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
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Scottie Ferguson
22Mar13
You can try to change your identity, but you'll only end up losing your grip on reality and your sense of who you are. A bizarre, thought-provoking masterpiece.
Scorpio Velvet and AxelUmog like this
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Scottie Ferguson
23Mar13
I've heard great things about Woman in the Dunes, gotta see that one. And Eyes Without a Face seems right up my alley :)
TFCHooligan69
19Mar13
I am in the process of reading Kobo Abe's classic novel. A special one-time screening of Teshigahara's film adaption proved to be quite an experience. This is a very stunning and thought provoking piece of work. Disturbing to a degree.
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A Brave attempt
By Rohit 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
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Simultaneous Watching & Analysis Week 11: Teshigahara’s The Face of Another
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Teshigahara's The Face of Another screening in NYC
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