Synopsis
Playwright and novelist Yukio Mishima foreshadowed his own violent suicide with this ravishing short feature, his only foray into filmmaking, yet made with the expressiveness and confidence of a true cinema artist. All prints of Patriotism (Yûkoku), which depicts the seppuku of an army officer, were destroyed after Mishima’s death in 1970, though the negative was saved, and the film resurfaced thirty-five years later. New viewers will be stunned at the depth and clarity of Mishima’s vision, as well as his graphic depictions of sex and death. The film is presented here with a choice of Japanese or English intertitles.
Cast
| The lieutenant | Yukio Mishima |
| Reiko | Yoshiko Tsuruoka |
Credits
| Director | Yukio Mishima and Domoto Masaki |
| Screenplay | Yukio Mishima |
Disc Features
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer of the Japanese and English versions, with optional Japanese or English intertitles
- A 45-minute audio recording of Yukio Mishima speaking to the Foreign Correspondents’ Association of Japan
- A 45-minute making-of documentary, featuring crew from the film’s production
- Interview excerpts featuring Mishima discussing war and death
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: A new essay by renowned critic and historian Tony Rayns, Mishima’s original short story, and Mishima’s extensive notes on the film’s production
From the Current
Patriotism: The Word Made Flesh
by Jun 30, 2008Patriotism, or The Rite of Love and Death, poses an unusual question: what impels a novelist to make a film? Actually, few have ever done so . . .
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