PARADISE THEATRE presents AN ACTOR'S REVENGE (1963)

THE PARADISE PRESENTS: "All the World's a Stage!" Eight films about the players...

About this event

" All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts..." -William Shakespeare

This June at the Paradise Theatre, we are celebrating the theatre itself! Join us as we journey through centuries' worth of theatrical traditions from across the globe with eight unique films that observe the hallowed art of performance. Our next stop is Japanese auteur Kon Ichikawa's take on the classic dramatic revenge tale, set in the world of Kabuki theatre. Join us for AN ACTOR'S REVENGE!

A uniquely prolific and chameleonic figure of world cinema, Kon Ichikawa delivered a burst of stylistic bravado with this intricate tale of betrayal and retribution. Set in the cloistered world of nineteenth-century kabuki theater, the film charts a female impersonator’s attempts to avenge the deaths of his parents, who were driven to insanity and suicide by a trio of corrupt men. Ichikawa takes the conventions of melodrama and turns them on their head, bringing the hero’s fractured psyche to life in boldly experimental widescreen compositions infused with kaleidoscopic color, pop-art influences, and meticulous choreography. Anchored by a magnificently androgynous performance by Kazuo Hasegawa, reprising a role he had played on-screen three decades earlier, An Actor’s Revenge is an eye-popping examination of how the illusions of art intersect with life.

(Courtesy of Janus Films)

Monday June 6, 8:30 PM/Doors 8:15 PM