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'Princess Mononoke' should dazzle U.S. audiences as well
Friday, November 5, 1999
By WILLIAM ARNOLD
Even though Japanese animation has a considerable cult following in Seattle and other areas -- and has been perhaps the most profitable arm of the Japanese film industry for some years now -- it's never had any real impact on the world movie market, especially in the United States.
But the Miramax people are betting that this will change with the U.S. release of "Princess Mononoke," an animated epic that grossed a record $150 million in Japan in 1997, which has been painstakingly re-dubbed with a cast of familiar voices in English.
They may be right. It's a dazzling movie, gorgeous to look at, involving on both emotional and intellectual levels, and often thrilling. Audiences here could find it a welcome relief from the increasingly formulaic animated offerings of late-'90s Hollywood.
Set in Japan of the distant past and based on Japanese folklore, it's the story of a war between the elements of civilization and the endangered spirit of nature, whose various animal minions are struggling to fight back the encroachments of man.
Princess Mononoke. Directed and written by Hayao Miyazaki. English language adaptation by Neil Gaiman. Voices: Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Minnie Driver, Billy Bob Thornton. Miramax. Pacific Place, Varsity. 135 minutes. Rated PG-13 for violence. Grade: B+
The hero is a young prince (Billy Crudup) who, in the process of slaying one of these creatures -- a demon wart hog -- receives a wound that quickly turns into a strange cancerous growth that appears to be spreading over his whole body.
To save his life, a wise village matriarch sends him on a quest: to journey deep into the war zone -- the imperiled Western Forest -- to find the "Great God of the Forest" who alone understands the mystery of this curse and can perhaps lift it.
In outline, it sounds like a kid's movie, but it's not. For one thing, it's realistically violent, filled with decapitations, mutilations and spurting blood. And, while its animation (mostly hand-drawn) is stunning, it's moody and often upsetting, evoking the harshness of humanity as often as it does the soft beauty of nature.
The script is filled with philosophical ambiguity and a surprising complexity of character (so it's never easy to tell the bad guys from the good guys). And it makes its thematic point -- the need to strike a balance between the forces of man and nature -- in such a thoughtful, low-key way that kids could miss it entirely.
Still, for older teens and grown-ups, "Princess Mononoke" makes an exhilarating and uniquely entertaining mystical adventure -- one that creates its own magical world so effectively that it just might well be the long-expected hit that will turn on the U.S. mass audience to the glories of Japanese animation.
The lineup:
Today: "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" (7 p.m.) and "Porco Rosso" (4:45, 9:20).
Tomorrow: "Kiki's Delivery Service" (3, 7:30) and "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" (12:40, 5, 9:35).
Sunday: "Kiki's Delivery Service" (11:30, 3:20, 7:30) and "My Neighbor Totoro" (1:35, 5:30, 9:35).
Monday: "My Neighbor Totoro" (7:15) and "PomPoko" (4:45, 9).
Tuesday: "Grave of the Fireflies" (3:40, 7:40) and "Porco Rosso" (5:30, 9:30).
Wednesday: "Castle in the Sky" (7) and "Only Yesterday" (4:30, 9:30).
Thursday: "Castle in the Sky" (7) and "Whisper of the Heart" (4:30, 9:30).
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MOVIE REVIEW
In the process, the hero is thrown headlong into the middle of the war and, between the conflicting ambitions of a ruthless dowager (Minnie Driver) representing human "progress," a treacherous monk (Billy Bob Thornton) out to line his own pockets, and an environmentally radical young woman raised by wolves, Princess Mononoke (Claire Danes).
Hayao Miyazaki's "Princess Mononoke" leads a parade of Japanese animation movies vying for U.S. dollars.
A week of 'reel' magic
To make this even more of a banner week for Japanese animation, the Egyptian Theatre begins a one-week run today of "The Magic of Miyazaki, Takahata and Kondo," a retrospective of nine animated features from the Ghibli Studio (producers of "Princess Mononoke").
· Farcical 'Hamlet 2' is not your kid's high school musical
· Board a train to danger with 'Transsiberian'
· 'House Bunny is hopping with dumb fun
· Inspiration carries 'Longshots' to the end zone
· 'Death Race' loses the black comedy of the original
· DVDs: 'The Life Before Her Eyes'
· Parents Film Guide
· Seattle Film Events
· Limited Movie Runs
· A moment with ... Steve Coogan/actor
· DVDs: 'Street Kings'
· 'The Rocker' plays well
more
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