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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 |
 "Complex Story for Older Anime Fans"Princess Mononoke has won kudos and fame for its complex story and gorgeous animation. Created by Hayao Miyazaki, this is not a tale for the young kids. We begin with Ashitaka, a boy in feudal Japan who kills a boar that is infected with demonic anger. He heads out to find the source of this infection. As he goes on his quest, he gets embroiled in a struggle between the wild survival of nature and the deliberate progress of technology. The title Mononoke is a human girl who was raised by wolves. She fights alongside them to defend her homeland. The people of "Irontown" are of course taking over the forest to fuel their industry. But nothing is ever black and white in this movie. Nature lives on a creed of kill-or-be-killed. The humans simply want to survive as well, and that means they consume resources. There's a rich blend of Japanese mythology in the story as well, helping you understand the underlying beliefs that many in Asia hold dear. It's like talking about fairies and wishes in a European story, about wishing on a star or crossing fingers for good luck. This is NOT a movie for the young. I know a 9 yr old who saw this and was upset for weeks afterwards. It involves a lot of violence and adult themes. There are no easy answers here. But for teens and above, it does give you a lot to think about. "True Art"Though the title of this film can be a turn-off for many potential viewers, "Princess Mononoke/ Mononoke Hime" is certainly not one to be missed. "Princess Mononoke" is a powerful tale of war, hate, and love. The heroism it displays shines with a strange sense of justice and humility, which sets a very interesting mood for western viewers who are more accustomed to cinematic interpretations of somewhat boastful legends (i.e. Troy). Though regardless of the viewer's ethnicity, the intense moods, beautiful scenery, interesting symbols, deep characters, and unforgettable plot are almost sure to come down as a moving weight on the tasteful movie-watcher. "Great anime for any anime fan"I really love Hayao Miyazaki's work and when I first saw Princess Mononoke, I was really happy to watch it. It has such a nice story and few things that deal with japenese legends like the kodomas and someone said this was supossed to be in japan, but I find it odd there was wolves in it, but I dunno if they're native.. Ethierway this was a great anime to see and is no way comparable to disney films there was no previous movie or manga before this was made so it's not really coppying like what disney does with things like bamby, alice in wonderland(sp?), and a few others.. Also there is nothing wrong with anti humen why because there is too many shows where animals are some evil creatures, I really liked it where nature was goodguys for once. "Intelligent Animation for Intelligent Adults"It unapologetically shows decapitations and dismemberments, slaughter, betrayal and murder. Those blithely seeking cartoon pabulum will be shocked and offended. But if you are looking for provocative intelligent adult anime, then Princess Mononoke is like a sea wind blowing away the saccharine smog that smothers western animation. For one thing, it has no villains. This will confuse childish minds conditioned to expect not only good and bad in every movie, but to have the bad guys clearly labelled with black hats, scars and ugly sneers. For another, it doesn't hide its ambivalence with technology or its respect for nature. In fact, that is its thesis: how we lose our way when we reject our connection to the natural world. This will offend narrow minds who look upon any challenge to their anthropocentrism as "anti-human" or "tree-hugging sentimentality". This film argues that evil is not so much the satanic absolute modeled in western tradition as it is an organic malady caused by pain and despair. We do not become evil because we are corrupted by some outside agency; we become evil because we choose hatred over acceptance when confronted by the inevitability of death. How many western cartoons dare to tack into such philosophical winds? Princess Mononoke punctures conventions. The princess of the title is a wolf-child saved from death as an infant by a wolf god and her pack. Now consider: in a western cartoon, the wolf pack would be a misunderstood and persecuted animal family too cute for words and too noble to stomach. In this movie, they are a snarling force of nature who do not hesitate to kill. However, they earn our sympathy because we understand that they are driven to kill both out of necessity and because it is their nature to do so. In a western cartoon, heroic animals would automatically mean casting their human opponents in the role of villains. But in Princess Mononoke, the humans compete for our sympathy because they too are convinced that they must destroy the wolves to ensure their own survival. In a western cartoon, the male hero would rescue the female heroine to live happily ever after. I won't spoil the ending, but consider how much more intelligent, more thoughtful and truer to character is the conclusion in this film. This juxtaposition of conflicting needs and loyalties, all with their own justifications, their own perspectives, and their own claims on our sympathies, combine to produce a richly textured world that is complex in scope and multifaceted in meaning. This film does not capitulate to simplistic solutions. Much of hard work and great beauty is destroyed in the end, but the film still concludes on a note of hope, with the thought that something of wisdom has survived all the death and destruction, and that nature recovers and humans rebuild, perhaps this time, avoiding the mistakes of the past. Like all of Miyazaki's works, he strives for significance over saccharine sentiment. His films are gourmet meals beside the candyfloss of western animation, and I feel a sense of intellectual satiation and fulfilment from Princess Mononoke that western animation rarely invokes. This is intelligent animation for intelligent adults. One need not agree with Miyazaki's world-view, but discerning viewers can't help admiring the beauty, the vitality and the intelligence of it. "Great Movie"This is a stunning movie with extremely original ideas. Nothing like it has been made or introduced to the American market. |
