Post by ryan on Jul 4, 2005 5:36:29 GMT -5
Films of fantasy occupy the most difficult and thankless of genres. The word "fantasy" makes me, personally, think of stories of knights and dragons and princesses and fairies and enchanted rings and the like. There are those of us who enjoy these kinds of stories, no matter how rehashed they become, and those of us who avoid them, simply because we've been there, done that.
I usually tend to fall into the latter category. I appreciate a good tale well told, but all too often, works of fantasy settle on the most tired of conventions, and on the most stale of character archetypes: There's always an errant knight. There's always a pugnacious little person. There's always a fairy with a temper. There's always a damsel in distress. It's a fun formula, to be sure, but there are only so many times one can enjoy it.
It's a breath of fresh air, then, anytime I see a film which is definitely a work of fantasy, but which defies the above conventions, and offers-up a unique vision of startling clarity.
Perhaps you've already heard of Hayao Miyazaki. Perhaps you haven't. For the uninitiated, Miyazaki is a Japanese animator who often writes his own screenplays. Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli has released some of the best animation to come out of Japan, including the profound and sad Grave of the Fireflies, as well as Miyazaki's own great works, Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away.
Because Miyazaki creates works of animated fantasy, and because he is Japanese, his works are often referred to as "Anime," a word which has become a genre unto itself, describing any Japanese animated film.
I know many adults who rightly criticize Anime for being too juvenile, or too inaccessible. It's certainly true that the bulk of Japanese animation appeals to a very specific American audience -- and that audience is usually comprised of single males, usually between the ages of 14 and 34.
But it's also true that Japanese animators have given us some truly compelling visions of the future, and of alternate worlds. For instance, Mamoru Oshii's Ghost In The Shell is a dizzying and sophisticated work of speculative fiction, regardless of its fascination with female nudity. Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke is a truly epic examination of war and industry, and of the toll that both take on the environment.
Ah, so now we get to Howl's Moving Castle, Miyazaki's latest effort, released by Studio Ghibli and imported to the U.S. market by Disney.
Howl's Moving Castle stars the voice talents of Christian Bale, Blythe Danner, Billy Crystal, and Lauren Bacall. It tells the story of a shy 18-year-old shopgirl who finds herself turned into a 90-year-old woman by a fat old witch. Because the curse prevents her from telling anyone of her predicament, she flees her hometown in search of a sorcerer who may be powerful enough to restore her to her former age. She crosses paths with a sorcerer named Howl, who resides in a magical castle which not only strides across the landscape on metallic bird's legs, but which also contains doors which open onto various streets in various cities, and sometimes into the past, or into the future. That's all you should know about the story. Part of the delight of this movie lies in discovering the logic of this truly bizarre world, and the motives behind its strange inhabitants.
Howl's Moving Castle may not be Miyazaki's best film, because it borrows many plot elements and visual motifs from his earlier works, and because it has at least one moment when character motivations give way to plot contrivance. However, saying this isn't Miyazaki's best film is kind of like saying that that "Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum" isn't Van Gogh's best painting. Sure, a case can be made, but in the end, you're still looking at a valuable work of art.
Miyazaki's highest credit, as a filmmaker, is his ability to create worlds of infinite strangeness, and to populate these worlds with well-rounded characters who simply adapt to the strangeness around them, because that is what they must do to survive. This theme of adaptation is common to many of his works, and is one of the reasons his animation is so moving. In an ever-changing world, adaptation is a skill each of us must posses, and so we can relate to the confusion of Miyazaki's characters, and we can delight in their moments of cunning and insight.
That I am writing about "moments of cunning and insight" in a review of an animated film should be recommendation enough to see Miyazaki's latest work. But really, there's more to his work than just that. I should tell you about how he's not afraid to use silence in his films. How sometimes, his characters will sit and think for a moment, before having a sudden revelation. And I haven't even mentioned how beautiful his animation is, how rich and colorful. I didn't even tell you about what a visual and conceptual masterstroke the Moving Castle is, and how fascinating it is to watch it shamble across the countryside, its various rooms undulating as if they're all lashed-together with bailing-wire.
But ultimately, that's all stuff you should discover for yourself. If you've never seen a Miyazaki film before, start with this one, then rent Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke on DVD.
Howl's Moving Castle is playing at the AMC in Tulsa. You can check showtimes by going to www.tulsaworld.com/Movies/Title.asp. It may not be playing for long, so if you're interested at all, make this the next movie you see.
I usually tend to fall into the latter category. I appreciate a good tale well told, but all too often, works of fantasy settle on the most tired of conventions, and on the most stale of character archetypes: There's always an errant knight. There's always a pugnacious little person. There's always a fairy with a temper. There's always a damsel in distress. It's a fun formula, to be sure, but there are only so many times one can enjoy it.
It's a breath of fresh air, then, anytime I see a film which is definitely a work of fantasy, but which defies the above conventions, and offers-up a unique vision of startling clarity.
Perhaps you've already heard of Hayao Miyazaki. Perhaps you haven't. For the uninitiated, Miyazaki is a Japanese animator who often writes his own screenplays. Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli has released some of the best animation to come out of Japan, including the profound and sad Grave of the Fireflies, as well as Miyazaki's own great works, Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away.
Because Miyazaki creates works of animated fantasy, and because he is Japanese, his works are often referred to as "Anime," a word which has become a genre unto itself, describing any Japanese animated film.
I know many adults who rightly criticize Anime for being too juvenile, or too inaccessible. It's certainly true that the bulk of Japanese animation appeals to a very specific American audience -- and that audience is usually comprised of single males, usually between the ages of 14 and 34.
But it's also true that Japanese animators have given us some truly compelling visions of the future, and of alternate worlds. For instance, Mamoru Oshii's Ghost In The Shell is a dizzying and sophisticated work of speculative fiction, regardless of its fascination with female nudity. Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke is a truly epic examination of war and industry, and of the toll that both take on the environment.
Ah, so now we get to Howl's Moving Castle, Miyazaki's latest effort, released by Studio Ghibli and imported to the U.S. market by Disney.
Howl's Moving Castle stars the voice talents of Christian Bale, Blythe Danner, Billy Crystal, and Lauren Bacall. It tells the story of a shy 18-year-old shopgirl who finds herself turned into a 90-year-old woman by a fat old witch. Because the curse prevents her from telling anyone of her predicament, she flees her hometown in search of a sorcerer who may be powerful enough to restore her to her former age. She crosses paths with a sorcerer named Howl, who resides in a magical castle which not only strides across the landscape on metallic bird's legs, but which also contains doors which open onto various streets in various cities, and sometimes into the past, or into the future. That's all you should know about the story. Part of the delight of this movie lies in discovering the logic of this truly bizarre world, and the motives behind its strange inhabitants.
Howl's Moving Castle may not be Miyazaki's best film, because it borrows many plot elements and visual motifs from his earlier works, and because it has at least one moment when character motivations give way to plot contrivance. However, saying this isn't Miyazaki's best film is kind of like saying that that "Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum" isn't Van Gogh's best painting. Sure, a case can be made, but in the end, you're still looking at a valuable work of art.
Miyazaki's highest credit, as a filmmaker, is his ability to create worlds of infinite strangeness, and to populate these worlds with well-rounded characters who simply adapt to the strangeness around them, because that is what they must do to survive. This theme of adaptation is common to many of his works, and is one of the reasons his animation is so moving. In an ever-changing world, adaptation is a skill each of us must posses, and so we can relate to the confusion of Miyazaki's characters, and we can delight in their moments of cunning and insight.
That I am writing about "moments of cunning and insight" in a review of an animated film should be recommendation enough to see Miyazaki's latest work. But really, there's more to his work than just that. I should tell you about how he's not afraid to use silence in his films. How sometimes, his characters will sit and think for a moment, before having a sudden revelation. And I haven't even mentioned how beautiful his animation is, how rich and colorful. I didn't even tell you about what a visual and conceptual masterstroke the Moving Castle is, and how fascinating it is to watch it shamble across the countryside, its various rooms undulating as if they're all lashed-together with bailing-wire.
But ultimately, that's all stuff you should discover for yourself. If you've never seen a Miyazaki film before, start with this one, then rent Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke on DVD.
Howl's Moving Castle is playing at the AMC in Tulsa. You can check showtimes by going to www.tulsaworld.com/Movies/Title.asp. It may not be playing for long, so if you're interested at all, make this the next movie you see.