Revenge of a Kabuki Actor - Dv

This is the ultimate Japanese film...one that was intended to be enjoyed in the unique culture for which it was made. Ostensibly the story is about a Kabuki actor (who plays female roles) who notices his enemies in his audience. Enraged, he contrives a complicated revenge against those who ruined his family decades before. But the manner in which the film is performed is a huge Kabuki play - part stage and part natural world.

On many levels this is an exceptionally stunning color movie...one that influenced even recent films such as "Memoirs of a Geisha." Sometimes, the director focuses his scene with a background of just one intense color - perhaps scarlet red or sky blue or sun yellow. In other frames, the emphasis is on the glorious fabrics worn by the Japanese characters in this period drama of the first decades of the 1800's. The film switches from elaborate stage to the ordinary world effortlessly.

Nevertheless, one should "never" underestimate the humanism of director Kon Ichikawa, a man who is unafraid to challenge traditional Japanese values. For example,a great many films of Japan deal with the duty of an individual to right an injustice against his family, his lover, or his clan. This is understood as the bushido way. But this director is unafraid to rethink these values. In his celebrated movie "The Burmese Harp", Ichikawa adopts the point of view that the Japanese were correct to surrender in 1945 rather than waste - for no good reason - the lives of exhausted Japanese soldiers who had no chance to win the war, let alone a single battle.

In this film, the director ends the film on an ambiguous note - that the revenge was probably wrong ... because the Kabuki player harms an innocent in order to carry out his elaborate scheme to drive his victims to madness and despair. At the very end, we do not even know the whereabouts of the main actor. Perhaps he has joined a far away Kabuki troupe or perhaps he has isolated himself into a Buddhist monastery.

If you are looking for a film that is rich poetry, this is a very good choice to make. Highly recommended.

The theatricality of Kabuki is always prevalent in Japanese film. Sometimes it is overt, as in the Kabuki-play adaptation Ashura. Sometimes it isn't so obvious, as in the Kabuki-trained movements of Inou Rie as Sadako in Ring. But it is always there.

"Revenge of a Kabuki Actor" (Original title "Yukinojo Henge" or "Yukinojo's Transformation") clearly draws from this traditional Japanese theater explicitly. Not only does the story revolve around a Kabuki actor, an onnagata meaning a male who plays female roles, but also the imagery and style are also heavily Kabuki-influence. Some might still have a hard time with the subject matter. Hasegawa was much younger when he originated the role, and it might be difficult to see why a young and beautiful girl would fall for a 55-year old "drag queen", but that is historically accurate. The onnagata, thought to be the perfect blend of male and female, were often the target of young women's affection.

On top of that, "Revenge of a Kabuki Actor" is actually a re-make of an older 1935 film. This version was created as a celebration of the 300th movie of legendary actor Hasegawa Kazuo. Hasegawa, recipient of the Shiju-hosho, or "Medal of Honor with the Purple Ribbon" that is the highest honor the Japanese government can bestow upon one of its citizens, began as a Kabuki actor. Transferring to films, he played the dual-roles of Yukinojo and the bandit Yamitaro in the original "Yukinojo Henge", which proved popular enough to spawn several sequels. As a tribute to him, Ichikawa directed Hasegawa in this re-make of one of his most famous films.

Fortunately, your guide through this world is grandmaster Ichikawa Kon, one of the "Four Knights" of Japanese cinema, along with Kurosawa Akira, Kobayashi Masaki and Kinoshiita Keisuke. In the hands of a less-competent director, this much history and tradition packed into a film might prove too much of a barrier to viewers not steeped in the subjects. However, as shown in his classic documentary Tokyo Olympiad and war film Burmese Harp, Ichikawa can pull the human element out of almost anything.

Working with Hasegawa, Ichikawa weaves a multi-layered and complex story of a cloth so beautiful it is heart-breaking. He works with traditional Japanese imagery and colors, coming away with a moving painting. This is a true work of art. Ichikawa also puts his imprint on the story. I wouldn't want to give too much away, but the ending is classic, and perfect.

I saw this film in the early 90's on VHS and have been waiting for a very long time for it to be released on DVD. Visually, it is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. Every shot is like a beautiful painting with colors so intense that you won't believe your eyes. Even though the film was made in 1963, it is surprising how today's films with all their computer generated bells and whistles, cannot match this film's cinematographic brilliance.

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