Criticature: "Patriotism" ----8/21/10

You want me to put the sword where?!

 There’s not much by way of major spoilers so I’ll just tell you what this is about: after a failed military coup, an Imperial Japanese Army officer and his wife both kill themselves as per the dictates of ritual suicide. In other words: seppuku. That’s an almost unbelievably agonizing slice across the belly and—stamina willing—a final cross cut from the apex of the rib cage to the groin.

Now, I’m oft-conflicted about admiring a work such as Mishima’s. On the one hand, artistically, you can’t really argue with it. And though it’s short—running at almost half an hour—I’m compelled to laud the complexity which arises through that simplicity.

The starkness of the B/W adds a certain poetry that color photography just wouldn’t have had. The blood, which spills as black as night across the mat floors of the Officer’s home, takes on an otherworldly quality. And considering the amount of gore there is, you might find yourself surprised that this isn’t some kind of prototypical horror film (though in many ways it is, which brings me to my next point).

The movie itself should be seen as nothing more than a cultural artifact. An oddity. It might cater to a "simpler", more romantic bygone era of honor and such, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that behind the beautifully crafted death mask of 1945 lay a lecherous and violent military dictatorship. One that effectively ended the lives of millions across the Pacific Rim.

Mishima, a famed novelist, poet, essayist and political activist in post-war Japan, would actually kill himself in the same way years later after trying (and failing) to incite an insurrection among the JSDF in 1970. And if you learn a bit more about his philosophical bent, you’ll realize that praising him for making a film glorifying seppuku is about as sanctimonious and idiotic as patting a neo-Nazi on the back for having read “Mein Kampf”.

But alas, there is a saving grace. Its cultural perversion is, undeniably, a startling glimpse into the nether regions of the mind and it is certainly a safe bet that you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything this beautiful coming out of Hayden Lake. If you’re curious and historically-minded I suggest you check this out if you see it in the video collection at your local library.

****

Directed by:
Masaki Dômoto & Yukio Mishima

Written by:
Yukio Mishima

Producers:
Yukio Mishima
Hiroaki Fujii........................................................................executive producer

Cast:
Yukio Mishima....................................................................Shinji Takeyama
Yoshiko Tsuruoka...............................................................Reiko

Cinematography:
Kimio Watanabe