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Princess Mononoke Actors: Yôji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yûko Tanaka Director: Hayao Miyazaki Number of Items: 1 Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen Format: Color Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Running Time: 134 minutes Studio: Miramax Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Region Code: 1 Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2000-07-20 Buy from Amazon |
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From Amazon.com essential video This epic, animated 1997 fantasy has already made history as the top-grossing domestic feature ever released in Japan, where its combination of mythic themes, mystical forces, and ravishing visuals tapped deeply into cultural identity and contemporary, ecological anxieties. For international animation and anime fans, Princess Mononoke represents an auspicious next step for its revered creator, Hayao Miyazaki (My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service), an acknowledged anime pioneer, whose painterly style, vivid character design, and stylized approach to storytelling take ambitious, evolutionary steps here. Set in medieval Japan, Miyazaki's original story envisions a struggle between nature and man. The march of technology, embodied in the dark iron forges of the ambitious Tatara clan, threatens the natural forces explicit in the benevolent Great God of the Forest and the wide-eyed, spectral spirits he protects. When Ashitaka, a young warrior from a remote, and endangered, village clan, kills a ravenous, boar-like monster, he discovers the beast is in fact an infectious "demon god," transformed by human anger. Ashitaka's quest to solve the beast's fatal curse brings him into the midst of human political intrigues as well as the more crucial battle between man and nature. Miyazaki's convoluted fable is clearly not the stuff of kiddie matinees, nor is the often graphic violence depicted during the battles that ensue. If some younger viewers (or less attentive older ones) will wish for a diagram to sort out the players, Miyazaki's atmospheric world and its lush visual design are reasons enough to watch. For the English-language version, Miramax assembled an impressive vocal cast including Gillian Anderson, Billy Crudup (as Ashitaka), Claire Danes (as San), Minnie Driver (as Lady Eboshi), Billy Bob Thornton, and Jada Pinkett Smith. They bring added nuance to a very different kind of magic kingdom. Recommended for ages 12 and older. --Sam Sutherland |
 "Hayao Miyazaki is a genious"Ashitaka, an Emishi prince, saves his village from a cursed boar-god, Nago but is cursed in the prosess himself. As the curse spreads he has a short amount of time to find a cure for the curse before it kills him. He discovers the curse originated from a iron bullet shot from a hand cannan made in Irontown. There lady, fighting the war against the spirits of the forest so she can extract its resource for her people. Tribes of intelligent boars, apes, and wolves, along with San (the mononoke princess of the title), who was raised by wolves, defend the forest. "hell of a movie"This movie seems likes it was created by angels! Its breathtaking, kickass, leathil, and romantic! This movie makes Akira, Spirited Sway, and Castle in the Sky look like a comerchal! I recomed you watch this movie!!!!!! "Awsome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"I only rented it but in 2 days I watched it 3 times! This is the best movie ever! "Princess Mononoke"This was a truly inspired anime adventure. A well crafted story and excellent animation. I will watch it over and over again.  "DO NOT WATCH THE AMERICAN VOICEOVER VERSION!"I watched this movie with some Japanese friends of mine, and I was mesmerized. However, we had some difficulty deciding which English version was best. We turned on the American voice-over version (with Minnie Driver (what the heck?) and the like), and my friends started laughing at it from the very beginning. We then played, I think it was the American subtitles with Japanese voice, and I was told that the words on the screen did not at all match the words being said. Finally, we settled on the literal English subtitles. This translation seemed to be the closest to what was actually being said. When we were done watching the film, we watched the American previews. I was shocked when, was it Claire Danes or Minnie Driver, described the movie as heartwarming and being about friendship and love. HA! No wonder parents thought it was a kids movie. This film is an adult movie, not for kids. The themes are much more suitable for young adults. In the literal English version, you see everyone in the story, yes, even animals and trees as being responsible for the state of things in the world. You see a shocking portrayal of the "circle of life" as it were. The story is not supposed to be resolved by the end, it's supposed to show that life goes on, that there are conflicts in this world that will just continue to transform and that there's only so much one can do. If you enjoy beautiful animation and a thoughtful plot, watch this movie, but not this only American voice version, get the literal English subtitles . . .please! |
