Mishima

"Never in physical action had I discovered the chilling satisfaction of words. Never in words had I experienced the hot darkness of action. Somewhere there must be a higher principle which reconciles art and action. That principle, it occurred to me, was death." These words, written by Japanese author Yukio Mishima and spoken in a voice-over narration by Roy Scheider, eloquently state what writer-director Paul Schrader tried to convey in this ambitious, unique undertaking. Though MISHIMA contains much biographical material, it doesn't claim to be a definitive biography of the controversial writer. Instead, the film concentrates on Mishima's art, attempting to piece...