Written on the Face — Japan as Captured by Objectivity
Director: Daniel Schmid
Starring: Tamasaburo Bando, Han Takihara
Production Year: 1995
Runtime: 100 minutes
Genre: Documentary
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Synopsis
A documentary in which Swiss film director Daniel Schmid records the world of traditional Japanese performing arts, focusing on Kabuki actor Tamasaburo Bando. The film interweaves the makeup process of the onnagata (female role), where the face is rendered "nothing" with white powder before the character is drawn; beautiful footage of stage performances such as "Sagi Musume" (The Heron Maiden); the solemn performance of butoh dancer Kazuo Ohno; and interviews with legendary performers like Haruko Sugimura and Han Takihara. The perspective of a foreign director brings to light the uniqueness and mystery of Japan that were often difficult for the Japanese to see themselves.
Highlights
What 'Written on the Face' Means — The Philosophy of White Makeup
Kabuki makeup begins by uniformly covering the entire face with white powder. This process of rendering the face "nothing" before drawing the character is the core of the work. Schmid's camera captures this process calmly without explanation, and the audience is drawn into this ritualistic time before they realize it.
This is where the structure of the Japanese face comes into play. With shallow features and a flat contour, this "flatness" allows the white powder to cover the base uniformly, enabling the lines drawn upon it to transcend eras and roles. Even if one were to paint a face with strong shadows, like that of a Westerner, completely white, the original contours would show through, making it impossible to redraw it as a different person's face. "Kabuki works because it is a Japanese face"—one cannot help but admire the skill with which the film makes the audience realize this point through visuals rather than explanation.
The Paradox of the Onnagata — Being a Man Allows One to Become 'More Than a Woman'
Tamasaburo Bando's theory on the onnagata is one of the most intellectual moments in the film. He remains a man, and no matter how far he goes, he is only a woman as seen by a man. However, it is precisely because of this that he can observe the details of a woman's gestures with such careful attention. The paradox that femininity is born more from the intervention of "ideals" and "longing" than from reality strikes at the essence of expression that transcends gender.
The Reason for Including Kazuo Ohno's Butoh
The footage of butoh dancer Kazuo Ohno interspersed throughout the documentary may seem abrupt at first. However, the way his cross-dressed body expresses emotion with his entire being resonates with Tamasaburo Bando's onnagata, governing the rhythm of the entire work. While intentionally revealing the "fictionality" of the fictional parts, it powerfully amplifies the energy residing in traditional Japanese performing arts.
Production Background
Swiss director Daniel Schmid is an artist who excels at fantastical works that blend fiction and reality. In comments contributed to the theatrical pamphlet at the time of the film's release, he explicitly stated, "This is not a documentary. It is fiction," and added, "It is a film made with the secret of Tamasaburo Bando, and a film made with the secret of Japan" (*1).
Incidentally, it is also interesting to note that Shinji Aoyama (known for 'Eureka' and 'Sad Vacation') served as the assistant director for the film's fictional segment, 'Twilight Geisha Story' (*1).
The cinematography was handled by Renato Berta. A master of French-language cinema who has worked on films by Jean-Luc Godard, Éric Rohmer, and Manoel de Oliveira, he was a close ally of Schmidt.
This film premiered at the 1995 Locarno International Film Festival, and 27 years later, in 2022, a 4K restored version had its world premiere at the same festival. In Japan, it was first unveiled in October 2022 as part of the special screening series "Introduction to Contemporary Art House: The Temptation of Documentaries," and was given a regular theatrical release starting March 11, 2023, at Euro Space and other theaters nationwide (*2). The appearances of Haruko Sugimura, Han Takehara, and Kazuo Ohno, who all passed away shortly after filming, are now valued as precious records of their final years.
Impressions
Score: 4.2 / 5.0
The feeling that "foreigners understand Japan better than the Japanese do" is something I also felt with the works of Wim Wenders (director of "PERFECT DAYS"), but in this film, it is driven home not just as a theory, but as the imagery itself. Japan as seen by a Swiss filmmaker. And precisely because of that, a Japan that could be seen.
There is a scene in the film where Tamasaburo Bando talks about objectivity. The film itself embodies those words. A beauty that is too obvious for those on the inside to see. The "ideals" and "longing" that are born precisely because one is on the outside. I can state with certainty that if a Japanese person had filmed this, it would not have turned out this way.
The discussion about the onnagata (female-role actor) really struck a chord. Tamasaburo Bando's words, "Because I am a man, I can become a woman more than a woman," are powerful as a theory of expression. I am a man, and no matter how far I go, I am nothing more than a woman as seen by a man. That is precisely why, by observing women's gestures down to the smallest detail and allowing "ideals" and "longing" to intervene, a femininity that surpasses that of a woman is born—.
The moment I heard this paradox, I realized it clearly. This is not just about the onnagata; it is exactly what Schmidt is doing in this film. "Because I am a foreigner, I can film a Japan that is more than Japan"—the structure is exactly the same. Those involved are too close to see. Rather, it is precisely because one is a "person who does not possess it" that one can activate an intense power of observation and longing. When that crystallizes as an "ideal," strangely, there is zero sense of "falsehood," and one is instead made to think, "This is the true form." The woman drawn by a man and the Japan drawn by a foreigner. The handiwork of both quietly overlaps within the film.
And another thing I cannot forget is Kazuo Ohno's Butoh. At first, I was honestly confused by this footage, which is suddenly inserted between the main parts of the film. Why would an avant-garde dancer appear in a documentary about Kabuki? But as I watched the elderly body in drag erupt with both agony and joy, everything began to connect. The femininity that Tamasaburo Bando polishes as a "form" and the femininity that Kazuo Ohno dances with as a raw "ego." The two, who should be at opposite poles, were responding to each other with the same energy of "creating the infinite from nothing." There is no explanation, but the reason why Schmidt chose to insert Kazuo Ohno becomes clear just through the visuals. By having the body of Butoh break in as a foreign object into a flow that could have become a dry documentary, a rhythm is born, and at the same time, the "artificiality" of the fictional parts is illuminated from the reverse. I felt that this exquisite balance is what makes this work stand as a film rather than a "treatise on Japan."
The rhythm of the composition was also brilliant. After focusing on the stage of "Sagi Musume" (The Heron Maiden), we are suddenly shown Tamasaburo Bando in private inside a car. At that moment of transition, the boundary between "acting" and "not acting" wavers. What is the true face? The title "Written on the Face" becomes a question that gradually expands.
We must not forget the work of cinematographer Renato Berta. His perspective, having worked on films by Godard and Rohmer, gave even more depth to Schmidt's "gaze from the outside." Later, when I learned that director Sang-il Lee (a filmmaker with a background as a second-generation Zainichi Korean) also hired a Frenchman, Sofian El Fani, as the cinematographer for his film "National Treasure," I was convinced it was the same choice as this film. Objectivity can be intentionally created.
As a Japanese person, it left a complex aftertaste—a mix of slight embarrassment and pride.
Other people's perspectives
In conjunction with the release of the 4K restored version, praise for this film has also come from dancers and choreographers.
Dancer and actor Akaji Maro (leader of Dairakudakan) comments that director Schmidt "vividly wove together the strange, mysterious, and beautiful aspects of Japan's legends" (*3).
Writer and music selector Kenichi Aono describes the moment the camera captures Tamasaburo Bando talking about playing an onnagata and applying makeup for the role as "the world of fiction eroding reality," and states that he was deeply moved by Kazuo Ohno's Butoh (*3).
Dancer and choreographer Takao Kawaguchi evaluates Kazuo Ohno's dancing within Schmidt's visual expression as "floating softly, light and graceful as if sliding over the surface of water" (*3).
Recommended for
・People who are interested in Kabuki and traditional Japanese performing arts but feel they are difficult to approach
・People who feel intrigued by the perspective of "Japan as seen from the outside"
・People who felt a similar sensation after watching Wim Wenders' "PERFECT DAYS"
・People who enjoy film experiences where the boundaries between documentary and fiction dissolve
・Even for those who are not familiar with documentary films, it is a work that draws you in with beautiful stage footage and a unique rhythm, so it is also recommended for those who simply want to enjoy the power of cinema
Watch
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Related Products
Since the Blu-ray/DVD of the main feature is currently out of print (only available on old VHS and via streaming), we have listed works related to director Daniel Schmid's worldview and the dance performances of Bando Tamasaburo, which lead to the film's highlight, "Sagi Musume" (The Heron Maiden).
💿 Works by director Daniel Schmid (films by the same director recently released on Blu-ray)
💿 Schmid's representative works (cinematography by his close associate Renato Berta)
💿 "Sagi Musume" standalone recording (the climax performance of this film)
Sources and References
*1 CINRA "Written on the Face 4K Restored Version" release article
*2 Eiga.com "Written on the Face" 4K Restored Version theatrical release news
*3 SCREEN ONLINE release commemorative comments