Jan 17, 2017
Preamble: english language is not my native, sorry for possible mistakes. Review can include minor spoilers.
So, after I watched this film, has wrote my thoughts, I decided to check out different reviews of other people on this film. As I expected they all are quite positive, and I think I just need to write my own, because the main thing of reviews is constructive criticism, not babbling about how it's "wonderful and nice". And this film can easily be critisized. It has a lot of flaws and weak points.
As Isao Takahata is one of my favourite anime directors and I value him even more than
...
Miyazaki, I must say this is one of his weakest works. Isao Takahata, Studio Ghibli, Joe Hisaishi... An adaptation of the Japanese folk tale "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter" (10th-century Japanese folktale). What to say, I had huge expectations on this film. My all time favourite creators made film on one of favourite japanese tales. Maybe that's a problem of too big expectation? No, it's not. Realization was really quite bad.
Again, the film is based on the Japanese folk tale - "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter". So this is nothing more than an adaptation of the eponymous fairy tale recorded in the X century and is considered one of the oldest of the surviving Japanese stories, and even one of the earliest precursors of science fiction overall.
This time it wasn't great direction, smart work and production. However it is interesting, dramatic, even melodramatic film, which squeezes tears from you. Or at least tries to. Atypical panache and animation, something reminding me of some Soviet old animation and multiplication of 70s and 80s.
Taketori, old man, collector of bamboo and craftsman, finds a little girl in bamboo shoots. And, considering it as a message from heaven, he brings up the girl with his wife as his own. Considering her a princess, he wanted to give her a life of luxury. Little later Taketori finds gold and expensive beautiful things and clothes in the bamboo for the 'Babmoo girl', as the village boys christen her. She will be given Kaguya name much later. But let's call her Kaguya from here. So, Kaguya is very playful girl and she is growing extremely fast. She has outstanding beauty as well.
Girl loves nature and her friends from village, she is doing good, walks and rejoices. Especially she made friends with one guy... But finally the parents arrange and carry her into the city, to the castle. Now she is a princess, the highness. Princess Kaguya. But she was not happy in the castle. Even aristocracy wanted to marry her, but she doesn't want it, she wants to be with that village boy. Briefly it's like that. Sad, but true. Nothing can replace that true nature for her, the freedom and bustle on the nature with friends. Nevertheless, she wants her parents and Taketori to be happy. So she acts as noble princess. Again, many notable people sought her hand, even king himself. Kings forced a connection with her, and something mystical happens again. Now we know that she is from the Moon. Well, well, well... So, in fact, the work is full of theatricality. And of course I don't like that. Also there are many absurd and moments of frustration that appears, there were a lot of silly moments and scenes. On the other hand, it is the vital thing, the problem of fathers and children, just built in the absolute. Good intentions leads to poor circumstances. In the end, it turns out, as always. Eh... Pretty mediocre film, to say frankly. Very uneven film, I can say even rough. I've read the story itself, of course the problem in it itself, however overall production wasn't that great, again. Pretty weak. Don't get me wrong, it still was nice experience, however much more in disappointment way. Eternal road. And even memory of this film will fade, while I have quite phenomenon memory, because it's not that brilliant. Sorry for not indexing quite clear arguments this time, it's just hard to do in this film. It's not logical problems, it's more like exaggeration and overstatement of human feelings. Those love stories are full of bullshit, we have seen tons of them. Many people living unhappy lives with unloved works and even companions. And they don't put it as huge tragedy. The film is doing just it - like it's a huge tragedy. While the truth is there are far more tragic things in life.
Music of Joe Hisaishi is good as usual, but this time not something outstanding as well.
This kinda reminded me of "The Emperor's New Clothes". Interesting, what people would say, if it was not Ghibli movie and not Takahata's work. Probably, not as they say in their reviews. Most of them. I guess so. Majority just get accustomed to high level of Ghibli and don't want to admit that they have no critical thinking or bad taste. Illusions are far sweeter.
It's a pity for me, because Isao Takahata is really one of my favourites. However it's ok, you can't do only Masterpieces. But I want to think maybe I was expected too much from this film, however I'm just maximum 'subjective objective' as I can, being logical and rational. It's really not that great film in comparing even to other Ghibli works. One of their worst films so far, unfortunately. One of the rare cases when I can say about Ghibli movie - pretty mediocre. 5/10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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