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.
Rated 20 Feb 2008
88
90th
A unique and captivating film. It's very theatrical with minimal sets and a strong focus on acting, but that doesn't prevent it from having a very strong artistic style. As you'd expect in such a film the acting is very good and the story is a nice take on the standard revenge tale. What gives this that extra edge is how rich the visuals are even with limited sets. Ichikawa manages to throw in randam splashes of life and energy into the visuals that coincide well with the action on screen.
Rated 02 Mar 2008
68
48th
# 649
Rated 20 Aug 2008
97
90th
Japanese director Kon Ichikawa has crafted his greatest achievement yet. Incredibly enjoyable and audacious. Has a very strong focus on acting, and it has a breathtaking, mind-controlling style buried richly in texture through its dark, daring golden heart. Has lots of splashes and strokes of depth too, along with a very unique plot and it features touching scenes once in a while. All in all, an all-time classic.
Rated 19 Dec 2008
67
34th
657
Rated 28 Jul 2009
3
45th
It gets off to a slow start, but builds into an elaborate melodramatic thriller. A bold combination of theatrical influence and cinematic aesthetic, with masterful framing and brilliant use of light, shadow, and color. The score is an unusual mix of traditional Japanese and jazz. It is an undeniably virtuoso work, but flawless though it may be, I admire and appreciate it more than I have any strong feeling for it.
Rated 29 Jul 2009
3
38th
It's very easy to appreciate the skill and artistry with which An Actor's Revenge was made. The plot is very cleverly constructed, bringing together its many characters in a neatly organized revenge scheme. It's made with a bold, unique style that calls upon countless theater influences, but also exploits the filmic medium to great effect. Yet though I admire it very much, on a gut level, it wasn't as easy to appreciate. It never fully hooked me emotionally. Impressive but not quite my thing.
Rated 15 Jan 2010
65
30th
705
Rated 10 Feb 2010
95
88th
Peculiar. I thought some of the characters were a bit superfluous, but the cinematography is amazing and Ayako Wakao is as gorgeous as always.
Rated 02 Dec 2011
64
28th
#728
Rated 04 Dec 2011
94
99th
Full of small and big wonders, fantastic film that succeeds in basically every department.
Rated 03 Nov 2012
93
85th
haiku review: two deaths avenged / born under a lonely star / then fades into wheat
Rated 30 May 2014
41
24th
Some credit in the straight world.
Rated 24 Nov 2014
86
86th
Wonderful use of wide shots and dramatic lighting to imitate the stage. It's an unusual revenge story, but a good one.
Rated 03 Sep 2017
100
93rd
Instantly got on my list of bedside movies that I can turn on anytime like favorite music.
Rated 14 Oct 2020
72
78th
i wanted to watch it again the next day. that hasn't happened since Drive (4 years ago).
Rated 08 Oct 2021
70
41st
Strange melodrama that looks and sounds great.
Rated 23 Apr 2023
77
88th
The story and acting were both very good but it was the direction and look of the film that elevated it. The soundtrack was good but I don't think it always fit. This is one of those rare pieces of art where each individual part is excellent and yet the whole is better than the sum of its parts.

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