Video and Soundtrack
Rather than being a step-by-step film in the traditional sense, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is more of a visual experiment that makes extensive use of stagecraft, interior sets and installations, and light and shadow effects. Beyond the densely packed lines and monologues, the textuality of the film is expanded and extended into camera movement, composition, and soundtrack.
The percussion scores for Acts 1 and 4 are just right:
The black and white images in the first act present a repressed childhood restricted by patriarchal tradition and old aristocratic temperament. Under the supervision of female elders, Yukio Mishima rarely interacts with his peers. His unfamiliarity with the social environment and the "femininity" ("femininity") mocked by his classmates gradually strengthened Mishima's inferiority complex. To a certain extent, it also affected Mishima's later strong appeal to protect the confidence and continuity of Japanese culture.
In the fourth act, the tight rhythm of the percussion on the one hand reflects the unease and tension of Mishima and other members of the Shield Society, and on the other hand, it also highlights the contradictory social psychology of post-war Japan (Anti-War, Shield at the University of Tokyo). the extreme right-wing nationalism of the Council, the garrison with low interest in restoring the authority of the emperor…).
The composition of the film places great emphasis on symmetry. Every time the character Mishima is featured, the character is often placed in the middle, and the continuity of symmetry is deliberately maintained when moving the camera, such as zooming in or out with the central axis; in addition, The switching between scenes is also as coherent and integrated as possible, making the film more enjoyable to watch, and the audience receiving image information more easily and comfortably.
It is worth pointing out that in the scene of the indoor installation, the film deliberately uses relatively small space and simple geometric figures to reflect the sense of space in Japanese (/East Asian) culture, not only the streets of Ukiyo-e, but also the sets of modern prisons. The walls are twists and turns, similar to the aesthetic habit of winding paths in classical gardens.
Symbols and imagery: eroticism, death aesthetics, cultural imperialism
Based on Mishima Yukio's life, the film's story line is interspersed with many Mishima's literary symbols. As one of the works that can best reflect Mishima's discussion and pursuit of the generalized aesthetics of death, "Kinkakuji Temple" directly appears in the first scene of the film, and continues to flash in the follow-up review of Mishima's growth process. As a symbol, "Kinkakuji Temple" represents the ultimate perfection, the highest degree of beauty; in Mishima's concept, its incomparably pure "beauty" will inevitably lead to its destruction - the beauty of death (or some The death of beauty) is the ultimate appeal of aesthetics. In addition, literary symbols such as masks, oceans, and sun are also directly mentioned or alluded to in images or texts. These symbols, which are very characteristic of Mishima's literary style, build a lyrical, long and sad tone of the film.
Lust is a part of Yukio Mishima's works that cannot be ignored, mainly reflected in his admiration for (especially male) physical fitness. For Mishima, bodybuilding and state-building are parallels: facing his peers, he has to overcome his inferiority complex about his unfit body; facing postwar Japan, he has to rebuild This spiritual ruin protects the independence of Japanese culture under Western influence. In this film, Mishima's different reactions in several scenes focusing on physical beauty show the initial inferiority and youthfulness, the pursuit of fitness and the aesthetic image of destruction/death.
Whether it is the establishment of the Shield Society or the final coup plan, what Yukio Mishima really supports is not the imperial system and militarism in the political sense, but the imperial system at the cultural level—that is, the protection of traditional Japanese culture from Western mainstream culture Marginalization and complete alienation, the legitimacy of maintaining the continuity of Japanese traditions - this directly shaped Yukio Mishima's political aspirations and creations that valued classical beauty.
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