Really underrated movie...is it just me?

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Is it just me or is Paul Schrader's "Mishima" incredibly underrated? The first time I saw it, it blew me away, and still to this day it continues to fascinate me. I think it is one of the best movies of the 80's, but I don't ever really hear much about it. Any one agree with me on this?

― Anthony F, Friday, 30 May 2003 02:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Totally. This is my favorite film by Schrader, and to a certain extent I prefer it to a majority of Scorcese's work. Not only does Schrader, along with the beautiful work of his cinematographer whose name escapes me at the moment (Baily?) find visually inventive ways to express the themes of Mishima's art and life but the structure of the screenplay places it miles above most Hollywood bio-pics in my mind. The thematic chapter breakdown, along with the various cinematic styles to represent different aspects and times in Mishima's life provides a nice balance of detachment from the subject while not being too coldly intellectual.
The film is also an exellent introduction to Mishima's writings, which are worth checking if not only to find out that Schrader and his collaborators quite nicely nailed the adaptations.

― theodore fogelsanger, Friday, 30 May 2003 19:22 (twenty-two years ago)

It's underrated, but that last sequence is way too full of shit macho suicidal whatnot. Frankly, I would have prefered the interpretations of Mishima's work (which is frighteningly beautiful) minus the biopic stuff.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 31 May 2003 17:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Schrader's Top Ten list from a recent Time Out poll:

01. La Regle du Jeu
02. Pickpocket
03. Tokyo Story
04. Citizen Kane
05. The Conformist
06. My Darling Clementine
07. The Lady Eve
08. Vertigo
09. Masculin-Feminin
10. Mishima

― amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 4 June 2003 19:19 (twenty-two years ago)

How... modest.

― Sommermute (Wintermute), Wednesday, 4 June 2003 19:56 (twenty-two years ago)

this is a great film. there's something really disturbing about the way he filmed the segments based on Mishima's books. I love the idea of biopics being filmed in different styles to complement the different aspects of the subjects life. DePalma was gonna do a Howard Hughes film using the cinematic styles of the different eras that hughes lived through -- woulda been interesting -- alas it never happened.

That Tim Out list is hilarious. it shows Schrader has a sense of humor. Maybe.

"that last sequence is way too full of shit macho suicidal whatnot". uhm... considering that's what happened and Mishima was a deluded quasi fascist with a military fixation, I don't think the scene is off base at all -- and to see him trying to adress those soldiers from the roof top, and they can't hear him, causing his fragile imaginary world to crumble around him is pretty powerful stuff.

― PVC (peeveecee), Wednesday, 4 June 2003 21:04 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't think Schrader felt Mishima was deluded, which is why I find the scene off base.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 4 June 2003 23:50 (twenty-two years ago)

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