Actualités

Stars: Ken Ogata, Masayuki Shionoya, Junkichi Orimoto, Naoko Ôtani, Masato Aizawa, Gô Rijû | Written by Paul Schrader, Leonard Schrader, Chieko Schrader | Directed by Paul Schrader

Lucasfilm isn’t just about lightsabers, high fantasy and hunky archaeologists, you know. Occasionally it has produced films like this one: Paul Schrader’s truly original biopic about the Japanese author Yukio Mishima (real name Kimitake Hiraoka), a right-wing artist who spearheaded the infamous “Mishima Incident” in 1970. Despite winning awards for production design, cinematography and music (Philip Glass’s theme is instantly recognisable) at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival, the film has never been released in Japan.

“Words are insufficient,” Mishima (Ken Ogata) laments early on. He’s seeking a new form of expression. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is a portrait of a frustrated artist, so it’s easy to see why Schrader – the man who wrote Taxi Driver over a fevered fortnight – would be attracted to the story.

Howl’S Moving Castle (Studio Ghibli)

Stars: (Japanese) Chieko Baisho, Takuya Kimura, Akihiro Miwa, Tatsuya Gashuin, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Haruko Kato. (English) Emily Mortimer, Christian Bale, Jean Simmons, Lauren Bacall, Billy Crystal, Josh Hutcherson, Blythe Danner | Written by Diana Wynne Jones & Hayao Miyazaki | Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

“From the creators of Spirited Away and Ponyo and available for the first time on Blu-ray in stunning high-definition comes the masterpiece Howl’S Moving Castle. Directed by the Oscar®-winning Hayao Miyazaki, Howl’S Moving Castle is set in a magical world of wizardry and spells. Follow the adventures of Sophie and her incredible odyssey to lift a witch’s curse, whilst being swept off her feet by the handsome and mysterious wizard Howl who offers Sophie refuge in his magical moving castle. Based on the popular book by British author Diana Wynne Jones. The English language version features the voices of Jean Simmons,...