View Larger Image |
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 |
 "DELUXE EDITION PLEASE!!!!"alot has been said and heard about the master film maker hayao miyazaki's astonishing masterpiece "princess mononoke". no words are enough to describe the sheer beauty and grandeur of the film. we all know that. miramax definitely deserves a pat for bringing it to the english world. only thing that sulks me is the absence of any great extras on this dvd release. it is a real irony that an exceptional film like this has been given such a shoddy treatment. i purchased it long ago when it was released by miramax, thinking someday there will be a special edition release. since then many years lapsed but there's absolutely no sign of any such release. something i would like to add here is that buena vista japan has released a very special 3disc deluxe edition dvd there, in japan, which alongwith, the main feature, contains the whole storyboard of the film in multi angle viewing option and a very special long documentary on the making of the film (sigh!!!). and that's just not all...there has even been a separate dvd release called "how mononoke hime was born"!! great stuff, i'm sure! WITH THIS REVIEW OF MINE AND ON BEHALF OF MILLIONS OF FANS LIKE ME AROUND THE GLOBE, I REQUEST BUENA VISTA,U.S. AND DISNEY TO KINDLY RELEASE THIS DELUXE EDITION ON REGION1. I ALSO REQUEST AMAZON TO KINDLY START A SURVEY AND LET THE STUDIO KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE WAITING FOR ITS RELEASE AND DYING TO OWN IT. PLEASE EVERYONE, VOTE FOR IT. I'M SURE IT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE AS IT DID BEFORE THE RELEASE OF PRESENTLY AVAILABLE EDITION, WHEN DISNEY WAS FORCED TO ADD THE ORIGINAL JAPANESE TRACK ON THE DISC AFTER PEOPLE HAD RAISED THEIR VOICES. DISNEY, WE WANT THIS ONE. "true to life - each of us a mixed bag"Princess Mononoke will forever stand out in my mind as a movie that acutally manages to avoid the cheap, inchaote good guys v. bad guys dichotomy. Mononoke has a good guy, but everyone else is full of true to life ambiguities. Simply put, the viewer can understand where each antagonism arises and festers. The main character thus stands out as a strange sort of Christ figure: he refuses to damn the others and seeks to quietly do all that he can for anyone he can. This is a highly imaginative film (as are all Miyazaki films), an full fledged action film, an ecological polemic, and, surprisingly, even a profound moral commentary. I highly recommend it. "Magical"I'm glad the first real anime film I ever watched was "Princess Mononoke." I never, or almost never, watch anything animated anymore, so stumbling over this brilliant piece of art was fortuitous to say the least. I'm not usually one to buy into hype, but the blazing blurbs on the DVD cover, trumpeting this movie as the most wonderful piece of anime ever made, did convince me to rent it for an evening. So did the gazillions of praiseworthy comments I subsequently found after viewing the film. The fact that several big shot Hollywood actors-including Billy Bob Thornton, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Gillian Anderson, Minnie Driver, and Claire Danes-provided the voices of the characters almost scared me away from this picture. I figured that the only reason these actors signed on to the project revolved around the idea that the central theme of the movie concerned industrialization versus nature. Well, it probably was the driving force for these actors, but you can look beyond all that and just enjoy the film anyway. And trust me, you'll love "Princess Mononoke." Set in medieval Japan, the movie is complex, beautiful, and inspiring. Young Prince Ashitaka runs into a big problem when he suffers a serious injury after battling a frighteningly evil creature outside his small village. The wound, a bite mark on his arm, is incurable according to the village doctor. Ashitaka will eventually morph into a demon unless he can somehow find the elusive Princess Mononoke, a human raised in the wild, who may know how to cure this dreaded disease. Leaving the village is difficult for the young prince because local tradition dictates that he may never return. On his trip into the wilds of nature, Ashitaka runs into a mysterious monk named Jigo, stumbles into a war zone, and discovers a fabulous metal works factory run by the beautiful Lady Eboshi. It turns out that this factory, staffed largely by women, produces guns and ammunition for the samurai armies. Eboshi doesn't limit herself to only dealing with one customer, however, as she is a dedicated capitalist willing to sell armaments to anyone with money. When Ashitaka finally meets Mononoke he discovers that the denizens of the forest are attempting to fight back against Eboshi's machinations. Obviously, Ashitaka must decide which side to take in the battle for the earth. He is torn between giving into his love for Mononoke or battling the humans. "Princess Mononoke" is much more than a simple action tale, although there are plenty of intense combat sequences. Love plays a big part in the story, between Ashitaka and Mononoke as well as a love for the purity of nature. Malice rears its ugly head, too. Not only is Eboshi filled with odium, but so is Mononoke as she battles the humans destroying the wilderness. It's to the film's credit that it never takes a black or white view of either humans or animals. Each side has an ugly aspect that often emerges in startling ways. The movie eventually seems to say that humans need to forget about dominating nature and instead find their own niche within it. Still, there can be little doubt about where the filmmakers' sympathies lie. All of the greatest scenes in the movie involve Ashitaka's interactions with nature and the animals. The animators pulled out all the stops in presenting a truly magical world. Pay special attention to the wondrous nature god's awe-inspiring transformations and the little forest apparitions that appear to guide Ashitaka through the forest. These scenes constitute the finest animation I have ever seen, animation that should rightfully carry the tag "art" more often than not. The only problem I had with the film concerned some of the voiceovers. I thought Billy Crudup did a fine job as the heroic Ashitaka. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Claire Danes's work as Mononoke. I continually felt this actress had no conception of her character or how to convincingly vocalize her attributes. I began to develop a distinct sense of dread every time Mononoke opened her mouth. As for the other American actors, they did an acceptable job. Thornton did better than I thought he would as the voice of the wily Jigo, considering this actor's southern accent, but then again the monk doesn't appear too often in the movie. Only after I watched the movie and returned it did I think about viewing it in Japanese with subtitles. I suspect that would have been a better way to see this film. These criticisms in no way require me to give "Princess Mononoke" less than five stars. The DVD edition of the film does contain a few extras, including some interviews with the American actors voicing some of the characters, a trailer, and a widescreen presentation. I didn't think animation would use widescreen, but what do I know? "Princess Mononoke" doubtless appeals to fans of the anime genre, but it should have an equal effect on non-fans. I know I couldn't believe some of the stuff I was seeing in this movie-yes, it's that powerfully beautiful. I wouldn't just watch this one again; I'm thinking about buying myself a copy. That's how much I liked the darn thing. Maybe I ought to start watching more anime in the near future. "Princess Mononoke DVD by Hayao Miyazaki"After I watched trailer and read different customers reviews on this web-site, I decided to rent it first. There are several reasons why, after renting it, I decided to buy it for my home collection: 1) Quality of picture. I was impressed the way this cartoon is created. There is no computer enhancement - just pure paint works with wonderful vivid colours. I enjoyed watching beautiful landscapes and realistic characters. 2) A story. After watching "Tokyo Godfathers" and "Spirited Away", I realized that Japanese animated stories are always unique, interesting and catching. I wasn't bored a second! Even though there is some violence, the main themes of the movie are love, support and kindness. 3) Music. The music for this movie is composed by the acclaimed Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi. Based on the score for this movie, Joe Hisaishi released a separate symphonic suite. The main theme of the movie is a popular hit in Japan; it is being played or sung by various artists. I can watch this movie several times, as I like quality of animation, the story and the music. This DVD includes a version of the movie dubbed in French. As I learn French I think I have an excellent chance to learn it with such a pleasant DVD! Conclusion: I made a good investment buying this product. There aren't many quality animations on the market. This one is a gem that I didn't want to miss. "It's a good, real movie"I agree with the people who say this movie is good for not having a clear "evil" side. Yes, it takes some imagination on the part of the viewer, but it is a true masterpiece. Never before this have I seen a movie where there really was no clear "good" side. Great for people who like to think metephorically, or fantasy fans like myself. |
