Controversial Mishima Biopic Finally Premieres in Japan After 40-Year Delay

In a significant development, the upcoming 38th edition of the Tokyo International Film Festival has announced the inclusion of a retrospective screening of Paul Schrader's critically acclaimed literary biopic "Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters." This marks the film's effective premiere in Japan, which has been delayed for over four decades due to the controversy surrounding its subject matter.

Directed by Schrader less than a decade after he became a Hollywood name for scripting "Taxi Driver," the film was backed by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas' Zoetrope Pictures. Shot entirely in Japan with an all-Japanese cast, the movie vividly explores the life and ideas of the country's most controversial literary figure, Yukio Mishima. The film interweaves episodes from Mishima's life with stylized dramatizations of moments from his books, accompanied by a haunting Philip Glass score.

Despite its critical acclaim, the film faced a tumultuous reception in Japan upon its initial release. Mishima's standing in the country remained deeply conflicted, with the author revered in literary circles but also mythologized by the far-right as a martyr for imperial restoration. The film's frank depiction of Mishima's bisexual obsessions and radical political drive, as well as the involvement of foreign filmmakers, drew a boycott from Mishima's widow and incensed the ultra-right-wing political groups that continued to lionize him. Threats of violence led to the film's withdrawal from the Tokyo International Film Festival and a domestic release in Japan.

Now, over three decades later, the Tokyo Film Festival has decided to finally screen the film, coinciding with the 100-year anniversary of Mishima's birth in 1925. While the decision has been made, the organizers anticipate that promoting the screening may still be "difficult" due to the lingering political sensitivities surrounding the film.