The Face of Another
Tanin no kao
Japan
1966
124 Min
Black and White
1.33:1
Japanese
Synopsis
A staggering work of existential science fiction, The Face of Another dissects identity with the sure hand of a surgeon. Okuyama (_Yojimbo_’s Tatsuya Nakadai), after being burned and disfigured in an industrial accident and estranged from his family and friends, agrees to his psychiatrist’s radical new experiment: a face transplant, created from the mold of a stranger. As Okuyama is thus further alienated from the strange world around him, he finds himself giving in to his darker temptations. With unforgettable imagery, Teshigahara’s film explores both the limits and freedom in acquiring a new persona, and questions the notion of individuality itself. —The Criterion Collection
Director
Hiroshi Teshigahara
Hiroshi Teshigahara (勅使河原 宏, Teshigahara Hiroshi?, January 28, 1927 – April 14, 2001) was an avant-garde Japanese filmmaker.
He was born in Tokyo, son of Sofu Teshigahara, founder and grand master of the the Sogetsu School of ikebana. He graduated in 1950 from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and directed his first film, Pitfall (1962), in collaboration with author Kōbō Abe and musician Tōru Takemitsu. The film won the NHK New Director’s award, and throughout the 1960s, he continued to collaborate on films with Abe and Takemitsu while simultaneously pursuing his interest in ikebana and sculpture on a professional level.
In 1965, the Teshigahara/Abe film Woman in the Dunes (1964) was nominated for an Academy Award and won the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1972, he worked with Japanese researcher and translator John Nathan to make the movie Summer Soldiers, a film set during the Vietnam War about American deserters living on the fringe… read more
Wall
Displaying 4 of 18 wall posts.
Franklinton Underground Cinema
9Nov11
Interesting that this was released the same year as Bergman's "Persona" - the only other film that I could think of that reaches so deeply into the psychology of existentialism.
Mr. Arkadin
2Nov11
The third in his collaboration with Japanese novelist Kobe Abe, Face of Another was apparently met with lukewarm regard (at best) at the time of its release. Repeat viewings reveal it instead to be his most startling, experimental, technically impressive film. Utterly modern, as well as utterly Japanese. Taboo-busting “existential science fiction."
Alexandre Ovídio
26Oct11
Nunca tinha visto um filme de nouvelle vague japonês, com as suas narrativas entrecruzadas e fragmentadas mostradas com movimentos de câmara, fotografia e direcção de arte excepcionais. A premissa fantástica em que assenta o filme leva-o para terrenos desconcertantes, entre o horror psicológico e o tratado sobre os monstros que se escondem mais no interior que no exterior dos homens.
Related Films
Fans
Displaying 5 of 485 fans.
Lists
Displaying 5 of 143 lists.
Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1
A Brave attempt
By Rohit Apte on November 21, 2010
The movie gave me an impression that too many ideas were being crammed into the two hours and somehow the movie lost its charm towards the end. But nevertheless, the movie has its merits and maybe… read review
Forum
Displaying
2 discussion topics.
Simultaneous Watching & Analysis Week 11: Teshigahara’s The Face of Another
29 posts by 12 people
over 1 year ago
Teshigahara's The Face of Another screening in NYC
1 post by 1 person
about 2 years ago
DVD
Buy the DVD from The Criterion Collection.
