Japanese anime studio ‘Studio Ghibli’ (founded in 1985) under the guiding hands of Hayao Miyazaki transformed animated feature as one of the highest form of art, while animation in rest of the world has been succumbed into a form of entertainment only for kids. But, with the retirement of Miyazaki and certain financial problems, the golden age of Studio Ghibli might be coming to an end. Recently it was suggested that the studio might take a break from making movies (after the release of “When Marnie was There”). Studio’s Ghibli's another prominent film-maker (& co-founder) Isao Takahata (aged 79) – known for works like “Grave of the Fireflies”, “Only Yesterday”, “Pom Poko” -- has also announced his retirement. All these news of dissolution and reality of retirements only makes the experience of watching Takahta’s ethereal “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya” (2013) more heart-breaking. It possesses the inventiveness and singular beauty we witnessed earlier in “Totoro”, “Princess Mononoke” and “Spirited Away”.
The 10th century Japanese folktale “The Tale of
the Bamboo Cutter” (also known as “Princess Kaguya”) is considered to be one of
the oldest stories in Japanese culture. It’s also got be one of the early
sci-fi tales, detailing the life of a mysterious girl hailing from
‘Tsuki-no-Miyaki’ – The Capital of Moon. Under the hand-drawn animation, the
story’s beauty becomes a marvel. The anime has a little different look from the
usual Ghibli flicks. Director Takahata has chosen water-color aesthetic to
encompass the tale’s exquisite imagery. Thematically the tale addresses Ghibli’s
trademark theme: ongoing and everlasting battle between advanced civilization and
nature. It depicts how a false sense of sophistication turns even honest
feelings like love into hollow ceremony. Most importantly, the tale jubilantly
contradicts from Disney’s or western fairy tales’ recurring storyline: every
girl wants to be a princess.
“Kaguya” commences with an old bamboo cutter discovering a
miniature girl inside a glowing stalk of bamboo. Bamboo cutter’s wife mistakes
the miniature girl for a doll, and in her hands she transforms into a healthy
human baby. The childless old couples marvel at the child’s antics and call her
as ‘princess’. However, the girl isn’t like ordinary human baby. Within days,
the baby starts to walk and in months she starts running around with other
children, singing songs. At every joyous or adventurous moment, she seems to
spurt like a bamboo tree. Local children call her as “Little Bamboo”. The
princess is an indomitable spirit, gleefully playing among the beautiful
natural world of trees, rivers, and birds. Her special friend among the group
is a boy named ‘Sutemaru’.
One day, the bamboo cutter discovers gold in the shining
bambbo stalk, and in another day he finds adorable silks. He takes this as a
gift from heaven and tells her wife that they had to build a mansion in the
town to give the real princess life for the girl. The princess is soon taken
to the capital. She is overwhelmed by the wealth and palatial estate, but she
greatly misses the vibrancy of life in the countryside. She is placed under a
strict governess Lady Sagami. The lady teaches the ways of royal lady. At the
coming-of-age ceremony, the princess is named ‘Kaguya’. From then on, she is
hidden inside her chamber. She yearns for individuality, while in the outside
world the news of her beauty spreads like wildfire. Noblemen treat her as a
rare treasure that needs to be claimed. The story takes a surrealistic turn
when Kaguya’s sadness becomes too much to bear.
“Kaguya” depicts the spiritual emptiness imposed by parents
on child, telling them that it’s only for their betterment. It presents how the
elders force their cultural notions or false sense of happiness on the spirited
children (as Kaguya tells towards the end:"The happiness you wanted for me was
hard to bear"). The tragedy inherent with the tale is that the rebellious
Kaguya goes along with her parents’ plan because of the love she feels for
them. The obstinate father (bamboo cutter) also does these deeds out of love
for his daughter. The story also indicts at the community’s very narrow-minded
idea on female happiness. Although, it is a 10th century tale, these
two themes may never seem outdated.
The preternatural roots of Kaguya are revealed subtly in the
films’ last thirty minutes. If you don’t know little something about the origin
story or medieval Japan’s culture, then you couldn’t fully get the tale’s
nuances. Still this last act is far away from being confusing and only adds
poignancy. The animation in this last act has some striking sequences,
especially the arrival of moon people with their troops, playing upbeat music looked
magical, powerful, and so heart-wrenching (the dream of flight sequence is also
outstanding). Takahata’s gradual shifts in visual style give an endearing
experience. The muted colors and the fragile images gel finely with the tale’s
main theme of loss. The impressionistic images of black lines in a dreamy
sequence of escape wonderfully highlights the frantic emotions of our
protagonist.
“The Tale of the Princess Kaguya” (137 minutes) possess
refined metaphors, thought-provoking observations, and breath-taking images
like every other Japanese anime feature. It serves as a plaintive critique on
society’s age-old idea of what constitutes to a girl’s happiness.
Trailer
1 comment:
Lovely from the start
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