Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
“On November 25, 1970, Japan's most celebrated writer, Yukio Mishima, shocked the world.”
Synopsis
A fictional account of the life of Japanese author Yukio Mishima, combining dramatizations of three of his novels and a depiction of the events of November 25th, 1970.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
AFS Presents: Mishima A Life in Four ChaptersOfficial
Type: Trailer • Published 2015-05-08
Top Cast
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Ken Ogata
Yukio Mishima
Masayuki Shionoya
Morita
Hiroshi Mikami
Cadet #1
Junya Fukuda
Cadet #2
Yuu Tokui
Cadet #3
Junkichi Orimoto
General Mashita
Naoko Ohtani
Mother
Go Riju
Mishima, Age 18-19
Masato Aizawa
Mishima, Age 9-14
Yuki Nagahara
Mishima, Age 5
Kyuzo Kobayashi
Literary Friend
Yuki Kitazume
Dancing Friend
Haruko Katō
Grandmother
Bandō Mitsugorō X
Mizoguchi
Hisako Manda
Mariko
Naomi Oki
First Girl
Miki Takakura
Second Girl
Imari Tsuji
Madame
Release History & Theatrical Window
Toronto International Film Festival
Festival / Special Debut
September 20, 1985
Wide Cinema Exhibition
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$5M
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$503K
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
0.1x
-$4.5M deficit
Theatrical Status
Budget Return
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Paul Schrader
- Screenplay & Story
- Jun Shiragi, Chieko Schrader
- Original Score
- Philip Glass
- Original Title
- Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
- Country of Origin
- Japan, United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- English, Japanese
- Runtime
- 2h 1m
- Production Budget
- $5M
- Worldwide Gross
- $503K
- Production Studios
- Lucasfilm Ltd., American Zoetrope, Filmlink International
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Paul Schrader
Jun Shiragi, Chieko Schrader, Paul Schrader, Yukio Mishima, Leonard Schrader
Philip Glass
John Bailey
Michael Chandler, Tomoyo Oshima
Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Tom Luddy, Mataichirô Yamamoto
Department Leadership Roster
Paul Schrader
Director
Paul Schrader
Writer
Leonard Schrader
Writer
Tom Luddy
Producer
Philip Glass
Original Music Composer
John Bailey
Director of Photography
Chieko Schrader
Writer
Michael Chandler
Editor
Tomoyo Oshima
Editor
Eiko Ishioka
Production Design
Eiko Ishioka
Costume Design
Etsuko Yagyu
Costume Design
Mataichirô Yamamoto
Producer
Jun Shiragi
Screenplay
Chieko Schrader
Screenplay
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
R: Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
International Certification Matrix
Mature — Recommended for viewers 15 and older.
FSK 16 — Restricted to viewers aged 16 and older.
Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters.
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (All editions 2003-2024). A cumulative list including films subsequently removed in later editions. Totaling 1,260 films as of Nov 2024. 《1001部死前必看的电影》（2003-2024 全版本累积版）： 包含自2003年首版至2024年11月德语版修订的所有影片。即使在后期版本中被剔除的电影也予以保留。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#019] Lovers Rock (2020) • [#418] Dekalog (1989) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:40:36 UTC+8)*
Roger Ebert's Great Movies
Every film from Roger Ebert's 'Great Movies' essays. 罗杰·伊伯特的伟大电影： 收录了已故美国著名国民级影评人罗杰·伊伯特（Roger Ebert）在其经典的《伟大电影》（Great Movies）系列专栏文章中推荐、评论过的所有影史经典佳作。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#092] Dekalog (1989) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:39:08 UTC+8)*
Letterboxd's Top 500 Films
Letterboxd's Top 500 Films. Ranks narrative feature films by average member rating (minimum 25,000 ratings). Excludes documentaries, shorts, and TV series. Letterboxd 官方 Top 500 电影榜单： 根据用户平均评分排名的剧情长片（最低2.5万评价门槛）。已排除纪录片、短片及剧集。 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:35:27 UTC+8)*
Limelight Not Seen
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Criterion Collection
The Complete Criterion Collection. The Criterion Collection is a video distribution company that sells 'important classic and contemporary films' in editions that offer the highest technical quality. This list contains only the featured films released on DVD, BluRay and 4K Criterion releases — no supplements are included. Organized by spine number with the newest releases first. CC标准收藏完整收录版： 收录标准收藏（Criterion Collection）发行的重要经典及当代电影。仅包含正片（涵盖 DVD、蓝光及 4K 版本），已排除花絮补充内容。按 CC 发行编号倒序排列（最新发行在前）。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#214] Mangrove (2020) • [#215] Lovers Rock (2020) • [#216] Red, White and Blue (2020) • [#217] Alex Wheatle (2020) • [#486] Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day (1972) • [#647] Dekalog (1989) • [#944] World on a Wire (1973) • [#1187] Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) • [#1338] Fanny and Alexander (1984) • [#1341] Tanner '88 (1988) • [#1371] Scenes from a Marriage (1973) *注：以下影片因 TMDB 尚未收录，暂不在此片单中展示：* • [#531] First (2012) • [#1699] Ulysse (1983) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-11 07:39:08 UTC+8)*
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Frequently Asked Questions About Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters about?
A fictional account of the life of Japanese author Yukio Mishima, combining dramatizations of three of his novels and a depiction of the events of November 25th, 1970.
Who directed Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters?
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters was directed by Paul Schrader.
Who stars in Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters?
The principal cast of Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters includes Ken Ogata, Masayuki Shionoya, Hiroshi Mikami, Junya Fukuda, Yuu Tokui.
When was Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters released and how long is it?
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters was released in 1985 with a total runtime of 2h 1m.
What was the box office and production budget of Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters?
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters had a reported production budget of $5M and grossed $503K at the worldwide box office (0.1 return on budget, classified as a underperformed).
Who composed the musical score for Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters?
The original motion picture soundtrack for Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters was composed by Philip Glass.
Is Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters based on a book or true story?
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is adapted from the following source material: Novel: "Yukio Mishima".
What is the age rating and content advisory for Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters?
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters holds official age classifications: AU: M (Mature — Recommended for viewers 15 and older.); DE: 16 (FSK 16 — Restricted to viewers aged 16 and older.); FR: TP; US: R (Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.).