An Actor’s Revenge

Kon Ichikawa’s 1963 remake of a 1930s melodrama reinvigorates a creaky old revenge tale using an almost experimental approach. An Actor’s Revenge was produced to celebrate the 300th film of actor Kazuo Hasegawa, who not only starred in the original production, but also plays the same two roles here: kabuki star Yuki, a revered onnagata (a female impersonator) in an acclaimed Osaka kabuki troupe, and the thief Yamitaro. Yuki has come to Edo (Tokyo) to take revenge on the three men--now rich and powerful--who drove his parents to suicide. His fame grants him access to their world, where--being constantly in character offstage as well as onstage--he is able to manipulate them even as they attempt to woo him (men and women both fall for Yuki). Thieves, food riots, seduction, and innocents are all part of the fallout. Although set in the 1830s, Ichikawa directs with a dynamic, highly stylized approach, melding theatrical performances and expressionistic images with a script that leaps forward with rapid-fire exposition and breakneck momentum. It can be hard to follow the intricacies of the plot but Ichikawa puts the characters in the foreground and he films entirely in the studio to create distinctive images that sometimes seem to be playing out on a stylized kabuki stage and at other times in a heightened cinematic space, all set to an eclectic modern score. An Actor’s Revenge is gorgeous, compelling, and constantly surprising. Ichikawa never made another film like it. Extras include a 1999 interview with the director and a new interview with film historian Tony Rayns. Highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)