News Schrader's 'Mishima' to finally premiere in Japan

"Mishima" was never officially banned from being shown in Japan, but there were verbal agreements that, for all intents and purposes, "unofficially" banned the film. To understand how that came about and why it is hard to untangle, it's important to understand the difficult circumstances under which Schrader made "Mishima." Mishima was a celebrated cultural figure and well-known for his right-wing ideology and reactionary politics. He was fervent in his belief that Japan had strayed from its traditional culture and politics after World War II, abandoning the sacredness of the Emperor as a result of falling under Western influence after losing the war. As Schrader portrayed in his film, these were beliefs Mishima was ultimately willing to die for in 1970, when he led four members of his personally trained militia onto a Tokyo military base, held its commandant hostage, and tried to inspire the soldiers at the garrison to rise and overthrow Japan's 1947 constitution. After his impassioned speech's inevitable failure, Mishima carried out his plan to commit seppuku at the garrison.

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After 40 years, the critically acclaimed film "Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters" finally got a screening in Japan, at the recent Tokyo International Film Festival. It had remained a mystery why the biographical film about writer Yukio Mishima (1925-1970) didn't see the light of day in his home country for decades after its release in 1985. Paul Schrader, the U.S. filmmaker who directed the film, said that was because Mishima was "a taboo subject" at the time of the film's release. Schrader is also known for writing the screenplay for the Academy Award-nominated "Taxi Driver."

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