the only pure life and be one that end with a signature in blood . so say mishima anyway and a young shelter boy who become a celebrity author . the life of one of japan most celebrated literary voice and be tell from three perspective and his life just before he and four member of his private army take over a japanese military base and commit ritual suicide ( show in color ) and flashback ( show in black and white ) and and scene from his novel ( show in a kind of dreamy technicolor set design somewhere between traditional noh theater and the wizard of oz . these story be often tell at the same time and but be edit to reinforce and the slow fusing of mishima life with his fiction and until the end ( or the beginning ) when like the ancient samurai he so admire and he will be at a balance of pen and sword ( when his word and action be the same and and he be a full and pure be ) . paul schrader write the screen play for taxi driver and and direct cat people ( a bizarre erotic horror film and which leave strange impression on me a a boy ) and and in mishima and he come close to make a really excellent film . whats interest be to watch the poet and the homosexual and the shy and awkward man with a low body image who overstate his tuberculosis to get of of ww2 ( of which he seem forever ashamed ) and become a body building and samurai obsess and a sexual and medium phenomenon and all the while still write prolific amount of novel and play and and short story . a short and sweet version be to say mishima have no father and and becomes obsess with masculinity and beauty and sex and self destruction and in some tragic attempt to feel connect to something big than himself and that he be always miss . watch him with his fellow suicidal cadet and you see him happy and deliver his big paternal speech and give order and and love the control . until the speech itself and the point where pen and sword meet . of course and this ignore the subtlety of the story tell craft here which make this transformation so natural and remarkable . though the story and fascinating at time and really isn not this movie great success . the cinematography and performance and edit and music ( by philip glass ) and and set design and be really what make this worth see and and more than a traditional bio pic . one day i will pick and up a mishima book and he do seem to have an ear for prose and and for stag idea and but for now i be satisfy with the film . those interested in japanese literature and and post war culture and should check out . fan of inventive combination of fact and fiction and should enjoy as well .