Every so often one pops in a DVD into a player and gets a hell of a nice surprise via the images that start pouring out from the boob tube. Such was the case when I decided to watch a film of Hiroshi Teshigahara's, from a trilogy pack, released by The Criterion Collection, a few years ago. I had seen the collection at a good price, so bought it, knowing that some time in the future, when looking for a film to watch, I would come across the three disk set and be taken. Well, I was right. The film of his I chose as my initial foray was his third film, 1966's 124 minute long The Face Of Another (Tanin No Kao or ,). It's a terrific film about reality, the self, ego, identity, duplication, and a few other classic themes in psychology, and one that just misses greatness because of a few minor flaws: a bit too show-offy and obvious in terms of its psychology and symbolism, a failed side story, and a few moments where the narrative fell into predictability. But, these flaws are only enough to keep it from flat-out greatness. Otherwise, the film is intelligent, well-written, well-acted, and brilliantly directed.The film was based on a novel of the same title by Kobo Abe. Abe and Teshigahara were partners on four films in the 1960s that were, to Japanese cinema, what the French New Wave was to European cinema. The film is a mélange of cinematic daring and brilliance, yet oddly contained in the older full frame aspect ratio and shot in black and white. This only emphasizes the innovation within the classic framework.

What Bergman was doing for the Sweden (and the Northern Europe) of the sixties, Teshigahara, Kobayashi and Imamura were doing for Japanese society. _The Face of Another_ is one of the finest examples of this school, now overshadowed in popularity by the work of Kurosawa, which it splendidly complements.The film is a philosophical, contemporary and surprisingly lasting reflection on an old theme: that of the double. The originality of the Abe screenplay (and novel) lies in the fact that this is a self-double, a device that adds an exotic as well as an erotic dimension to what is a personal psychological drama rooted in a Japan that was trying to put on a new face, metaphorically speaking, trying on this and that, in an attempt to be something. That the attempt looks desperate on film only reaffirms the message: a lonely crowd in a crowded place and a lonely man in a lonely crowd. Thus, the film is a cold shower, even chilling at times.A special word for Japanese starts Tatsuya Nakadai and Machiko Kyo (both still with us), accompanied by a splendid cast. The black and white photography is magnificent and the subtle soundtrack punctuates rather than underline.In summary, this film is mandatory viewing for anyone interested in Japanese film, and particularly for those interested in the sociology of postwar Japan and of the developed world generally. It is an excellent companion film to David Riesman's classic study _The Lonely Crowd_. I can think of no better introduction to master artist Teshigahara.It is a great pleasure to have this pristine DVD of a forgotten masterpiece.

A brutal commentary on self-image and the way that appearances can change the attitude and ideals of a person that is one of the best films I've ever seen. The way that Okuyama changes throughout the film is incredible. He starts off as a brutally wounded man, who is afraid to go out in public due to his horrible disfigurement. He realizes how important looks are and all he wants is a new face so that he can blend back into society and be with his wife again. There's no desire to be attractive or important, he just wants to be normal. But once he gets his new face, his attractive appearance turns him into a completely different man. He buys flashy clothes and walks around with an attitude of superiority and importance in a world where he is really just a stranger. The film does a remarkable job of showing just how important appearance truly is, even if you think you can look beyond it. This is shown through Okuyama's wife, who pretends like she loves him even though he is horribly disfigured, but she ends up refusing his sexual advances due to it. Teshigahara uses bleak tones and minimalist sets as a way to show the isolation that society creates do to it's one-dimensional view of forming opinions on people merely due to appearance. These settings also do a great job of focusing the viewer on the characters instead of flashy visuals and elaborate sets.I thought that the Psychiatrist was also a very complex character as he becomes more and more interested in his experiment with Okuyama's new face and less interested in Okuyama himself. He becomes greedy and selfish in his desire to mass produce the masks, but Okuyama's greed compels him to reject the Psychiatrist's wishes and look out merely for himself. This greed makes him a very dangerous man who is hanging on the edge of a breakdown through most of the film, until an encounter with his wife finally sets him off. It's the Psychiatrist's greed, though, that ends up being the true horror of the film. Okuyama realizes the dangerous monster that this mask has turned him into, and does the only thing he can think of to stop him from harming the world. It's the Psychiatrist's greed, though, that unleashes the beast of Okuyama into the world which leads to the abrupt and shattering finale. The paradox of a physical monster versus a psychological monster is absolutely sensational. In the beginning he is deformed on the outside, but as he becomes normal and beautiful on the outside, he ends up being a terrible monster internally. There is only one thing that I can really complain about, and that is the entire story of the "Facially scarred young woman". All of her scenes felt really out of place and added nothing to the fantastic commentary and intelligence of the plot. Everything with her was just unnecessary, but this was just a mere chink in the grand masterpiece that the film embodies as a whole.

Disturbing portrait of a disfigured man graveling in self-loathing at the circumstances presented to him wearing bandages covering his face severely burned after a disastrous fire. Mr. Okuyama(the great Kurosawa regular Tatsuya Nakadai)is a client of psychiatrist(Mikijiro Hira)who offers the troubled man a chance at a new face thanks to an elastic procedure used from the mold of another's facial features. Okuyama is a melancholic pity-party who dwells on his unfortunate condition to the point where he polarizes everyone around him. When he experiences what it's like to have a human face replacing the monster everyone was rejecting(the film shows the creeped-out expressions of others at the sight of Okuyama in bandages), Okuyama "allows the mask to take over" as his doctor begins to worry about how this new found freedom will effect his patient psychologically. Okuyama makes it clear to his doctor that he keeps the mask on as a way of attempting to unmask his wife's betrayal. There's this running commentary that has Okuyama constantly berating his wife feeling she'll leave him for someone who still has their looks..their face. His scathing views on her every move clearly shows the wear any wife might have trouble enduring. As the new man, Okuyama will set out to seduce his wife seeing if she'll in fact betray him. Meanwhile, a scarred beauty(Miki Irie)who hides that bad side with her hair tries desperately to provoke response from her brother who seems uncomfortable with much interaction. A hint of an incestuous relationship between these two is at the forefront of their story as she, much the same way as Okuyama, is quite self-conscious of the scar that labels her a monster.Boy, there are those certain few films that completely overwhelm me. I just can't shake this powerful work of film-making from director Hiroshi Teshigahara regarding the masks we all wear and how, if given a chance, we might react when given an opportunity to experience another life separated from the one we currently live. It takes a deep, penetrating look at identity as well according to how we as a public respond towards others who are burdened with imperfection that shows outwardly. I felt it also looks at the scars inwardly..no matter how attractive the mask might appear outwardly, if the soul is scarred then the person will still be ugly. So many themes, though, such as trust(Okuyama's mistrust in his spouse, played by Machiko Kyô, who appeared in such classics as "Rashômon", "Ugetsu" & "Floating Weeds")and dissatisfaction with your existence in this world are touched on. Extremely well acted with thought-provoking, intelligent, rich dialogue that remain with you after the film's haunting ending. The mask make-up work, and how the procedure is played out, is astounding.