A Kabuki Actor's Revenge

The classic 1963 Japanese film An Actor’s Revenge directed by Kon Ichikawa follows the journey of a Kabuki actor, Yukinojo, who attempts to avenge his parents’ deaths. In the opening scene, we see him performing in Edo while having a watchful eye on his enemies: the merchants who ruined his father’s business. Throughout the performance, we hear his internal thoughts in a voiceover that clearly sets the dark mood of the film. In that moment, we clearly understand see his feelings of vengeance and hate towards those high status and powerful citizens. The film proceeds to follow Yukinojo as he tracks down the three merchants to ultimately attack and impose on their lives until their destruction. Despite his burning desire for hatred, Yukinojo insists on long term scheming as a method of attack rather than killing at the first opportunity possible. The film also presents a twist of romance to deepen the melodramatic element when one of the merchant’s daughters confesses her love to Yukinoj and he convinces her that he is on board.  By the end of the movie, he retires from the stage and withdraws to living his life in isolation where everyone eventually forgets about him. As expected of an actor, Yukinojo’s performance on and off stage is noticeably flamboyant enough to contribute to the melodrama genre.

            One of the interesting concepts that interested me while watching this film was the idea of a Kabuki actor. Yukinojo, who played a Kabuki actor, was widely known for his acting and talents in the film. Many of the characters praised him for his skills. Apparently, Kabuki theatre is a great tradition and technique among generations for men to showcase their talents. In learning more about the art, all the female roles were played by male actors called “onnagata,” and sometimes fulfilled the role even better than women could have. Yukinojo wore women’s clothes and kept his mannerisms and language very feminine-like that other characters questioned whether he was really a man or a woman. In this film, it was interesting to witness how he carries this traditional kabuki role into his life off stage, fooling everyone with his feminine elegance all the while inflicting damage to his enemies.

            Another thing I found fascinating was the Japanese title of the film: Yukinojo henge. Apparently, “henge” translates to ghost or apparition. The first thought that came to mind was the scene in which Yukinojo disguises himself as a ghost of his deceased father to haunt one of the merchants. Evidently, he succeeds in accomplishing his goal in that moment by terrifying the merchant to death. In a theatrical perspective “henge” could also be interpreted as a change in disguise. In such a case, this title can attribute to the way Yukinojo undergoes a number of disguises on stage and off stage to accomplish his goal, whether it was faking a courtship or acting on and offstage stage as a convincing female. His changes in mannerisms and disguises that so easily fooled others perfectly justifies the title. Nevertheless, voiceovers that expressed Yukinojo’s personal thoughts maintained the dark and vengeful theme of the film to remind viewers of the melodramatic element that he has not lost track of his goal.