Diddy
愛してるって 言わなきゃ殺す
Congratulations Ghiblettes, we are in the final third of our 21-movie saga, and another entry in the Isao Takahata canon. From his Ghibli directorial debut "Grave of the Fireflies" last month, we go to his final directed movie, and labor of love, "The Talk of Princess Kaguya" ("かぐや姫の物語").
While Studio Ghibli have often adapted literary works, particularly British authors, for movies like "Howl's Moving Castle" and "Arietty", they haven't really gone down the folk talk route in the same way Disney have. Of course there is plenty of Japanese folklore stirred into the pot, like the Yokai parade in Pom Poko, but 10th Century "The Tale of Bamboo Cutter" ("竹取物語") is one of THE Japanese folk tales, and the oldest of such folk stories, so Ghibli bringing it to the big screen was a big deal.
Following the birth of the titular princess from a stalk of bamboo to poor elderly couple, we watch her grow up and try to fit into old Japanese society. But will a supernatural being such as her be able to live among humans forever?
Takahata sadly died after completing this film, and his filmography for Ghibli are iconic in a different way to Miyazaki. The traditional art style used in this movie is a stark difference to the typical Miyazaki style, and secured it an Oscar nomination. It was a developmental problem child, going way over deadline, but it was a real passion project, as much for Nippon TV Chairman Seiichiro Ujiie, who practically funded it for Takahata to be at the helm. Sadly Ujiie passed away before it was completed (although apparently he did get to see a lot of the early development and the script.
As well as the Oscar nom (losing to Big Hero 6
), it met with decent commercial success in Japan, as one of the biggest films of 2014 (despite its November 2013 release), and modest success abroad.
HOW THIS WORKS
In a semi book club format, the films will be announced, and over the course of about 2 weeks we can watch it and let everyone know what we thought. We are in the last third of the movies now, so I have decided to curate the last run and not pick the last big ones too soon - we've been really restrained I think so far, so thank you!
I was thinking 2 weeks should be enough time for most people to fit in a viewing at some point, but it's not strict so please come back when you have a chance, no pressure!
@Christian @Gangsta Nancy Lam @jivafox @COB @Haiku @ZenGiraffe @Lucille @KindaCool @Eyes @Queen of the Bay @RaspberrySwirl @RJN @Beverley @big ron @ButterTart @Mats (let me know if you don't want to be tagged any more)
While Studio Ghibli have often adapted literary works, particularly British authors, for movies like "Howl's Moving Castle" and "Arietty", they haven't really gone down the folk talk route in the same way Disney have. Of course there is plenty of Japanese folklore stirred into the pot, like the Yokai parade in Pom Poko, but 10th Century "The Tale of Bamboo Cutter" ("竹取物語") is one of THE Japanese folk tales, and the oldest of such folk stories, so Ghibli bringing it to the big screen was a big deal.
Following the birth of the titular princess from a stalk of bamboo to poor elderly couple, we watch her grow up and try to fit into old Japanese society. But will a supernatural being such as her be able to live among humans forever?
Takahata sadly died after completing this film, and his filmography for Ghibli are iconic in a different way to Miyazaki. The traditional art style used in this movie is a stark difference to the typical Miyazaki style, and secured it an Oscar nomination. It was a developmental problem child, going way over deadline, but it was a real passion project, as much for Nippon TV Chairman Seiichiro Ujiie, who practically funded it for Takahata to be at the helm. Sadly Ujiie passed away before it was completed (although apparently he did get to see a lot of the early development and the script.
As well as the Oscar nom (losing to Big Hero 6
), it met with decent commercial success in Japan, as one of the biggest films of 2014 (despite its November 2013 release), and modest success abroad.HOW THIS WORKS
In a semi book club format, the films will be announced, and over the course of about 2 weeks we can watch it and let everyone know what we thought. We are in the last third of the movies now, so I have decided to curate the last run and not pick the last big ones too soon - we've been really restrained I think so far, so thank you!
I was thinking 2 weeks should be enough time for most people to fit in a viewing at some point, but it's not strict so please come back when you have a chance, no pressure!
@Christian @Gangsta Nancy Lam @jivafox @COB @Haiku @ZenGiraffe @Lucille @KindaCool @Eyes @Queen of the Bay @RaspberrySwirl @RJN @Beverley @big ron @ButterTart @Mats (let me know if you don't want to be tagged any more)
