• Michael Mirasol in Manila
There is a point in Homer's "The Odyssey" where Odysseus is washed ashore from a shipwreck.A young woman comes to his aid, rescuing him from his end. She was Nausicaa, lover of nature, and eventually serving as a mother of his rebirth. In Hayao Miyazaki's first masterpiece "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" he heralds a protagonist of similar inspiration, whose own odyssey and heroism would take on Homeric proportions.
The Valley's princess, Nausicaa, is a free spirit and genuine "renaissance man." Puzzled by the jungle's nature, she frequents its depths for resources and answers. Aside from mastering flight, she's also a ferocious warrior when need be. But what truly defines her is her uncanny rapport and devotion to all living things.
Mirasol's video essay:
The film's story takes place in a dystopian timeline where human civilization appears to be in its last throes. A vast toxic jungle envelops the land, teeming with monstrous insects, hostile to anything that disturbs the expanse. A few kingdoms remain, at war with the jungle and each other. One remaining beacon is the Valley of The Wind, a peaceful and prosperous feudal community, seemingly protected from the jungle by its bordering forest and strong winds.
One day she is visited by Lord Yupa, a noted Valley resident revered for his wisdom and unparalleled swordsmanship. He has returned from his search for a prophesied savior only to return with grim news. That same evening a massive airship crashes near the valley, attacked by an insect swarm. Having come from the neighboring jungle, it brings spores which threaten the Valley's forest, as well as an uneasy cargo. The Valley soon learns that its ominous load is a prize sought by warring kingdoms, one of which lays siege to the Valley. This leads to various adventures, escapes, revelations, and locales of staggering creativity. Ranging from underground caverns, to heart of the toxic Jungle, and even to the very stratosphere.
The film is considered to be the first of Miyazaki's works to showcase his strong environmental inclinations. In every film since he has made his case for man to grow closer to nature as a return to the olden days. He does so with positive reinforcement, hardly ever resorting to demonizing, moralizing, or sermonizing. Here, the toxic jungle isn't so much an inhospitable realm as it is a fearsome marvel of nature. It's huge arthropod denizens never come off as oozing grotesques, but wondrous (though scary) creatures. The film's largest creations, the ohmus, are wholly original, and are almost proof that the eyes are the window to the soul.
Miyazaki's refusal to narrow down conflict to two or even three sides is refreshing, and quite admirable considering its target audience. The film's story does concern good versus evil, but they aren't manifested in simplistic ways. Each populace has its own motivations. Each conflict has its reason. Wars exist among man and against nature. Several stakes exist. Even death is hardly out of bounds. For much of the film, there is no one problem/solution. But despite this moral complexity for an animated film, it all fits Miyazaki's big picture, and in the end we see it.
It takes a deep wisdom and understanding of youth to be able to carry out this vision. To know that children will grasp and want to grasp his story and ideas. Miyazaki accomplishes this not only by his storytelling techniques, but also through his visual artistry. Like the very best of Japanese animation, there is a warmth and softness to his illustrations (thanks to his pristine watercolor motifs) that make it almost effortless for viewers to accept and acclimatize to what unfolds on the screen. It allows for his characters and narrative to "breathe" (and breathe deeply), with moments of contemplation and authentic feeling taking hold. Compare this to his contemporaries who have to rely on cutesy gimmicks, frantic pacing, or glitzy style to draw in audience interest.
But its "what" he illustrates that captures our hearts as well as our minds. Much of anime in the past 20 years has concentrated on a utopian future, filled with technological wizardry and innovation, which is abundant in Japanese culture. But Miyazaki tends to look back instead of looking forward, inward instead of outward, looking at treasures of futures past that might have been. Like most of his films, his timeline here isn't technological, but pastoral, with people relying more on each other and the Earth. He favors gorgeous green panoramas usually near blue bodies of water. He is in love with flight with his heroes soaring through the sky, representing our dreams of breaking through our limitations. We sense his hope in women more than men, believing them to be the key to humanity's progress as opposed to man's history of violence. These creeds and themes are held dearly and instinctively by the young and hopeful, and its Miyazaki's ability to convey these naturalistic ideas through his visual imagination, which makes him unique.
And his imagination. My God is it breathtaking. Only Pixar has been able to rival Miyazaki's creative energies in forming entirely new sights, sounds, and stories with each subsequent film. But Pixar is a collection of talent (all of whom pretty much worship him), while Miyazaki is a singular force. While even the greatest of directors have to rely on cast and crew to carry out their visions, Miyazaki pretty much IS the film. He might be the closest thing to the idea of an "auteur" which filmdom has.
Yes I effuse praise for Hayao Miyazaki, but to write about his films can only lead to discussing the marvel that is the man. No other animator has produced such an admired body of work in the past 30 years, nor has influenced so much of its workings. And in the world of animation "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" is one of its brightest stars, giving birth to Studio Ghibli and its priceless body of work. It is the seminal Miyazaki film, breathing wonder, tenderness, and life into worlds where we'd all like to live in.
• Michael Mirasol tweets at @flipcritic.
• Final drawing by Kazu Kibuishi, who tweets as @boltcity.
Here is the complete film:
Loved the first video clip and the following essay...but I could not in any way recommend watching something with the beautiful animation this movie has in a Google video format. It just looks...it looks awful.
Ebert: There you go. But the price is right.
I've been a huge fan of Miyazaki films since I was a small child (I remember watching My Neighbor Totoro back in kindergarden 15 years ago), but have been meaning to see Nausicaa for a while now. Thanks for the video, and I hope that this can bring the works of Miyazaki to a broader audience than to just the people interested in Japanese animation.
Will be watching.
I don't say this as a mouth-breathing manga dork or anything, but it's hard to so unreservedly recommend the Nausicaa film after you've read the Nausicaa saga in book form, which — after your opening paragraph — is easily his Odyssey. The scope of the books is absolutely breathtaking; the Nausicaa film covers all but a tenth of what he tries (and succeeds) in doing with the mangas. You write in your post that Miyazaki's Nausicaa anime doesn't simplify its worlds political and ideological conflicts to good vs. evil, but if you ever have a chance to read the books, I think you might well change your mind about that. Highly recommended and just breathtaking in their scope: I don't know if the comic form has ever seen a better piece of work.
I saw "Princess Mononoke" on a huge 70mm screen when it came out with THX digital sound and it remains to this day the greatest movie going experience of my life. The movie was just so powerful and poignant that it made me rethink what is possible in the art of cinema, the art of storytelling in general.
To fully immerse yourself in the viewing experience (back then) I strongly felt (and still feel) that you had to be familiar with Mr. Miyazaki's work to truly appreciate the artistry and beauty of such a movie (as Mononoke). Miyazaki is quite simply one of the finest film makers we've ever had. He deserves to be placed in the same league as those renowned artists of old like Ford, Kurosawa, Fellini and Lang. His movies truly are unique.
They seem at once bread out of some sort of cosmically unreal simplistic beauty (I say simplistic not simple mind you); like some long forgotten form of storytelling that seems to elude grace without much forced effort. And yet, as a director he uses only camera moves and framing that is absolutely necessary to convey the story; and is not by definition a showboat artist. For those unfamiliar this is the only way I can verbally express what the flow of his films means to me personally. Anyone who's a fan knows exactly what I'm talking about but perhaps more often than not can't quite put it into words.
While part of the pantheon that is “animé” in Japan, Miyazaki's movies sort of exist in their own parallel universe (and a league by itself in terms of quality and cultural impact). A universe complete with story arches, narrative techniques and character designs that are unique only to Studio Ghibli. If you replaced every animated character in his films with real life actors and changed the settings, the viewer would automatically know they were in a Miyazaki film based on the pacing and narrative flow alone. Part of this masterful execution has a lot to do with his long time collaborator and living legend Joe Hisaishi. Like Danny Elfman to Tim Burton, Hisaishi has provided most of the moving musical scores for Miyazaki's work and you could not imagine one without the other.
But his movies are not just about pretty pictures; they truly are marvels of story, drama and craft. Many of his films carry a narrative protagonist in the form of an adolescent female. Indeed, Miyazaki's films are (among many other things) a celebration of all stages of womanhood. In My Neighbor Totoro you have Satsuki and Mei; they are part of the pre-adolescent stage where imagination runs rampant. Then there's Sen from Spirited Away, the adolescent stage of rebellion and withdrawal. There are of course the coming of age tales of teens like Kiki's Delivery Service and Porco Rosso. Stories of young adults like San and Nausicca who must unite a war torn environment. People like Sheeta from Castle in the Sky who are on the cusp of womanhood who must make monumental decisions that could change the fate of their future. Miyazaki even examines old age with Howl's Moving Castle. The list goes on and on.
What all his movies have in common are strong and distinct characters who all engage in varying levels of the human struggle. Each one learns and grows as a result and lives are changed in the process. Of course, not without having a couple of grand adventures along the way. Miyazaki's films truly fit the bill of: Can be appreciated by children as well as adults. His movies are beyond sophisticated, wise, simple yet kinetic in their pacing. Poignant yet not sappy. Deep without being preachy. Breathtaking without being over-saturated with ideas. If you haven't visited the grand film library of his work I suggest taking that trip. It's one you won't likely forget.
NOTE: Many moviegoers this summer may have noticed the stuffed Totoro doll in Toy Story 3. Hardly an accident, since Mr. storytelling genius that he is John Lasseter was instrumental in bringing Mr. Miyazaki’s wonderful films to a larger audience. Miyazaki himself once said that one of his dreams was for children all over the world to enjoy his movies… Well from humble moviegoer number one mission accomplished and then some.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2Tue9MEVlU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcMwpNidCYM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y63am1ItTro
I got into Miyazaki via "Spirited Away" and "The Princess Mononoke". These have become a way to figure out if acquaintances are willing to bust out of their Western ruts. If they 'get' these movies, they can do so. If they can't- it isn't hopeless, but there is a lot of philosophical, cultural and metaphysical explaining ahead for me.
I plan to collect as many of his films as I can- when I can afford to.
It IS worth the purchase. There's a 2 disc set that is beautiful. One of my favorite works of his.
The three shows that I consider instrumental into getting me hooked into Anime are (in no particular order):
- the Robotech/Macross series
- Ghost in the Shell
- and this, Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa
Great article!
I first saw this film as a kid, in the warriors of the wind incarnation. It was playing on HBO in the motel bedroom. My sister and two friends huddled around the screen. Mom had just driven through the scene of a horrific dust storm, we kids witness to an awful lot of bad. The ruins and pastoral beauty lulled us into a calm, and the giant pill bugs suicide march were what finally brought tears to my eyes.
"Nausicaa" was one of my first introductions into anime movies, along with "Akira" and "Wings of Honneamise". Of the three, Nausicaa still holds the top spot, although as time has progressed, there have been others that have slipped in behind the list. But Hayao Miyazaki has created such lush and wonderful worlds, places that you feel should exist if we could simply find the right door to enter through.
I recall once a story (probably not true, but still was interesting) involving Don Markstein when he was working for Disney. They brought him into a room and showed a laserdisc copy of Laputa, back in 1986 or so. After seeing the movie, the Disney folks stated that this is what they're having to compete against... this was just before the renaissance in Disney animation.
I loved every Miyazaki movie I ever saw, but he is getting on in years and keeps threatening to retire. Things were looking bleak for the future of animated features in japan until I saw 'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time' by director Mamoru Hosoda, and recognized a great talent in the making. With his new picture 'Summer Wars' he has confirmed my opinion as on an equal footing with Miyazaki as far as talent in storytelling goes. If you have not yet seen it, please find a way to do so. It's a masterpiece.
Order Summer Wars from YesAsia
"First masterpiece" ? You dare slight "Castle of Cagliostro" ?
This is probably the one Miyazaiki picture that really falls flat for me (as much as it's possible). The poisoned forest and it's creatures are inspired but otherwise a lot of the visuals feel plodding. Nausicaa is less a character in her own right than simply the 'face' for his story, and the supporting characters are even duller. I enjoy films that "breathe" but I thought this one was hyperventilating, the work of a man with style and imagination to spare but not quite sure how to use it yet.
I dearly love this film. My first Miyazaki film was Spirited Away which I knew straight away was something very special and got me in research mode to find more from the same studio. This of course led me to the rest of his amazing films and I've loved each one as much as the rest. But there is something in particular about Nausicaa though.. I love reading or watching anything about Miyazaki or Ghibli, great article thanks!
And yes, I immediately watched it again for the umpteenth time on the google video link. I thought it was rather generous to include a link as this is one that can be difficult to find in some areas of the country. I think it provides great incentive for those who have never heard of the film to seek it out through online retailers.
I hope this essay helps usher more people into seeing Miyazaki's films as well as the other Studio Ghibli films from Isao Takahata. Yoshifumi Kondo only directed one film, Whisper of the Heart, before his untimely passing. It's a beautiful film that I hope people will see. Miyazaki worked on the fantasy scenes in it, including yet another wonderful 'flight' sequence.
When the imdb syndrome of trying to make a 'top 100' movies list hits me, you'll find 5 films by Miyazaki (and 2 more by Studio Ghibli directors Takahata and Kondo) in my all-time favorites list, putting Miyazaki only one behind Hitchcock and ahead of other my favorite directors: Kurosawa, Ozu, Powell/Pressburger and Lubitsch. I've been watching and loving Miyazaki films since the early 1990s and would have to say that the (Japanese import) "Ghibli ga Ippai" laserdisc boxset is probably the crown jewel of my old laserdisc collection, even though it's not nearly as large as the massive Urusei Yatsura TV LD50 boxset (at 50 discs, probably the largest laserdisc boxset ever released). The Ghibli ga Ippai box contains 10 Studio Ghibli films from Nausicaa through Whisper of the Heart, plus 2 LDs of shorts and extras (including a conversation between Miyazaki and Kurosawa) at a pricetag that worked out to about $100 a film, in a day when there weren't legit online copies of any Miyazaki film to see for free. I still feel it was worth every penny I paid for it (converted from yen), even though I now also own many of those films on the much more affordable domestic dvds (note to Buena Vista Home Video: Please give us ALL the Miyazaki films on Blu-ray releases! -- not just his newest film).
I would've liked to see Ponyo on the big screen last year (as I had done with Mononoke, which I'd already seen in Japanese and owned on import LD), but as a foreign language film purist, I didn't want my first viewing to be the English dub and I couldn't afford to import the $50 R2 dvd from Japan and therefore waited for the home video release. I'm hoping people will read your review of Ponyo and run out to rent or buy that film as well as Nausicaa. My favorite film of 2009 is a close toss up between Ponyo and Inglourious Basterds -- apples and oranges indeed. Ponyo had me completely enchanted and was a return to the childlike joy of Totoro, a film Roger was championing back on the tv show many years ago. Both are films that would probably captivate any child whose parents made the smart choice to buy the dvds for them instead of randomly picking up any flavor of the week hyperactive animated film to keep them busy by letting the tv babysit them. I believe that introducing one's children to Miyazaki's films is one of the best movie choices a discerning parent could make.
Nice post, Mirasol - and a Kazu Kibuishi pic to boot! It's probably too much to expect folks will plumb the depths of the original manga - which is an extraordinary work, more rewarding than the movie. But but but ... how is Disney letting you get away with posting the movie?
I am, among many others, are questioning the legitimacy of that video that has been uploaded to Google Video. I think that it might be an unauthorized upload but I'm not entirely sure. It's strange that its been up on Google Video's site for 3 years without notice.
Do you know if this is an authorized video? Also wouldn't you want to actually encourage people to buy the DVD of this great movie
Ebert: Watching a beautiful movie like this is a waste online. I assumed an entire film still online for three years could hardly be illegal. I rhaven't eceived any legal complaint, nor, apparently, has Google.
I first saw Nausicaa some years ago, it's a great movie. I can't help but wonder though, do you know if that really is an official release of it on Google video? I hadn't heard any news of it being released for free, and I have seen movies pirated in their entirety on video websites before, and honestly I'm very surprised that Disney would release it for free on the web.
I have .005 % chance of being right but "There is a fix for crappy video streams. Only problem is; telling you is a violation of DMCA. So, full circle. A nice YUV442 or MJPG with uncompressed audio is on a DVD (or fast network download. Sorry 'bout the tease but congress did this to us.
There is a tired cliché but I cannot recall it.
Wow... I just came on to the site to check for updates, as I often do, and so I read this article. I had never even heard of this movie before... But I'm a huge Miyazaki fan ever since Princess Mononoke. So I started watching this one (the free version on Google), and WOW... I think I like this even better than Princess Mononoke.... I'll be sure to show this movie to everyone I know. I just sat down and watched the whole thing. Completely amazing.
Anyone interested in Miyazaki and his animation MUST GO to the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, in Tokyo Prefecture (people living outside Japan can buy tickets online, good for a certain time and day). You'll feel like a kid again: http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en/
As for Nausicaa, it could be considered the ultimate Miyazaki film, as it includes everything that makes a Miyazaki film a Miyazaki film: plucky young heroines and heroes, an environmental theme, stunning visuals, lots of flight sequences, and characters that are shades of gray (in fact, this seems to be a feature in many Japanese films, which makes their characters more subtle and realistic, particularly their bad guys, than many characters that populate movies these days). And did I mention that the ending is a stunner, too, one of the best ones that Miyazaki created?
A very well-written and insightful review, Mike. It reminds me that I need to buy more Miyazaki films!
Nausicaä is a film that I am thankful to finally enjoy on DVD. I can only hope that one day it will be available on Blu-ray as well. Truely one of the beautiful anime films of the century.
I can't say enough for the music, either. Way back in 1987, when a tape trader from Boston sent me a cassette copy of the soundtrack, recorded off a scratchy LP record, made on a poor quality tapedeck, even then, when I first heard the main theme, I had the first and only (so far) out of body experience ever in my entire life. The music was intoxicating, so much so, I coined the term "sonic narcotics" because it is like being under the influence of a psychodelic drug.
A few years later, I bought the double CD soundtrack Nausicaä Best Collection. Just the other day, I played it on my sound system and was quickly swept away into a surreal world of pure sonic nirvana. This is Joe Hisaishi at his best.
And for our close friends, Nausicaä, whom we refer to as "our Young Lady" as if she were our personal goddess, is someone whom we highly esteem. Some people have Jesus. We have Nausicaä. ^_^
I'm a bit confused as to why the entire movie is being posted like this. Isn't that....illegal? Disney still localizes these and owns the copyright here, you know, even if they do a terrible job at it.
Roger, have you read the Nausicaa comic that Miyazaki wrote and drew over a 14 year period? It's scope is massive compared to that of the film, and in all honesty, makes it look like a complete joke in comparison. I'd argue that it's a greater work than any film he directed.
You hit the nail on the head. Miyazaki is unwilling to judge even people who do evil things as intrinsically evil. It's a moderation and gentleness that we all desperately need to take to heart. (Of course Miyazaki is not so forgiving when it comes to collaborating with others on his art, but that's another story.)
There's another gentle spirit at Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli too -- Isao Takahata, whom I think can safely be called animation's most humane director. His films range from a heartbreaking tragedy about the small lives that are crushed in war (Grave of the Fireflies) to poetic celebrations of simple domestic happiness (Only Yesterday, My Neighbors the Yamadas). Yamadas was Takahata's most recent film in 1999, and it took the soft watercolor look you mention to breathtaking new heights of artistry, using computers to create moving sumi-e ink paintings. Unfortunately it was a commercial failure, but at long last Takahata is directing Ghibli's next film, based on an old Japanese folk tale. I can't wait.
Miyazaki and Takahata are getting old, and Miyazaki recently said there was a plan to reduce the studio to a copyright management company if they can't find new directors to carry on the tradition. Their latest try at this is Arietty the Borrower, based on The Borrowers series of children's books and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi. It's not as ambitious as Ghibli's other films, but it is just as beautiful and I was surprised at how caught up in it I became. It has the same humane outlook as Ghibli's other work, something that can't really be said about Tales from Earthsea (directed by Miyazaki's son Goro), which was disappointingly formulaic and used some obvious and embarrassing animation shortcuts.
I was also bothered a little by the embedded video of the entire film, however. I know we want to make sure people can see it, but Nausicaa is out in a very nice two-DVD set in the U.S. and can actually be found in many rental stores and certainly on Netflix.
Miyazaki is great because of his knowledge and usage of the 2d animation as a medium to tell stories. He can push it to its maximum power and engage the audiences in a fascinating story told with strong visual.
There also has been many experiment being done to 2d animation. This what makes 2d animation still felt much more powerful than 3d animation. All 3d animators still need to keep on experimenting the medium so that it can stand on the same level as the 2d animation. Even from that point, they still have to face another journey to achieve Miyazaki's level.
Many key animators from this film have moved on to direct and animate some of the most popular series and movies in Japan. I think Miyazaki, in founding Studio Ghibli for this movie, had and continues to nurture and recognize talent in the industry, and what's most interesting is how this film served as the foundation for nearly everything that followed in anime and animation worldwide.
Nausicaa was recently remastered in Blu-ray (the first of the old Ghibli movies to do so) and released in Japan along with the excellent Disney english dub, along with many other languages. It includes a treasure trove of extras for those who are really interested, and it's a joy to see it in such high quality. If you're inclined to import, it might set you back around $80, but it's worth it.
But what an strange coincidence. Just before coming to this article I read that Satoshi Kon, acclaimed director of Paprika and Millennium Actress, and one of the few rivals of Miyazaki's in Japanese animation, has died. For those who have a fondness for Nausicaa should look into Mr. Kon's few films as well. You won't be disappointed.
This is slightly Off topic but I was wondering if you'd heard the sad news about who would have most likely followed Miyazaki as the leading auteur of Japanese animation in the next few decades. I'm speaking of the sudden death of the film maker Satoshi Kon at the age of 47. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-08-24/award-winning-director-satoshi-kon-passes-away
A very different director than Miyazaki but with such a stunningly original vision, a creator of animation for adults without resorting to gratuitous sex or violence like other creators of "mature" animated movies. I believe Christopher Nolan has been noting him as an influence on Inception and if I remember correctly is a creator you've been championing since his debut film, Perfect Blue.
He and Miyazaki were my two favorite animation directors and in the past I had actually consoled myself with the thought that if Miyazaki ever truly retired or if he suddenly died, at least Kon would still be around for a few more decades.
It's a very good film. But I wouldn't call it a masterpiece.
I'm glad to finally see an article on Nausicaa from you Mr. Ebert. You summed up exactly why I find this film so incredible. I think Miyazaki captured the amazing feeling of flight in this better than anything else he has done.
I'm curious, have you jumped on the blu-ray bandwagon yet? Japan released this on blu-ray last month and it is stunning. Granted, it's $78 to import it but well worth it until a stateside release.
Ebert: Credit where due: The review is by Michael Mirasol.
Let me throw out another Japanese animator who's worth watching, for both his visuals and the auteur aspect: Makoto Shinkai. His first production, the short film "Voices of a Distant Star," is probably his best -- it was almost entirely a solo effort. His subsequent works, "The Place Promised In Our Early Days" and "5 Centimeters Per Second," arguably don't hold together as well storywise, but his visuals are stunning -- he does amazing things with light and color. He works digitally, but his visuals rival Miyazaki's, in my opinion.
There's no denying Miyazaki is an amazing creative force in the anime industry, but the question remains, for how long? He's "retired" several times before and returned because of the workaholic he is, but as he gets on with age, each claim becomes more and more convincing. As Ben Applegate mentioned, there is a chance the Studio Ghibli as we know it will cease to be in the near future. Once he steps off the stage, who will come in to fill the void, if not emulating his style then matching his creative output and dedication to the craft (in the anime industry)?
I was hoping that Satoshi Kon (Millenium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika) would be one of them, as he always brings out creatively stunning work, and his relative youth would allow him to be a part of the anime industry for a long time to come. But sadly, that will never come to pass with the tragic news that he passed away just yesterday.....
I was disappointed that this person didn't talk about Castle of Cagliostro, which IMO his one of Miyazaki best films.
Hey Roger, have you heard of the film "The Castle of Cagliostro"? I highly recommend that you check it out. It was made before he formed Studio Ghibli, and it has some of his early imagery that was later used in his films (Porco Rosso, Ponyo, Castle in the Sky). It's also one of the funniest animated films I have ever seen and has one of the best car chases in animation.
First:
when videotape players became available in the 80s, among the rental items available in the TV store (in those pre-Blockbuster days anybody could--and did--rent tapes) was "Warriors of the Wind", an edited version of Nausicaa. Even stripped of 20 minutes, almost the entire ecological subplot, I saw a movie that was the animation equivalent of "Ben-Hur". Nothing less.
Second:
I've asked this of you before, and never got an answer. If it's not possible, I understand, but at least let me know your policy on requests like this: my book Anime Explosion is going into its second edition, and, even with quite a bit of new material (including, sadly, a chapter on the anime of Satoshi Kon that was just punctuated by his death at age 47), I still feel the need to tryn to convince readers that Japanese animation has found a firm foothold in the critical community as well as among the fans. Hence this request yet again: is it possible for you to pen a preface? The details can be worked out between you and my publisher (Stone Bridge Press) but I know you have been a critic more knowledgeable and sympathetic toward anime than most. Please let me know one way or the other.
Meanwhile, keep on keepin' on,
Patrick Drazen
My apologies to Michael Mirasol. I didn't watch the video and thought that was your writing Mr. Ebert, as I know I've seen you mention Miyazaki's incredible imagination before.
As for the fate of Studio Ghibli, I think there's hope some new directors will take up the reigns. The Borrowers looks promising and I can't wait to see it. Hiromasa Yonebayashi directed it and he's the youngest one yet to direct a Studio Ghibli film.
I plan to write about my own Miyazaki experience pretty soon. Hope you get to catch it.
I agree completely. I am immensely saddened by his passing; we've lost an incredibly valuable storyteller in the world of animation. He was one of those directors who was taking Anime in to new realms thought to be out of bounds.
In honor of him, my next review will be for MILLENIUM ACTRESS.
I think Isao Takahata's GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES is the finest animated film ever made.
In other anime news: RIP Satoshi Kon, dead at only 47 from cancer, whose 2001 film Millennium Actress sparred with Miyazaki's Spirited Away for the highest animation awards in Japan that year and has kept within IMDB's top 25 for animation quite securely for some time. He made only a few films...alongside one superb television series called Paranoia Agent...but they're all likely to be considered classics for many years to come.
Miyazaki has either retired or will retire soon. It's a tragedy to see such a comparatively young talent, who likely had many great films left in him, die before his time.
Kon's "Perfect Blue" is one of the finest psychological thrillers ever made, period -- live or animated.
Note to "Ivan:" Miyazaki has, I believe, contracted for two more films, so with good health, the end of his career has not arrived just yet.
Thanks for posting this. I saw the 'butchered' version on HBO as a kid in the early eighties. This, along with Canada's "Rock and Rule" and Lucasfilm's "Twice Upon a Time" were the films that catapulted my generic 'kid' interest in animation into a lifelong appreciation. Nausicaa was the monster though - absolutely mindblowing, especially considering what the baseline for animation in the States was back then.
I'm a huge Miyazaki fan, but Nausicaa is the only one that I can't bring myself to like. I found the original manga in my local library before I even knew who Miyazaki was and I was totally captivated by the visuals and the storyline. I didn't know that there was a film until after I finished the entire 7 book series. I was really excited to rent the movie to see if it was as good as the books and was sadly disappointed. The movie only covers the first volume and the real meat of the story is in the later volumes.
I could go on for hours about this, but all I'm saying is that if you liked the film, you'll love the manga.
I like the film, love the comic it's based on. Miyazaki was only partly through the comic book when he made the film. I think the comic is work of philosophical genius, on par (albeit different in presentation, comics are not the same as written fiction) with other science fiction/fantasy type epics like The Lord of the Rings and Dune however it is very much in tune with modern concerns about nihilism, our relationship with the environment and how we live our lives before we die are just a few of the things Miyazaki covers in Nausicaa.
Michael Mirasol: I think Isao Takahata's GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES is the finest animated film ever made.
That, in fact, may be my favorite film from Studio Ghibli. Certainly one of the greatest films ever made. Another one (not done by either Takahata or Miyazaki) is 海を聞こえる (I Can Hear The Sea). I don't think it's been released in the U.S. yet (I bought a copy in Japan), but it's one of the best movies I've ever seen about high school, friendship, and how our perceptions of people can change over time--or our realization of what those perceptions are.
Looking forward to that Millenium Actress review. :-)
Speaking of Satoshi Kon, I just came across a translation of his final post on his personal website. I knew very little about the man behind so many films that I've deeply enjoyed, but his words brought tears to my eyes.
http://www.makikoitoh.com/journal/satoshi-kons-last-words
Wonderful post on Nausicaa, by the way. I can never decide on which of Miyazaki's films is my favorite, but Nausicaa is always at or near the top of my list. Certainly a film that I've kept close to my heart since I first saw it, and one that I has inspired me try to become a (slightly) better person, too.
Thanks for the post on one of my favorite filmmakers. I LOVE Miyazaki's work! I am also a fan of Kurosawa, and Miyazaki is an Kurosawa of the anime world. Both his and Kurosawa's films are so painterly. You could take almost any frame and put them on a wall.
For what it's worth, my favorites of Miyazaki are Castle in the Sky and Spirited Away, with Ponyo in close third. All his films are well worth watching.
I also have a few other Gibly films in my DVD board (Grave of the fireflies, Only Yesterday, Princess Mononoke), but this one's still my favourite.
I agree that one should buy the DVD for adequate colours, but it was still interesting watching this version, just to hear the english dub (my version only has japanese and german dubs, which is kind of disappointing).
Even though I like this film the best of all Gibly films, I still have to say that I prefer the comic version. Miyazaki is a genius not only for animations, but for comics as well and it is kind of sad that he only made so few of them.
On the other hand there are more geniuses in the comic branch than in the animation (, maybe the whole movie) branch, so it is probably a good thing for him to strenghen the weaker industry with his art.
About time! Someone with some information on this. You'd hope considering how in demand Comic Book Adaptations are recently, some information would actually be kinda easy to locate. Apparently not. Anyway, thankyou for this! Much appreciated!
I loved From the Valley of the Wind - Our far-flung correspondents OMG! One of my favorite posts of all time.