Kaguya-Hime no monogatari, Isao Takahata and Neo Realism
Wow, what a mouthful.
If you have been on anime boards or sites for a while, you
would notice that recently, the more Ghibli-loving of our number have been
taking about what is set to be Hayao Miyazaki’s newest release, “The Wind
Rising.”
What lesser people know is that “The Wind Rising” is set to
be released with another Ghibli film, Kaguya-Hime no Monotagari which is based
on the old Japanese folk-tale “The Tale of the Bamboo cutter”.
The charming folk-story tells of a childless old couple,
whose lives took a turn for the better when the husband, a bamboo cutter, finds
an infant the size of a thumb in a stalk of bamboo. Overjoyed, he and his wife
raise the child as their own.
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This is not the first time the tale of the Bamboo cutter has
been adapted to film, but what makes this particular adaptation different,
besides the fact that it has, seemingly been delayed time, after time, is its
incredibly charming hand-painted style.
This version of Kaguya is directed by Isao Takahata, best
known for previously having directed the well-known, and not to mention
extremely heart-wrenching war-film, “Grave of the Fireflies” Takahata is back
for the first time in 14 years.
The first-inkling of the film was revealed back in 2008 by
studio Ghibli, it was also revealed that Joe Hisaishi would be scoring the
film, making him the composer for both the movies set to be released this year.
Neorealism
Give me some time to wax lyrical and self-indulgently talk
about my favourite aspect of Isao Takahata’s films.
Takahata has been known to be influenced by Italian
Neorealism which focuses on stories set in poor areas with working-class or
underprivileged characters. This style of filmmaking focuses on the grittiness
of a character’s everyday life, shedding light on the changes in psyche and
personality of the character.
Sounds familiar? This pretty much described the nuanced style of Grave of the Fireflies, dust, grit and tears are all present and uncensored.
Sounds familiar? This pretty much described the nuanced style of Grave of the Fireflies, dust, grit and tears are all present and uncensored.
/Our/ Tears, might I add.
Neorealism, wherever it is used, has been known to give rise
to stark but surprisingly nuanced film projects. It may just be me
Due to the extremely delicate, hand-painted look of the
film, Kaguya has been delayed time after time, in turn delaying “The Wind
Rises” as well.
An international release has not been confirmed. But considering that the last double release by Miyazaki and Takahata was none other than My Neighbour Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies. It is safe to assume that we can expect lovely film-making from the duo once again.
Here is the Trailer for Kaguya-Hime no Monotagari
What is going to come out of this delay is clearly going to be a very pretty piece of animation and storytelling. Which might explain the rather silent waiting hoards.
I would allow my inner fangirl to shine through here and say that anything these two put out are worth waiting for, but let's hold it until the films come out.
An international release has not been confirmed. But considering that the last double release by Miyazaki and Takahata was none other than My Neighbour Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies. It is safe to assume that we can expect lovely film-making from the duo once again.
Here is the Trailer for Kaguya-Hime no Monotagari
Written by Ash
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