Audience Member
The usual English title is from a line of dialogue when the character Yamitarō, having learned that Yukinojō proposes to take revenge on his enemies by elaborate plots rather than killing them at the first opportunity, says to himself "As you might expect of an actor's revenge, it's going to be a flamboyant performance" (Yakusha no katakiuchi dakeatte, kotta mon da: 役者の敵討ちだけあって、こったもんだ).
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/15/23
Full Review
William L
A combination that I never knew I wanted - 19th century kabuki theater, theatrical staging, vivid and well-designed cinematography, and a jazzy saxophone soundtrack. An Actor's Revenge brings together stunning visuals, unconventional use of sound and color, and traditional stage drama; melodramatic tones freely mix with a timeless 'double-edged revenge' storyline that feels like it emerged from a well-loved library. At times, the performances freely spill into 'over-the-top' territory, but that is part of Ichikawa's intent, blurring the line between film and theater, in this case letting the exuberant tones and bright colors of kabuki drip into drama. The film is entirely unique, and it's difficult to describe the particular brand of appeal it provides, but even those that will not enjoy the film's story will surely be impressed by the sheer degree of technical competence that went into its production. Taken alongside The Burmese Harp and Tokyo Olympiad, An Actor's Revenge demonstrates a fluidity and range for the director that few can claim to have matched; the most impressive thing about Ichikawa is not any one film that demonstrates his competence and vision, but the incredible diversity of his output and the consistent quality he puts into his films regardless of style or subject. (4/5)
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
04/04/21
Full Review
Audience Member
This film was solid.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/12/23
Full Review
S R
1001 movies to see before you die. A unique story to take on the actor cross dresser / hero and the old story. It had its unique filming and lighting, but the symbolism focused on was not always what I felt resonated. Regardless, it still is noteworthy. It was on Youtube.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
07/08/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A film without the crisis of drama, so little post-dramatic and this is not even considered as a problem.
"Actor's Revenge" only fails to extend times that do not collaborate for its construction, generating two underworlds. In the first we have the scenes of action and revenge in a world full of frenzy, in another, we have the oscillations of character, the questionings and a whole insertion of poetic images that take much of the film and give it a contemplative rhythm and consequently dragged, But both underworlds are linked by the precise performance of Yukinojo (Kazuo Hasegawa), who is divided between an actor specializing in women roles of the Kabuki Theater and who wishes to avenge the death of the parents. And as second character, a pickpocket, a thief.
Kon Ichikawa, a famous Japanese director, known for his meticulously perfectionist but commercially fruitless films, was commissioned to readjust the novel Otokichi Mikami, and consequently, along with his wife and frequent collaborator, screenwriter Natto Wada, transformed what would be a Banal melodrama in a delirious, highly stylized and idiosyncratic spectacle.
From the outset, Ichikawa's irreverent and sarcastic mood would set the infectiously playful but stylistically audacious and self-assured tone of the kitsch eccentric fusion of high-end art and pop culture.
"Actor's Revenge" is a stylistically daring and irreverent satire that seeks to reconcile the familiar and traditional elements of native culture with the modern vitality of Western influence in contemporary Japan. Recurring fragmentation of Ichikawa's images reflects the voyeuristic relationship between the spectator and the artist: obscure and prolonged battle scenes, witnessed by rooftops, seamless visual transitions between theatrical dramatization and stylized, "real life" episodes, the framing of Actors through doors or other visual occlusions that seem to underscore the intrusive view of the public. The old-fashioned script for the tragic melodrama (shimpa) popular early in Japanese cinema is infused with irony, social satire, and dual-minded visual subversives.
The eccentric fusion of traditional and modern Japanese art forms is exemplified by an eclectic soundtrack that combines traditional accompaniment of kabuki, folk music, jazz and avant-garde ambient sounds.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/28/23
Full Review
Audience Member
One of the 1001 Movies you must see before you die, this film is a remake of the same film with the same lead actor reprising his role from 30 years before. That alone intrigued me. Beyond that, it is the kind of film that would be interesting to actors and other people in theater, but that is not me, and what passed for a quirky, interesting use of inexpensive sets and costumes now seems a cliché. I can see how the film made it into the 1001 pantheon, though. 2 1/2 stars for me.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/04/23
Full Review
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