DVD reviews
Waiting For Forever
The film falters, with too many stories to follow all at once...
The Entitled
...twisted and paints a scary picture of modern American youth.
The Orator
...watchable and even enlightening...
The Dead
...impressively original...
search the site
newsletter
Enter your email address below to receive the weekly Filmink newsletter
An Actor's Revenge (DVD)
Year: 1963
Rating: M
Director: Kon Ichikawa
Cast: Kazuo Hasegawa, Ayako Wakao, Fujiko Yamamoto
Release Date: July 14, 2010
Distributor: Madman
The Film: 5.0
FILMINK rates DVDs and Blu-rays out of 5A dizzying array of techniques and styles, this Japanese film from the early sixties is truly fascinating.
In this truly great Japanese film from the early sixties, an actor plots to avenge the death of his family. He does this by bringing into play both his skills as an actor and his "star" persona; he uses his fame and charisma to manipulate, seduce and finally, destroy. Thus the title of Kon Ichikawa's original and ingenious masterwork is a play on words (this plot is very much then an actor's revenge!) It's said that great performers are very good at recognising vulnerability; they charm because they're adept at being who you want them to be. The style here seems to take off from this idea; Ichikawa brings into service a dizzying array of techniques and traditions. The result is that An Actor's Revenge is many things at once: a kabuki show, a cartoon, a tribute to silent cinema, and a celebration of cinematic skill, with dazzling editing and sound.
Still, the film is perhaps most famous for the performance of legendary Japanese star Kazuo Hasegawa, who plays both Yukinojo, the female impersonator seeking vengeance, and Yomitaro, the thief who conspires to help him. 52-years-old at the time, Hasegawa had played the role decades earlier at age 27 in the more obscure original version, called The Revenge Of Yukinojo.