“The original title in Japanese is “Gogo No Eiko” but my owned book is in Spanish (El marino que perdió la gracia del mar), translated –I think in a mastery way– by Jesús Zulaika Goicoetxea, published by Alianza Editorial, Madrid, 2003, ISBN: 84-206-5515-5. The description already found in Shelfari for the English version seems the common –rather esoteric or abstruse– interpretation stated by critics, but I guess Mishima did not make such a thick philosophy and simply expressed the effect of Eros, obsession, disappointment and jealousy on human conduct, finishing in the weird way shown in his book. The seaman protagonist Ryuji Tsukasaki finds his fate personified in Noboru, the evil son of his lover, the sophisticated entrepreneur Lady Fusako. Simple plot for a mastery literary work. The book was translated from Japanese into English with the title “The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea”. A nice and rewarded film was made on it with the same title. Eerie, offbeat adaptation of Yukio Mishima's story about an affair that a young widow has with an itinerant seaman, which disturbs her lonely son with tragic results. [Cast & Crew: Sarah Miles, Kris Kristofferson, Jonathan Kanh, Margo Cunningham, Earl Rhodes. Directed by Lewis John Carlino]. Obsession and fate collide in one of the most controversial and provocative films ever made. English widow Anne Osborne (Ryan's Daughter's Sarah Miles) lives by the sea with her young son, Jonathan. The arrival of a rugged American sailor, Jim (Blade's Kris Kristofferson), brings Anne the joy and sensual fulfillment she thought had gone forever, but her son is disturbed by this new intruder and joins a perverse group of fellow students led by the charismatic Chief. With its disturbing shock ending and frank love scenes, this stylish adaptation of the novel by legendary writer Yukio Mishima has become a timeless classic. ”
