Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
8/15/2025:
Hey, look, a four act structure movie! Those are quite rare but this one feels like it's cheating. I did not care for the first part of this but the rest of the acts were interesting. I didn't really like the minimalistic sets, but there is an artistry to it. The ending was really well done.
大丈夫でした
Daijōbudeshita
5/17/2026:
I feel I always end up complaining about movies that are based on real events never being as interesting as the real events. So, I wanted to check this one out again because it's so unique. Also, while I have a subscription to The Criterion Channel, I wanted to check out the version that's narrated by Roy Scheider (Yes, from Jaws!)
My thoughts about this are the same as the first time that I watched this. What a beautiful and unique film that is a bit too long and disjointed for it's own good. There are so many elements that don't immerse me into this. I wish that everything that was a flash back was in black and white and only the the "modern" moments and final scene were in color. I understand they want to have a dream like quality but almost the entire movie feels like it's missing cohesion. The narration in the version I watched did not help either and kind of ruined the ending this time around.
I still quite enjoy this though and I was say the last 20 minutes of this is a masterpiece. I also love that this is one of the few Four Act movies out there. I enjoy the artistry of this, but wish that it went a little bit further!
Hey, look, a four act structure movie! Those are quite rare but this one feels like it's cheating. I did not care for the first part of this but the rest of the acts were interesting. I didn't really like the minimalistic sets, but there is an artistry to it. The ending was really well done.
大丈夫でした
Daijōbudeshita
5/17/2026:
I feel I always end up complaining about movies that are based on real events never being as interesting as the real events. So, I wanted to check this one out again because it's so unique. Also, while I have a subscription to The Criterion Channel, I wanted to check out the version that's narrated by Roy Scheider (Yes, from Jaws!)
My thoughts about this are the same as the first time that I watched this. What a beautiful and unique film that is a bit too long and disjointed for it's own good. There are so many elements that don't immerse me into this. I wish that everything that was a flash back was in black and white and only the the "modern" moments and final scene were in color. I understand they want to have a dream like quality but almost the entire movie feels like it's missing cohesion. The narration in the version I watched did not help either and kind of ruined the ending this time around.
I still quite enjoy this though and I was say the last 20 minutes of this is a masterpiece. I also love that this is one of the few Four Act movies out there. I enjoy the artistry of this, but wish that it went a little bit further!
Mini Review: Hey, look, a four act structure movie! Those are quite rare but this one feels like it's cheating. I did not care for the first part of this but the rest of the acts were interesting. I didn't really like the minimalistic sets, but there is an artistry to it. The ending was really well done. 大丈夫でした Daijōbudeshita
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