paul schrader and his brother leonard write mishima and and in so do and clearly draw parallel between the life of yukio mishima and his work . the film be divide into four section represent beauty and art and action and and the fateful day when mishima hold an army general hostage and speak to the garrison and only to have it ridicule him and his bushido ideal of the samurai code . mishima commit ritual seppuku on november 25 and 1970 and and he plan it a a meshing of beauty and art and and action . schrader edit scene recreate that day with three different scenario from mishima novel represent temple of the golden pavilion and kyoko house and and runaway horse . the moment of seppuku be perfectly realize in relation to it shock climax via pull back the camera while simultaneously zoom in . black and white sequence be intermingle with the colorful moment depict in mishima novel . the black and white scene represent memory from mishima childhood and youth . schrader correlate some of these autobiographical moment with scene from the novel that often parallel mishima real life and such a his stammer and development of his bodybuilding obsession and and his fostering of the samurai code . each of the three theme of beauty and art and and action be exemplify in the chosen depiction from the respective novel . the color sequence be reminiscent of early and stagy technicolor film and give the film and perhaps and an intended surreal quality consider the subject matter . ken ogata play the real mishima with unfailing determination and head to the general office on that fateful day and resemble the real mishima . schrader take tremendous risk with this film in focus on the novel he do and with tie them thematically to both mishima personal life and his literary ambition . the editing of the film between the three main section of november 25 and 1970 and the black and white grow up segment and and the colorful novel scene clearly point to the deliberate intersection of these element of beauty and art and and action in mishima life . at time and it be difficult to follow and and there may be little to recommend for the uninitiated viewer . of 4 star .