Studio Ghibli

Started by Lottery, April 08, 2014, 12:06:42 AM

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Lottery

So I really, really dig Studio Ghibli.

All classics:
Grave of the Fireflies
My Neighbor Totoro
Kiki's Delivery Service
Only Yesterday
Porco Rosso
Ocean Waves
Pom Poko
Whisper of the Heart
Princess Mononoke
My Neighbors the Yamadas
Spirited Away
The Cat Returns
Howl's Moving Castle
Tales from Earthsea
Ponyo
The Secret World of Arrietty
From Up on Poppy Hill
The Wind Rises 
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
When Marnie Was There
How Do You Live? (Coming 2020ish)

N

Quote from: Lottery on April 08, 2014, 12:06:42 AM
7. Only Yesterday
One of Takahata's adult dramas. A film that feels so real and honest. There's a sad sense of nostalgia throughout the film- the sense of a confusing and disconnected childhood or the feeling of looking back on the happy moments from so long ago. Also present is the uncertainty and confusion of adult life. The back and forth between the protagonist's present day life and her childhood past works well, especially with the distinction between art styles (ultra-realistic for present day and slightly stylised and washed out for the past). A sensitive and beautiful film.

Spoilers

I just finished this now, your description is fantastic. I'm about to commence gushing.

The film's structure works perfectly. You can barely recognize 10-year old Taeko in her grown up face. I'd love to say more about this but the words aren't coming tonight, I'll sleep on it.
The transitions, along with the art style create a vivid sense of nostalgia. This reminds me of Koreeda's Still Walking in that respect. They differ in context, but the themes certainly overlap. Still Walking builds a touching story and it's sense of nostalgia around the subsequent effects of a past tragedy over time. On the other hand, Only Yesterday has no tragedy other than time itself. That may be incorrect and it definitely doesn't do justice to the films, feel free to correct me if I'm completely wrong.

The characters are so human it feels like you've known them all your life. I found myself actually becoming emotionally attached to them, which is a rare thing for me. It could take me days of writing to find the right words to describe Only Yesterday so I'll keep the primitive analysis as short as I can. The ending was incredibly sweet, which reminds me of another film you could compare it with: Satoshi Kon's Millennium Actress, particularly in regards to it's handling of time.

Glad you made this thread, I'll be stopping by to discuss others that I watch/have watched in the future, unless I die or something.
Thanks.

tldr;
I really enjoyed Only Yesterday.

Lottery

Good, good. They've got an extraordinary catalogue which is most certainly worth checking out. Have you seen any others?

I do like what you mentioned about time in regards to both this and the Kon film. The unavoidable catalyst.

There such a strong sense of 'direction' and 'filmmaking' in Only Yesterday. It's entirely natural but I think it really makes Takahata stand out as strictly a 'director' unlike Miyazaki, the animator/director auteur. It's hard to describe but the film is so distinct and emotionally resonant, played out in Takahta's sense of human logic. There are some creative ideas and flourishes in the film which just seem so 'spot on' in that moment. The movie is based on a manga but it was actually Takahata's idea to have the entire adult Taeko aspect. It's hard to imagine the story without that dual-structure, there would be no point really.

Also, the film has one of the best main themes ever.


A little pissed off because a while ago I watched a making of documentary thing for this film and I can't find it (streaming) with English subs anymore. It was really interesting, it went on to discuss more than the film. Stuff about early Ghibli as well the curious working relationship between Miyazaki and Takahata (it's actually really fascinating, in this particular instance they don't talk to each other during production even though they're working on the same film- which is reflected in Goro Miyazaki's and his father's working relationship on From Up on Poppy Hill).
Anyway, Spanish subs here. Still an interesting watch.




Alexandro

shit, there's a bunch of these titles I haven't seen. Thanks!

N

Quote from: Lottery on April 08, 2014, 11:03:24 AM
Good, good. They've got an extraordinary catalogue which is most certainly worth checking out. Have you seen any others?

I do like what you mentioned about time in regards to both this and the Kon film. The unavoidable catalyst.

There such a strong sense of 'direction' and 'filmmaking' in Only Yesterday. It's entirely natural but I think it really makes Takahata stand out as strictly a 'director' unlike Miyazaki, the animator/director auteur. It's hard to describe but the film is so distinct and emotionally resonant, played out in Takahta's sense of human logic. There are some creative ideas and flourishes in the film which just seem so 'spot on' in that moment. The movie is based on a manga but it was actually Takahata's idea to have the entire adult Taeko aspect. It's hard to imagine the story without that dual-structure, there would be no point really.

I've seen Mononoke Hime   Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. Both great films, I lean a little more in the direction of Spirited Away, Mononoke was difficult to understand at the time I saw it. I might watch it again sometime. Right now I'm dying to see Totoro.

In hindsight, mentioning Still Walking was quite arbitrary, I don't think I explained the connection I made very well at all.
They're both very pretty. Human movies.

Quote from: Lottery on April 08, 2014, 11:03:24 AM
A little pissed off because a while ago I watched a making of documentary thing for this film and I can't find it (streaming) with English subs anymore. It was really interesting, it went on to discuss more than the film. Stuff about early Ghibli as well the curious working relationship between Miyazaki and Takahata (it's actually really fascinating, in this particular instance they don't talk to each other during production even though they're working on the same film- which is reflected in Goro Miyazaki's and his father's working relationship on From Up on Poppy Hill).

If I knew Spanish I'd very much enjoy this. I'll keep my eyes out.

Lottery

Dramatic US release trailer for Tale of the Princess Kaguya. Damn this movie looks good.

Pwaybloe

I'm sure the movie will be excellent, but I would hesitate to really make an opinion based on the trailer. The clip looks like a simple animated storyboard of a running girl.

Lottery

Well, to be fair, there is a 6 minute extended trailer out there as well as a bunch of reviews (it was released in Japan like last November), and there are a handful of interviews/features about the film/Takahata's artistic interests. I think it's kinda unfair to describe it as a simple animated storyboard, the look of the film is entirely intentional (to be expected from Takahata), drawing on Takahata's past decades of research. Takahata's a sort of expert on animation and Japanese art, in this film he's bringing together his appreciation of traditional Japanese styles as well foreign animators (Frederic Back). Takahata's spent the last 15ish years pursuing stuff academically rather making films (he had three projects at various stages of pre-prod research which I'm afraid he will ever get to make). It's good that he's finally released something (after the arduous production). Also, the original folk tale is pretty interesting. So there's a lot leading up to this film really.



His experimentation with art/animation styles seems like a logical continuation from his last feature film (though the Yamadas art style is pretty close to the original comic).

Lottery

http://ghiblicon.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/miyazaki-meets-kurosawa-1993-broadcast.html

This has been floating around for a while in different forms, an interview/meeting between Akira Kurosawa and Hayao Miyazaki. They cover some really interesting stuff.
One cool thing about it is that is has Miyazaki talking about how he was struggling to make a Jidaigeki film and of course, in 1997 he released Princess Mononoke which is an absolute masterpiece.


http://www.wewillfindsomething.com/images/portfolio/wfs_still_24_1140.jpg

Also a partial interview with the younger Miyazaki, who talks about his career, his father's genius and evolving  new mediums.

Highlight:

Q: Has Hayao Miyazaki told you what he thinks of "Ronia"?
A: "I hear the work is well received," he told me recently, though I don't really know if he meant it as a compliment.

N

Loved the Miyazaki/Kurosawa meeting, just read the transcript while they talked in the background. This might actually be the first time I've ever heard anything from Kurosawa's mouth. It's surprising when you have an idea of an artist through their work and then they talk and you realize they're still just people, albeit very talented and hardworking people, and often very intriguing.
[redacted rant about Kaguya not winning and facial expressions in childrens movies]

When Marnie Was There seems like something I'll like. Kaguya too (I haven't even seen it yet and I was ready to make a fuss :doh:).

Lottery

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/04/06/national/oscar-nominated-japan-animation-giant-isao-takahata-dies-82-reports/

Damn man, damn. RIP.


He wasn't just one of the best animation directors in the world, he was one of the greatest filmmakers period. I keep on deleting what I'm writing here because it's hard to summarise how valuable his body of work is. He embraced his medium and all the things that made it unique and pushed it further than almost everyone else. All of his Ghibli-era films were powerful and emotional works- remarkably unique, beautifully crafted and above all, truly honest about the human experience and the world we live in.