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Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Director: Hayao Miyazaki Number of Items: 2 Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen Format: Color, Widescreen, Animated Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Running Time: 118 minutes Studio: Buena Vista Home Vid Region Code: 1 Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2005-02-22 Buy from Amazon |
 "A simple story told from an epic background"The box on the DVD says that this is Miyazaki's masterpiece. While this movie was a huge influence on my life with movies, I don't really think that this movie would be the crowning jewel on his celebrated career. I have seen the movie "Warriors of the Wind" which was the first release of Nausicaa in North America. It was so cut up according to Miyazaki that he refused to put his name on it and refused to release more movies unless he had total control. In the 1990's he then relented, releasing Totoro through Fox Pictures and then made his deal with Disney to re-release his other movies either through a theatrical release or video. Nausicaa, his second feature, comes direct to video. The movie takes place a thousand years after the seven days of fire that destroyed the modern world. The land was scorched and eventually replaced with a toxic jungle poisonous to mankind. The creatures of the seven days of fire represent the nuclear capabilities of man and the toxic jungle represents the response of the nature to protect them from Man. There are some disparate kingdoms and one of them is the Valley of the Wind. They are blessed with the wind from the sea, which keeps the deadly spores of the jungle away and the people have developed a symbiotic relationship (some would even say a love of) the jungle. The daughter of the king, Nausicaa is one of those people. She often travels into the jungle, trying to find a way to live in harmony with the jungle, while others find ways to destroy it. One day, she meets Lord Yupa, a traveling warrior/philosopher unlike Gandalf in the LoTR, who is a friend of the King, who has taken ill. Right after his arrival, an airship from the Kingdom of Tolmekia, a war like nation who conquers others in the name of unity and protecting them under their umbrella for the good of humankind (ahem, that sounds familiar). They are on their home from a recent conquest of the Kingdom of Pejite (which is represented as a vaguely Arabic nation) after finding out that the Pejite recently discovered a demon responsible for the seven days of fire. The ship, of course and infested with creatures of the jungle, crash lands and they discover the demon (in a hibernating state). Soon, the Tolmekians take over the Valley with their vast military army, kill the Valley's King and plan to take Nausicaa back to Tolmekia. On the way back, the Pejite launch a counterattack, led by their Prince Asbel. Asbel and Nausicaa go back to Pejite, and discover the Pejite military have launched counterattack which involves destroying the occupying Tolmelkian army in the Valley of the Wind. The death of the valley would be collateral damage. While this seems like a plot driven movie, there are two underlying themes throughout the movie. The first is the pettiness between nations to conquer others in the guise of protecting the weak against an evil foe (the toxic jungle) and the evils of this power against a fragile world that will defend itself from man's intervention. It is this geo-political-environmental theme that plays out in say Princess Mononoke (the natural world vs. man). I believe that Miyazake portrays this more subtlety than he does with Mononoke, where they have animal gods roaming throughout. The animation has become a touch outdated as the years have gone by, Miyazake has been outdone in person animate by anime auteurs such as Otomo and Oshi but in terms of creative design on an epic scale, I will say that no one comes close. I think the design of the Ohmu and the Ushiabu creatures were simply amazing at the time. Miyazake also fleshes out his celluloid characters and gives Nausicaa lots of character that is missing nowadays in an era of Diva's who would rather portray themselves than dive into a character. Nausicaa is a contradiction, being a pacifist and a warrior, a mature adult and child, girly yet strongly feminist, etc. She is voiced extremely well by Alison Lohman, who seems accurate in her voicing. Lord Yupa's voice was an inspired choice. Patrick Stewart has a deep, masterful and wise voice and it bodes well for the well worn traveller. Other actors like Uma Thurman, Chris Sarandon, and Edward James Olmos do a great job as well. The only voice I didn't like too much was Prince Asbel, voice monotonously by Shia LeBeouf (where was the beef in that performance Shia?) The movie is a little too violent for children and the Disney version is very clean with a good (but not great) sound transfer. It is a two disc, but the second disc is for Nausicaa nutz only because the only feature is the full length storyboard. Compared to Miyazaki's work, it ranks in the lower middle of his works. It was better than Lupin III and Porco Rosso and I liked it the same as My Neighbour Totoro and Princess Mononoke on story, but I feel it was inferior to Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Castle in the Sky. Still, even though it is not his best, it is better than any other direct to video animated movie this year.....Rating B+  "Anime for anyone -- the most jaded fan or newcomers to the artform."This was the film which introduced me (and many others in the 1980s) to Miyazake, and even in the form of a poor quality VHS on an ordinary TV, it was amazing. By 1984 Miyazake was already well known in Japan for his anime work in film, TV, and for the comic strip that this film was based upon. In this early full length film he really got to spread his wings. There are fantastic aerial sequences like the jet-glider evading the flying snakes, which (this predates computed 3D, and aerial sequences are present in most of his work) are just a tour-de-force of imagination and geometry. And yet this is a world that feels very organic, not geometric, with a cast of characters drawn in a unique cross between hobo, samurai, and pirate - totally blending in to an imaginary post apocalyptic world where humans scratch out a precarious life in villages hidden in the few green valleys left in a world of desert, where the only remaining resources are wind, sunlight, and humans. But it is also a world of enormous dangers, including airborne bandits and the strange, mutated creatures that have evolved to control the barren and scarred earth. When our heroine's valley home is attacked by raiders, she embarks on an adventure against them that will lead her, and some unlikely allies found along the way, to an eventual confrontation combining warring armies of bandits, ancient machines of infernal destruction, and the implacable, mysterious, threatening beasts which roam the badlands. The pace is swashbuckling - if this were a book, it would be one you could not stop reading. It has the feel of the original comic books, but plays out wonderfully on the screen - you don't need to know the comics. The style is very unique. Even though it is very stylized (no photorealism here), you immediately get the feeling of the world and the characters. The story works for children of all ages (mine both first saw this before they were 6, and have memorized it long since), and combined with the wonderful visuals it is a treat for adults too. As a genre I would classify it as soft (no attempt at scientific correctness) sci-fi rather than fantasy, though some might think it more a work of fantasy. It is fascinating partly because its roots in style and action are unexpected for a western viewer. Japanese manga and stories had evolved in their own way, and although this is early Miyazake, it is already a product of that mature and distinct art form. As always with Miyazake - if you haven't seen his work, well you haven't seen anything like it, and it is time you did. "One of the Best Films Ever Made"I'm another one of those poor souls who saw "Nausicaa" in its horribly butchered form "Warriors of the Wind": I was eight or nine when my brother found it for me at Blockbuster, and it's proof of Miyazaki's genius that the masterpiece of "Nausicaa" still managed to shine through the travesty that was "Warriors." Long story short, once the Internet got itself invented I tracked down a fansub, watched it obsessively, and have been monitoring the progress of this DVD release for years. It doesn't disappoint. I'm trying to find the words to describe what makes Nausicaa so incredible, so unique even among Miyazaki's other movies. Don't get me wrong; I'm a huge Ghibli fan, and I've watched and loved the movies that critics claim are superior to "Nausicaa": "Spirited Away," "Princess Mononoke." And maybe, in terms of pure animation sophistication, they're right. But I have never been as touched by a film as I am every time I watch "Nausicaa." Maybe, because it was Miyazaki's first movie, the idealism and conviction that's strongest in youth is also strongest here. Maybe "Nausicaa" has such a raw and emotional power because, when Miyazaki made it, he was just finding his vision as a filmmaker and storyteller. Whatever the reason, "Nausicaa"'s apocryphal storyline of post-apocalyptic survival manages to be completely different from anything you've ever experienced, while at the same time as familiar as a fairy tale. Miyazaki manages to show more about the the flaws of humankind and the strength of life in two hours than any religious text can in two thousand pages. Oh, have I mentioned? I love this movie. Watch it as soon as you possibly can. "Epic Enviro-Themed Fantasy Adventure Drama For All Movie Lovers"One of the earliest stunners from masterpiece-maker Studio Ghibli, "Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind" takes place centuries in the future in a world covered by a globe-spanning super jungle that grows thousands of feet into the sky. Various human settlements still exist here and there where the jungle hasn't choked them out, and gigantic, dangerous insects called the Ohmu are among the strange and fascinating creatures inhabiting this altered new world. With the human settlements linked together in co-operation by only a tenuous peace and with the toxic jungle continuing its envelopment of everything in its path (kind of like the human jungle is doing to the natural world today come to think of it; this movie is full of allegory and metaphor, both envirornmental and otherwise) the fragile semi-balance is upset by the discovery by one of the other settlements of an ancient, incredibly powerful weapon from the distant past and the war that basically destroyed the previous world and ushered in this one, and has the potential to dominate or destroy again. Naturally, humanity being what it is, gaining control of this new discovery becomes top priority for one of the less amicable and more powerful of the small civilizations. As with all Ghibli material - gorgeous animation and seemingly unlimited imagination intertwine in bringing this world to life; this is one of the first Ghibli films, predating "Castle In The Sky", "Spirited Away", et al. so the techical aspects of the animation are not quite as advanced as later efforts but were still a quantum leap at the time and remain impeccably gorgeous today; basically the only big difference is there's not nearly so much movement in the backgrounds as in later Ghiblis, which reached the pinnacle of full animation. A minor point; when it still looks this good and is this effective it's not even a flaw. The color combinations used in creating the various fungus lifeforms that make up so much of the jungle, including almost all of the undersections where sunlight wouldn't reach (one of the ways in which even the most fantastic of Ghibli worlds maintain a strong believability and realism), and the quick darting motions of the enchanting small animals are just magnificent. Filled with enough memorable, fully realized characters and enough concept to easily pack an 800-page fantasy novel, and with surprises both beautiful and terrible, "Nausicca" is most similar to "Princess Mononoke" and to a lesser extent "Castle In The Sky". Includes a heart-stopping final fifteen minutes or so; this is a movie for Every movie lover, but big people, you should sit in with your wee ones on this; it's more intense and frightful than western animation (not that there's anything wrong with Disney and their peers!). Even after the final credits start to roll you'll want to keep watching even if you're not one of the viewers who, like myself, insists on sitting through to the very end every time anyway - not to give anything away, but more short scenes pop up. It seems that not only can Studio Ghibli do no wrong, they can do less than utterly excel. Yet ANOTHER All-Time Winner! "Great film. Worth buying if you like Hayao Miyzazki's stuff."I liked the film a lot. I went along with Miyzaki's normal story theme. There is one person trying keep the peace between different parties that want to kill everything and each other. The film comes to its climatic point at the very end and good overcomes evil (in a general sense). Still not better than Princess Mononoke, but definitely a flick worth picking up. |
