THE TEMPLE OF THE GOLDEN PAVILLION (KINKAKUJI)

Japan, 1976, 110 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Yoichi Takabayasha.

The Temple of the Golden Pavilion is a striking and beautifully coloured complex version of a story from a novel by Yukio Mishima. This film had been previously filmed by the celebrated director Kon Ichikawa under the title of Enjo (Conflagration) in the mid-50s. Mishima was a right-wing severe pro-Japanese militarist ideologist. He himself suicided in some kind of protest against Japan. Another of his novels was translated into an English setting and filmed by Lewis John Carlino as The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea. This is an nteresting parable about Japan and its transition from an old society with traditional values and manners to the experience of the war, the occupation by the G.I.s and its growing materialism. Mishima protests against this. It is also the parallel story of a maimed young man, very withdrawn, harmfully influenced by parents and friends and religion who might have come to maturity but fails.

1. The world of Yukio Mishima? His status in Japan, novels? His world view, view of society, order, morals, the individual within this, military rule? Themes of death, suicide?

2. How was this film a parable of Japanese society, especially during and after World War Two, the regrets of the loss of the military Japan, the defeat in the war, the decline after the war, the assimilation to American values during the Occupation, that Japan could be destroyed?

3, The film as a psychological study of a man? An inhibited man, a crippled man? A man who is betrayed by his mother, betrayed by religion, idealising woman in Ulko? A man who lost a woman and was forever losing her to become powerless and impotent? A religious man who saw himself as a cleanser?

4. The importance of the background of World War Two, the bombings, the threat to Kyoto and the temples? The transition to peace, the presence of the American G.I.s, the decline into Japanese materialism?

5. The title of the film, the focus on the temple itself, the way that it was visualised? Its eternal beauty and the comments by the hero's father? The temple and the small temple it contained (as the image of the temple within a man, the man within a universe?). The statues and the unseen eyes? The religious world of order, of work, of hierarchy, of ideals? The betrayal of the temple and religion, the need for a conflagration and an end by fire? The apocalyptic implications of this action?

6. The contribution of colour, beauty? The focus on particular colours and the coloured symbols? The colour of fire?

7. The conttibution of the score, the Japanese style music, more western touches? The music illustrating the dreams especially with the drums and the gongs?

8. The complexity of the structure and audience involvement, the hero's trip to the ocean, the atmosphere of death and the finding of the bugle? The flashback to his father and the temple? To the shrine and its fire? Within this the monochrome flashbacks, dreams, intercut images? The effect of these images and the understanding of the central character? The disintegration of some of the images indicating his mental disintegration?

9. His mother's recurring presence and her influencing him and pressurising him to be a priest? Her confronting him at the end? His memory of Ulko, her spurning his love, his seeing Ulko in the women that he encountered in the street, in the courtesans and geisha girls? His becoming more remote? The effect of his following Ulko and seeing her killed and the soldier die? The destruction of the feminine images for him? The background? A man of possibilities - or too maimed physically and psychologically to succeed?

10. His entering the monastery and acceptance by the priest, the detailed life at the monastery and the way that its order was presented, the daily chores etc.? Its survival during the war? Mizoguchi's training, his hopes for the future and becoming a priest?

11. His friendship with Tsurukawa? Their sharing so many of the same experiences, the ideals? Their training? Their watching life together eg. the sexual encounter with the geisha offering her milk etc.? Had he remained with Tsurukawa, could he have matured under his guidance?

12. Why did Mizoguchi change so much by the end of the war? His memories, training, the pressuee of his mother, the behaviour of the priest and his becoming worldly? The importance of the experience with the Geisha, his drunkenness, the Japanese woman and her wantonness, his stamping on her? and the way this was used in his memories as well as in the imagination of the priest? His not coping well with this, Tsurukawa's advice? The priest's choosing to ignore it because of the cigarettes?

13. The contrast with his new friend, Kashivagi? The fact that he was lame, his cynicism, the way that he was visualized and the way he walked? His story at the station about the old woman worshipping his lame leg and his sexual encounter? His setting up the girl for her compassion? The outing with the two girls and the build-up to the impotent sexual encounter for Mizoguchi? The influence of so many of the ideas of Kashimagi? The other sexual encounters and his continued impotence? Why did he ultimately succeed? His needs, yearnings, puritanical style background, his sensuality?

14. His becoming more and more remote? The priest and his concern yet his worldliness? The news of Tsurukawa's death and his visualising it? His being influenced cynically by his friend? The mother and her accusations? His continued reflection and living in his imagination, the memories of Ulko? The advice of so many people? His playing with the matches and his thinking aloud about burning the temple?

15. The importance of the presence of Ulko throughout the film? Her presence in memory, the visual style of his dreams and imagination? Her becoming a fantasy presence to him and her advice especially at the temple?

16. The build-up to the burning? His prayer and his localising what was wrong with Japan? His cutting the eye out of the statue? The burning of the temple and the conflagration? How liberating an effect on him?

17. The journey, the return to the beach, the bugle and what it signified, our finally seeing the bugle and the waves? What of Mizoguchl - what had he achieved?

18. A study of human nature, of a human being trying to cope with the world and its worldliness? An image of Japan?