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A Handful Of Reactions To Last Night's SPIRITED AWAY Screening At The El Capitan In Hollywood!!
Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
I first had the privilege to sit down with Hayao Miyazaki in 1999, as part of the promotional push for PRINCESS MONONOKE. I was fortunate enough to be able to do a one-on-one interview with him that you can read right here. I still consider that one of the highlights of my time at AICN, and at the time, I hardly had any idea of how brilliant he really was. I was still new to his films, still trying to see them all.
Now, three years later, I can say that I consider him one of the very finest filmmakers working today, live-action or animation or otherwise. I think his body of work may well be the single best overall career by any fantasy filmmaker. I am awed by the characters he has given such effortless life to, and I consider his work as crucial to the language of cinema as that of Hitchcock or Eisenstein.
Last night, The American Cinematheque hosted an event with Disney at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood. It was the LA Premiere of SPIRITED AWAY, and Miyazaki-san himself was there to speak afterwards.
I’m already written a series of Miyazaki pieces that will be running next week, leading up to my Friday review of SPIRITED AWAY. I’ve seen both the American dub and the original Japanese version, subtitled, and have strong feelings about the movie.
Right now, though, I’d like to present the reactions of some of the other people who where there last night. First up, we’ve got The Lovely Kushana with a transcript of the Q&A that took place after the screening:
Dear Moriarity,
Call me Kushana.
I attended the premiere of Miyazaki's new film SPIRITED AWAY (SEN TO CHIHIRO NO KAMIKAKUSHI) at the El Capitan in Los Angeles last night. Here's my transcript of the Q&A with Miyazaki in MS Word format (if you need it in plain text format, I'd be delighted to re-send it.)
(Slightly paraphrased, I tried to get as many of Miyazaki's exact words as I could, but I may not have the phrases and questions dead right since I didn't have a tape recorder. All of Miyazaki-san’s answers are in red.)
Charles Solomon: Sensei, you said you made this film for the daughters of several friends who had all just turned 10. Please tell us some more about this.A: I made many films but none that addressed them. Several friends' daughters have turned 10 and we have never made a film for them. I started reading books and manga and discovered there was a disconnect between what was in them and what was in the minds of these girls.
Solomon: I have heard the film, as originally storyboarded, ran three hours. What did you cut? Did you postpone this film a year?A: The story would fill three hours, although there were not three hours worth of storyboards. In my usual tricky way, I said this was no problem, we just need one more year. I cut the film for the producer's sake: I remember the day, May 3, 2000. (No Face became a central character as a result of that cut.) It was a holiday that day, there were only 4 of us in the studio
Solomon: So No Face is the producer-figure?A: In the scene early in the film (when Chihiro is crossing the bridge) No Face appears as a minor character. I decided to expand his character -- I make up the film as I go along.
Solomon: And that's what we're doing here, tonight. I've heard that the scene with the Stink god/River god was based on a personal experience. Could you elaborate?A: River gods have long been revered in Japan, but our actual rivers are desecrated and polluted. I helped clean the local river: once we did yank out a bicycle. It smelled bad!
Solomon: Is Studio Ghibli like Yubaba's bathhouse, with people running around, in a way that would upset a child?A: When the Studio Ghibli staff ask me what the bathhouse represents, I say "Studio Ghibli". It's just a small building, our studio (like the bathhouse) has three floors. If a rookie animator was told to make a visit to the scary producer on the third floor, you would have felt the same as Chihiro did visiting Yubaba.
Solomon: You are Haku to the producer's Yubaba?A: It takes both of us to make up Yubaba. At first he said I'm Kamagi (the boiler room attendant). Plenty of our animators have six arms...
Solomon: Many animators wish they did! What is your reaction to the English dub?A: We haven’t seen it. I trust John Lasseter and trust he's done a good job.
Solomon: Princess Mononoke did very well in Japan, although the response here was not the same. It did not do as well, not equal to Japan, in part because it was set in Muromachi Japan [This was not as clear in the American adaptation of the script.] But Spirited Away is a contemporary story, more approachable by audiences in other countries.A: Princess Mononoke is difficult for adults to understand, and better understood by children. In Japan it is the children who instinctively get it, while adults were scratching their heads. Perhaps it was too raw for American children to see...
Solomon: In America we have the odd notion that kids ought not to see some things... Talk about the importance of fantasy for children.A: Fantasy is an absolutely essential element for children, as a temporary respite or escape or as a sucker and source of support. But if you go to completely into it and surrender to it, it can become a psychosis.
Solomon: I saw it four times!A: Then you're close to psychosis, aren't you?
Solomon: I think the audience would do so, too! Since Miyazai woke up early this morning to fly from Toronto to join us, the equivalent of 2:30 am local time, we'll only have a few questions.
Audience member questions (cleaned up and paraphrased for the sanity of all involved):
Q: I've heard there will be an animated version of Kurosawa's Seven Samurai by Monkey Punch. Are you involved in this, or will there be another Lupin movie?A: I am opposed to the animation of Seven Samurai. Lupin, I leave to everyone else.
Solomon: An equally bad idea is the current project to film a live action version of Dragon Ball Z.
Q: I heard during Princess Mononoke that you were having pain in your hand. Did you do less drawing on this film? Are you feeling better? A: My hand always hurts. In Japan we have a saying, "To be long-lived is bad for your health."
Solomon: To be an animator is to be a masochist.A: Perhaps.
Q: I'm a high school art teacher and yearbook advisor. Our young people always seem to be studying for AP exams rather than spending time with their families. How do I teach them? I can't replace their parents...A: We have the same problem in Japan. Our young people don't study, or do anything but play computer games. I think in order to revive our children we need to change the way we live. My producer and I talk about this often.
Solomon: Children are mirrors, if their is a flaw in them then it is only our reflection.A: In a way I can't point my finger at the current generation's parents, since we raised them. We should look to ourselves to understand the failing.
Q: I've heard you said that you would retire after making Princess Mononoke, but then Spirited Away came along -- are you planning to retire?A: I've learned in life you don't always get what you want.
Q: You’ve created so many characters that people love. Kiki. Totoro. Nausicaa. Porco Rosso. Will you ever do a sequel to any of your earlier films?A: Never.
Q: You said you made this for the daughters of your friends; I had nothing like this as a ten-year-old girl... Q: Some ideas come from dreams, some from hard work, some come to you all at once -- which ones are the most satisfying to you and what do you do when you can't think of ideas? Q: What is the source of your inspiration? Dear Moriarity, Call me Kushana. I couldn't disagree with Ms. Taylor's review more: I saw _Sen to Chihiro_ (subtitled) in Berkeley and again (dubbed) in L.A. The American voice actors were a good match for their Japanese counterparts, Disney did an excellent job on this adaptation and dub. I was especially pleased with Chihiro's voice, her characterization was key to the film and Disney made the wise choice of picking a natural, un-mannered, not-cartoony voice for the character. Lin's voice was also very well suited to her character. I only noticed a few places where lines had been added to clarify a cultural detail or a plot element. Per Disney's contract, no cuts were made in the film, and the footage ran just as it had in Berkeley. The film has not been Disnified, it is a careful and sincere translation of Miyazaki's work into English. This is still a strange, wonderful, beautiful film -- unlike anything else Studio Ghibli (or any other studio) has made. Wipe _Princess Mononoke_ from your mind and see _Sen to Chihiro_ on its own terms. Yours, The Lovely Kushana Hi there! Well I imagine that the mysterious Moriarty may have been at the Tuesday U.S. premiere of Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away at the El Capitan Theater in Los Angeles. But just in case I figured I'd send in a comment or two. First of all going in I had already seen the subtitled version of Spirited Away and I have to say they did do an amazing job with the dub. This is not the normal case of a Japanese animated film being dubbed by actors who seem to think they need to overact the hell out of everything. This is a great cast just hitting it right on. Having Disney behind you does have benefits. On top of that the American translation does do a good job of making things a little clearer and easier to follow. This film is much more ambitious than some of Miyazaki's other films. I know that probably sounds crazy given his other films but it is true. It's a bit more out there and any to make the audience understand it easier is appreciated. On first viewing I had felt it was a great film but maybe not one of Miyazaki's best. It was enjoyable but seemed... scattered? A lot of cool stuff that didn't all seem to add up entirely to something more. That was on the first viewing. This film needs at least two viewings. On second viewing I found myself putting it very high on the list of his films. The second time through I was more at ease in the world Miyazaki creates and so I could relax into it a bit more. And hells bells if all the stuff I didn't see adding up actually did add up to some really cool and meaningful things. After my first viewing I had two of my friends both asking me, "What was up with the character of No Face? I don't get it?" And I kind of agreed. It seemed he was there for some sort of meaning but I didn't see it. The second time through I got it. And that was so great. It was like going to a familiar place you like and finding that you hadn't even seen it at all! How many films can you find that seem new on repeated viewing? But don't let any of what I've said put you off seeing it maybe thinking its some deep boring foreign flick. On a purely visceral level the film is a great ride and a whole lot of fun. After the movie the even bigger treat was getting to see and hear Hayao Miyazaki himself interviewed on stage. Even through a translator he was charming and funny. The film is about a young girl who has to work for a witch running a bath house (spa) for spirits and ghosts (I know that might sound odd but go with it). Miyazaki had stated in the past that the bath house was based on his studio, Studio Ghibli. When asked whether he or his producer was the mean witch he laughed and said it took both of them together to be that witch and that if you were an animator having to go up to his office at the top of the building for the first time to talk to him you'd be just as frightened as the lead character in Spirited away having to go ask the witch for a job. The questions from the audience were not all exactly inspired. But blame that on the fact they were getting a chance to ask a question of a legendary director. It seemed like a lot of cases of, "I don't want to miss my chance to talk to him but I don't have anything to really ask" and then them trying to think of something truly deep and meaningful to ask. Except for the guy whose question was, "Can I get you to sign something for me?" Yep, we'll When asked if, since he was a fan of Akira Kurosawa, he would want to help in the new anime version of that film he replied that he hated the idea of Seven Samurai being made into an animated feature. Got a nice round of applauds for that. Similarly when ask if since everyone loved his old characters like Totoro and Kiki if there would be sequels to any of his films he said no and again got a HUGE round of applauds. He also said that fantasy was good to give people a chance for escapism and relaxation and that, even though they do sell DVDs and videos, he felt you should only see the films once. If you watched and obsessed on them too much he said that was... I don't think the word he used was psychotic but it was similar. The host pointed out that then everyone in the theater would happily have to be called crazy and that he himself had seen Spirited Away four times. To that Miyazaki laughed and basically told him he was pretty close to the edge of crazy then. And he basically confirmed for me that my read on No Face was correct (if you want to go in, see it for yourself without any clue skip the rest of this paragraph - hardly a spoilers though really). While talking about children - I'm paraphrasing here - Miyazaki said that children's behavior mirrors what they are shown and taught by others. So anyway I highly recommend anyone who has a chance see this film. And despite Miyazaki saying "see each film only once" I say see it, mull it over and then go back for at least one more viewing. Thanks for listening, Mr. JinxoA: I think and write, and think and write, and think and write; but the more I work and the more I torment myself the less it works -- then, from inside: voila! There it is.
The Lovely Kushana also had this to say:
The “Ms. Taylor” she was responding to sent her review of the film in a few days ago, and I have to admit... I don’t know what to say to someone who isn’t charmed by Miyazaki’s work. I just don’t know what you could be looking for in a film if this doesn’t thrill you on a fundamental level.
Finally, we’ve got Mr. Jinxo with his look at the event:
just stop the whole show for that. Anyway, with all the pressure most people didn't exactly reach "deep and meaningful". But you could tell they all really wanted to ask good questions if that counts for anything. And Miyazaki's answers were always entertaining.I’ll be starting that Miyazaki series this Monday, and can’t wait to see what everyone thinks when they get their chance to see SPIRITED AWAY starting in limited release on September 20th.
"Moriarty" out.
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miyazaki is the BEST director alive today. his vision is distinct and totally his own.
i am lucky to have seen all his work (including the early sherlock hound series). miyazaki-san is a film god - a giant, no less.
i'm glad that aicn is running the piece on miyazaki - and moriarty's take on the miyazaki body of work should be fun.
do yourself the favor and immerse yourself in miyazaki's universe. it makes spielberg looks like a cheap fair, and it makes lucas's star wars universe look like a wannabe movie.
peace out, yo. -
I'd be one happy camper if Disney would just release more of the originals. "Island in the Sky?" "Nausicaa?" Where are you?
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Of course we're crazy!!! Who would see the same movie 5 times if they had a totally healthy mind?!? Movies make you fell so much. It's like therapy. Each time i'm depressed I pop in Breakfast at Tiffany's! Just makes me feel better! And Spirited Away is magical. In a way Amelie was. Amelie just made you happy. Everybody came out of the theater with a broad smile on their faces. Spirited Away just plunges you back into childhood with all it's fears, dreams, mysteries and discoveries, It's wonderful. And I'm really glad to hear Disney did a good job and that you guys will get to see it in the US of A. Enjoy! :)
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thanks for the coverage of this gorgeously animated masterpiece! definitely more Brothers' Grimm than Powerpuff, Spirited Away is an instant classic. edgier, more fantastic and scarier than My Neighbor Totoro, which some might remember... No Face was a brilliant character, i saw him as a representation of ego -- either inflamed, or tamed...
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Spirited Away is better than all the Disney movies
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It pains me that I cannot watch Spirited Away... again for the fifth time :( My TV set is in repair and my DVD copy sits there wanting to be watched, needing to be watched. This film has an amazing effect on children. I had it playing (in Japanese of course with subtitles) and my little cousin of 5 years sat down and watched it, enthralled. He can't read subtitles (or possibly keep up with them), but he saw the magic. I would have loved to seen it through his eyes...
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Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind the Manga is bigger and more complex than the movie, and it takes the story much further. It's the perfect epic, and all drawn and written by Miyazaki. I think it's available in book stores like Borders. Of course, if you think everything that's worth seeing has to be made into a movie**coughHarrycough**, it'll just be a tormenting tease for you. ******** Wait, what did Miyazaki confirm about No Face? That he represents that child mirroring his/her environment theme? I can sort of see that, but it's still a very strange character and it doesn't explain the stuff with him eating people if they take what he offers them or why he wants to eat Sen so much. ******* Thank you Moriarty, I agreed one hundred percent with EVERYTHING you said! I too love all Miyazaki's films(except for Porco Rosso, which I haven't seen), and I really don't know what to say to people who don't like them or are disappointed with them. It's just, well, I don't know what to say. I'm still very sad(and a bit angry) that a great film like Princess Mononoke is going down as a failure in America. I maintain it's a great film that WOULD have found an audience with the right introduction and marketing. I'm not an anime nut, I hate the generic Sci-Fi, pretentious drivel, and overdone fight scenes that so often saturates the medium. But Miyazaki's films are something different from that typecasting. If Crouching Tiger could find an audience stateside, so could Mononoke. I think the problem was that it was a fantasy film, a dramatic animated film, and a foreign film all at once. American audiences in general have an aversion to those types of films, one that is all three was just too great a departure from the norm. For those who think outside the box though, it was a classic. I have confidence people will get it eventually though. Hopefully Spirited Away will capture our masses through the "children's fantasy" back door that has people praising Harry Potter(good books BTW, but I think if people accepted fantasy more they wouldn't be so shocked by the phenomenon). SA is such a charming movie, in a way that few movies EVER are, that it deserves all the attention it can get.
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Of Miyazaki's films, I've only seen PRINCESS MONONOKE, KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE and MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO and love them all. I got a chance to see SPIRITED AWAY at the El Capitan in Hollywood (same night, obviously). Hayao Miyazaki and his producer where there afterwards, they just flew in from Toronto, but couldn't stay for too long because they've been up since 2:30am PST. Anyway, they showed the dubbed version, which didn't sound bad, but then I don't really recognize a bad dub unless I've seen the movie twice, once dubbed and then once in it's original language, but I do have to say that the dub is way better than MONONOKE's. The film's very good, but not GREAT like everyone is flipping out about. I akin the hype on this movie like the hype surrounding CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, where basically it was a film of an underground genre (kung-fu) that finally broke the mainstream, but those that are familiar with the genre, it's a good movie, but seen better. I mean I thought MONONOKE is still better, but then again since I'm an adult and that movie was more adult themed, maybe it appealed to me more than a story about a 10 year old girl's adventures through Wonderland? But just like with TOTORO I still love it and love being shown a child-like world of fantasy and wonder with crazy looking visuals and some really funny moments involving cute, but far from annoying creatures, fans of TOTORO will recognize the Dust Bunnies characters. The film is very very "Japanese" and hence I still don't think the average American film goer will be embrace this like any other anime that gets release here. Hope I get proven wrong, though, because I would love a nice Miyazaki DVD box set in Region 1, which the option for Japanese audio/English subs.
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You can get a Studio Ghibli box set of 11 films on 6 DVDs from a number of sellers on eBay. The going price is ~$45 + shipping. The DVDs are region 0 with english subtitles available - menus are in chinese but aren't too hard to poke through. (Also overheard a vendor at a comic show offer to sell this for $120!!)
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Sep 12, 2002 2:48:03 PM CDT
This movie is PURE MAGIC!!!!! Harry Potter has nothing on Spirit
by mentallymariah
I own the dvd and It is one of my most cherished possesions right now! I have screened it 4 times for all my friends and I can't wait to see it again! Man I can't wait to see it on the big screen dubbed...WOW, I love this movie!!!!! It is really something special! A Classic in every sense...Better then anything I have seen all year...Untill the TWO TOWERS!
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...is a Korean animated film called My beautiful Girl Mari. It's not as brilliantly imaginative as this one, but it has nice digital animation and a lovely story about lost chidhoods and a giant fluffy white dog. Seriously. Buy both on DVD and then read Neil Gaimans Coraline. In the words of the almighty Opus the penguin: "it's never too late to hav ea happy childhood."
Oh and The Two Towers and Kill Bill wil absolutely KICK ASS (this last part just to try to prove that I'm a nomal TB-BS'er...) -
Hmmm...So your basically saying that people who regard CTHD and Spirited Away as masterpeices they have not seen enough of the genre? THATS NONSENSE MAN!!
I have in my collection all of miyazakis film and an extensive animation and martial arts collection.
I regard Spirited Away as Miyazakis greatest film thus far or at least on par with totoro...
When I saw CTHD I felt as a martial arts film it delivered something pure like the old novels or serials from china....
Only because you felt Sen was over hyped (which it aint) does not mean the people who loved it dont know there stuff. -
Sep 12, 2002 4:08:31 PM CDT
Mori, the link to your interview just takes me to the Ain't
by crimsonrage
Just tellin' ya'.
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. . . bootleg. Some of the film included in that set haven't been released _in Japan_. There's going to be an announcement from Disney regarding the US DVD releases later this year. So yes, there's finally going to be some Studio Ghibli R1 DVDs for people to see.
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I've already deen this...but I had no idea it was the El Capitan! Very few places I would rather have seen this.
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Sep 12, 2002 4:54:43 PM CDT
ANGELS-EGG : "So your basically saying that people who regard CT
by iamlegolas
In general, yes, because (making a sweeping statement here) most people who saw CT,HD and were creaming all over it were new to the genre of kung-fu, more specifically wire-fu/flying type HK movies. *Most* people, not all, MOST as I liked it a lot and I've seen a lot of anime and HK in my time. I came to this conclusion because the wire-fu genre was pretty underground in the States (well, before CT, HD and THE MATRIX came out) and there is no way the CT, HD would of made the numbers that it did without a healthy dose of the "normals" going to see it who think that the Wu Tang Clan is just a rap group and John Woo hasn't made any movies before "Hard Target". Anyway, I can just see this happening with "Spirited Away" is all I am saying. Now before you call me pretentious, I am NOT saying that it's wrong to enjoy these movies just because one is unfamiliar with the genres, just that said people will OVER HYPE how great these movies are. If they had seen other films of the same ilk, they wouldn't be going so nuts is all. Someone who has watched IRON MONKEY, ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA or even A CHINESE GHOST STORY before seeing CT, HD wouldn't of been so blown away. BTW I loved CH,HD and I loved SPIRITED AWAY and will buy it on DVD. I just didn't like it as much as MONONOKE which was the 2nd film I've seen of his, the first being TOTORO. Now, does anyone really feel that SPIRITED AWAY is his best movie ever? I obviously haven't seen all his films, but it seems like a lot of people regard NAUSICA (sp?)/VALLEY OF THE WIND are his best, but, just like my post, it's all just an opinion.
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I just saw "The Last Kiss," an Italian film from 2000 that was just released here. I kept asking myself why the movie seemed so familar - the melodic music from scene to scene that kept building, the multiple storylines of flawed people looking for answers and screwing up along the way, the strong willed man with serious woman problems whose father is on his deathbed...
Paul Thomas Anderson ripped off this movie to make "Magnolia."
"The Last Kiss" is a much better, more fully realized film.
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FYI, Magnolia was released at the tail end of '99. So I don't see how it could have ripped off a movie that came out in 2000 (2001 according to www.imdb.com).
Do some research next time. -
I saw Spirited Away subtitled a few months ago. I didn't get it. I completly understand that my failure to react to this film could be my lack of understanding of the culture. But I can't help but think that some of it is BECAUSE Miazaki just kind of made it up as he went along. I want a coherant story. This was too much of "what the hell was that?" I suspect that a lot of people who claim this is a work of genius are seeing the pretty images and odd situations and are calling it great BECAUSE they don't understand it. It makes me wonder how many Americans will "get it". Just my poorly informed opinion.
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Bill, there are many elements in 'Spirited AWay' that are hidden beneath the surface. The main theme that seems to go through 'Spirited Away' is that many things that you see may not be what they appear to be. And there is also Kaonashi, or as we say in the US, No Face. A creature who seems like a true enigma but if you look carefully, he can serve as a metaphor for the way some people can perceive life. Even the bathhouse workers serve as an example in the face of 'free money.' There is a great message about greed buried in this film. I think 'Spirited AWay' could almost be like 'A.I.' LAst summer, I joined a messageboard and we all started talking about A.I., and uncovered some interesting allegories and some other things that our collective knowledge helped open some doors to understanding what we had just seen.
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http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/sen/presskit.html
Courtesy of Mr. Howard Green, Vice President of Studio Communications for Buena Vista Pictures Marketing. -
My two year old has watched Tonari no Totoro in Japanese every day without fail for the last four months, I must have seen it a good fifty times myself, strangely, love it every time.
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Over the last few years of searching, I was lucky enough to find all of miyazaki's movies and a good dose of other ghibli movies as well(grave of Fireflies etc). Let me tell you, nothing beats searching old used music/movie resell shops to discover hard to find movies like Castle of Cagliostro and the like. Some movies like Porco Rosso and the uncut Nausicaa I had to resort to downloading from imesh - which were really high quality by the way. And Im not one of those people who substitute bootlegs for the real thing, rest assured I'd buy them in a SECOND if they were available. Ive considered getting the Ghilbli box set from Japan - but I heard they're releasing the dvds here soon.
Anyway, I have to say, I am kind of surprised to see how well Spirited Away is being received - I think it is definetly one of his best, but I also feel it is his LEAST accessible movie for casual moviegoers. It it filled with Japanese culture, (which to me is a joy to behold and I feel it adds greatly to the whole feeling of wonderment you get while watching it),but I am afraid of how mainstream audiences will react to a heavily foreign-themed movie like this (how is your average joe going to react to Yubaba and the three boucing blad heads? Some might just be wierded out! I think unless some major word of mouth gets around, it will be lost like Mononoke. Which I think was much more of a universal movie. By the way, Ive seen Spirited Away twice now, and i still dont fully understand the deal with Haku. (Sorry if this was already asked )
SPOILER
Is he a god? if he is then why was he changed into a different form like the humans? After all he changed back to a human form after he remembered his name. I figured he's a human, who then saved Chihiro from the river while he was in the other form. -
For insights about the film's cultural elements (quote: An interesting point is that many Japanese are not familiar with the folklore that inspired Mr. Miyazaki's designs for the film; the fact that modern-day Japanese are cut off from these "roots" is one of the things that inspired Mr. Miyazaki to make the film in the first place, as he so states in THE ART OF SPIRITED AWAY.), I highly recommend this Q&A (http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/books/sen/Viz_QA.html) held with an editor from Viz, English-language publishers of the "Spirited Away" books.
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Thanks for your reply....
Many regard Nausicaa as their fave and It is one of my favourites over Princess mononoke.
But where Princess Mononoke was basically a re-tread of Nausicaa (the film) which many of my friends who saw both agree and feel that it is its weakness, Spirited away is a fresh new direction from miyazaki thats what did it for me as well as the multiple meanings in the film.Saying that the film about a 10 year old girl isn't as good as seeing a more adult themed film (like PM) just because your an adult makes you seem narrow minded as its a more complex film than that.....
I had seen IRON MONKEY and many like it before I saw CTHD but still thought it was one of the best martial arts films artistically.Does that make me wrong?
But I know what you mean...When I saw the matrix I couldn't see what the big deal was and now that the market has opened up a bit I dont think the sequels are going to be 'groundbreaking'so much to the movie goer.
Yes it is down to opinion...In the U.S the public dont even know how fortunate they are to be able to go to their cinema to see such a great animated film while poor british sods like me have to sit and watch it at home (although I do have a 50'' projection tv...he...he) -
My impression, and I don't know enough about Japanese myth to know if he counts as a god or not, was that Haku was the spirit of the river. In the subtitled translation I own, it's said that the river Chihiro almost drowned in was filled in, which makes him a sad figure to me. I don't think we were supposed to think he was a transformed human, again I don't know enough about Japanese mysticism to say with any authority what Haku was originally, but you could make out his dragon form in Cihiro's memory of being in the river--so I think he was magical when he saved her. That said, I don't think his human form was supposed to be a deception or an illusion, I felt it was as much who he was as the dragon. Does anyone here know more about this mythology, or did Miyazaki(and Ghibli) invent the Haku character and all his attributes?
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I think you nailed it on the spot.
Perhaps that is why the STINK/RIVER GOD gave san the medicine to free Haku (they are a similar entity).
Its all there explained in the jap version..has this been lost in the dub?
In eastern mythology I believe that there are gods to all natural things (Although I reckon many are miyazki creations)sort of buddhist I guess.
I love this film!
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so I don't mind. ;^). I too hope that it's still clear in the English dub because that was such an emotional part of the story for me. It'd be a shame if it gets lost in the translation. I don't see why it would have to be left out because I don't think the mythology in this film is intimidating at all. If anything it makes me want to learn more, much the way Clash of the Titans made me HAVE to know more about ancient Greek mythology oh so long ago.
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Somebody asked why does no face want to eat chichiro so much...heres my take on why.
When no face eats something he takes on the personality of that thing.
Noface has no persona.
The workers in the brothel are all basically greedy and no-face uses this greed to eat them of course doing this he becomes more and more uncontrollably greedy himself. In the film Chichiro says that the place is no good for him...
When he meets chichiro she refuses what he offers her and he is probably more attracted to someone whos decent and honest than someone who is not (taking on the persona of someone good rather than bad must be interesting to no face).No face is not a bad character he just cant help it.
Theres so many damn themes in this movie! Parenting,eating,independence,love etc! -
For some reason I hadn't thought of No Face taking on the persona of the people he ate(I should have, he becomes greedy like the people he eats and all). He also turned more malevolent as he ate consumed the greedy, even trying to kill Chihiro when she helped him. I think I assumed it was his true self coming out, but that felt tonally off with the rest of the movie and treatment of the character. I think you've got it, Angels Egg! Once No Face regurgitated all the "bad" people, he returned to his more benign state. Coooool. This movie never gets dull.
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