japanese film

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Princess Mononoke – Film Analysis (Introduction to Japanese Film – Week 3)

Hayao Miyazaki is Japan’s most famous animator and probably the world’s best living animator. Along with Isao Takahata, he founded Studio Ghibli in 1985 after the success of Nausicaa.  Eight of Studio Ghibli’s films are among the 15 highest-grossing anime films made in Japan. The Academy Award winning Spirited Away still holds the box-office record in Japan, sitting comfortably above Titanic. However, despite box office glory, his films are remarkably beautiful and clever, as we will see with Princess Mononoke.

Princess Mononoke

Miyazaki’s films have contained many progressive themes, such as pacifism, environmentalism, and feminism whilst being critical of capitalism, globalisation, and modernisation. After making the happy worlds of Totoro and Kiki’s Delivery Service Miyazaki wanted to make something more powerful with Princess Mononoke. In his own words:

“We’ve made many films in the past, and our goal with those films has been to send a message of hope and the possibility of happiness to growing children. What we realized was that by continuing to make movies that only taught them about hope and happiness, we were in fact turning a deaf ear to their very urgent needs and pleas, and that if we did not make a movie that directly addressed their needs and pleas, we no longer would have the right to make films that would encourage them to be hopeful and happy. So we made this film knowing that we would need to step outside the boundaries of what you call entertainment; we made this film from a sense of mission.”

Princess Mononoke addresses many issues absent from Totoro and Kiki’s Delivery Service. It was his return to the more political realms of Nausicaa and Laputa, of films which promote awareness of global issues such as discrimination, global warming, and war.

 

  1. Industry vs. Nature

To understand the context a little better, let me tell you that Miyazaki chose to set this film in the Muromachi Period (1336-1573). Japan had always been fairly closed off from the rest of Asia, but the Muromachi period was around the time when new ideas (religion) came to Japan. Whereas before, people worshipped nature, they now sought to tame it. Hence the deforestation around Iron Town to fuel the growth of civilization.

As we will explore throughout this analysis, Miyazaki somewhat impartially poses nature against human civilization. Yes, the iron cannon balls that caused the great boar at the beginning to turn to a demon were from Iron Town, showing that humanity doesn’t care enough about nature. But juxtaposing that, the leader of Iron Town is a strong woman who takes in lepers and former prostitutes, giving them jobs and food. Nothing in Princess Mononoke is good or evil. Hatred is what drives bad actions. The animal god’s hatred for human deforestation of their forest is justified as much as Lady Eboshi’s hatred for the animals that threaten her town and people.

You may be thinking otherwise. Of course nature is the victim in this film! Well you’re probably right. Miyazaki, like Yasujiro Ozu (Tokyo Story), held a bit of disdain towards industrialisation and modernisation.  (After all, his intentions with Totoro were to encourage kids to venture outside.) But thankfully Miyazaki cleverly does not overtly favour nature in this film. Think about it. The apes want to eat the humans, the wolves want to chew their heads off, and the boars just want to wipe out Iron Town. Unlike singing animals in Disney films, these animals are more human. They debate, they argue, and they fight. Only those animals that do not speak are portrayed positively (think of the Forest Spirit and Ashitaka’s trusty elk steed Yakul).

It is only by portraying each side (nature vs. civilization) that Miyazaki can demonstrate that they can coexist. For human viewers, there would be no point in showing that we are completely evil; telling children that they are better off leaving nature alone is not what Miyazaki wants. Miyazaki wants people to care about nature and respect it. Similarly the film teaches us to respect and to try to understand everyone else; whether that is Lady Eboshi or Princess Mononoke.

2. Ashitaka and Jesus

Do I sound crazy? I kept thinking that Ashitaka’s role as the voice of peace and friendship was a definite allegory of Jesus, or at least reminiscent of a religious prophet. Well, here’s my reasoning in bullet points.

  • Ashitaka like Jesus has to leave his family in order to answer a higher being (tree spirit)
  • He has to resist hatred in the same way that Jesus had to resist temptation (infected arm)
  • He is a good Samaritan – he saves two men from Iron Town despite them being from what might be classed as the ‘enemy.’
    • He also saves two enemies from killing each other (Lady Eboshi & San)
  • He is saved by the nature spirit, in the same way that Jesus rises from the dead. What’s more, is that his wounds, like the crucifixion marks of Jesus do not disappear at this point.
  • He preaches love. He seeks to protect each and every living thing – everyone is equal no matter what. He like Jesus, sees the good in everyone and respects everyone.
  • Yet Ashitaka, like Jesus, suffers for everyone. He is shot by the people of Iron Town, he is bitten by the wolves, and attacked by Princess Mononoke.

Ashitaka also seems to know exactly what he is doing the whole film. The usual ‘hero’s journey’ monomyth described by Joseph Campbell in his excellent book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, is that the protagonist receives a ‘call to action’ which they initially refuse. Think of Rey in the latest Star Wars, not wanting to leave her home planet or of Frodo Baggins initially refusing the burden of the ring. In Princess Mononoke Ashitaka’s ‘call to action’ comes in the form of the boar which puts a curse on him which forces him to leave his town. However, unlike the usual ‘hero’s journey’ story, Ashitaka never doubts his path or hints that he will not try to locate the forest spirit. This decisiveness and purpose, to me , make him seem even more prophet-like. It is like he carries omnipotence (all knowledge) along with his benevolence (all loving character). Adding in his faith (in finding the forest spirit and spreading love and respect) makes him appear like a religious prophet or saint.

3. Don’t Underestimate Animation!

Isn’t the animation beautiful? I cannot imagine this film being shown in any other medium.

Miyazaki favoured animation because he could create whatever he wanted. There are no limits of reality those live-action confines directors to. Talking animals do exist in Babe, but to have a shimmering night walker in CGI will end up looking like a giant monster from Predator. Animation is the perfect medium for Princess Mononoke just as much as Princess Mononoke is the perfect story for animation. Without animation, the fantastical world would not work – especially given the technology in 1997.

In Princess Mononoke Miyazaki manages to blend hand drawn animation with computer generated animation seamlessly. The bulk of the film was hand-drawn but scenes with progression are smoothed over with computer generation. Think back to the scene where Ashitaka kills the boar god at the start of the film, and after it issues an omen to Ashitaka it decays before our eyes. This scene used technology to blend these hand drawings together smoothly and seamlessly. Similarly, this occurs right at the end of the film when greenery returns to the landscape as grass and plants grow. Unlike the technical leaps made by Pixar in animation, Miyazaki is a master of hand-drawn animation. Whilst Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle employed aspects of computer animation, Miyazaki returned to hand-drawn feature films with Ponyo. Therefore, think of him as one of the true auteurs of animation. He made an effort to review every frame of his films, and always maintained a hand in every aspect of film-making.

I really hope that after this film, you do not just think of animation as for kids! There are so many incredible animations that I will have to revisit in the future.

In context to Introduction to Japanese Film

Here’s to a quick few comparisons between Princess Mononoke and the two films we have looked at in the last two weeks.

How is Princess Mononoke like Like Ran?

  • Miyazaki uses high numbers of characters for blockbuster effect – just as Kurosawa used massive casts to emphasise the importance of key moments, Miyazaki drew a large boar army, large samurai armies, and masses of tree spirits for blockbuster effects.
  • Strong and important female characters! Lady Eboshi and San in Princess Mononoke, Lady Kaede in Ran.
  • Landscapes feature in both films to empower nature and the divine. (think of the tree spirit dominating over his landscape in comparison to the Gods in the sky in Ran).

How is Princess Mononoke Like Tokyo Story?

  • Miyazaki’s characters are well developed. As in Tokyo Story, we see their motives, their flaws, and their goodness.
  • Both films appear anti-modernisation. Tradition is the victim in Tokyo Story and nature is the victim in Princess Mononoke, both at the hands of modernisation and industrialisation.
What’s Next  for Week 4?


We will take a look at one of the most famous Japanese film icons. Godzilla! Remade and remade again, Godzilla spawned the great monster blockbuster film. This is for all you fans of Pacific Rim, Jurassic Park, or King Kong. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy entertainment at its most glorious (without all the crazy CGI effects).

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Kids Return (Japan)

Kids Return Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Some of the best films just can’t be reviewed well. Kid’s Return is one of these greats. It’s great score and simple story-telling will whisk you away to Japan for a while. You’ll become friends with two high-school drop-outs and follow their journey into adult life. With school-life, boxing, and Yakuza, this one is one to watch.

Why Watch Kids Return?
  • For a great coming-of-age film and boxing film rolled into one. Think of Boyhood mixed with Rocky.
  • See more of Japan – just like Kitano’s Kikujiro – from Japanese coffee shops to adult film cinemas!
  • Hear a classic film soundtrack from Joe Hisaishi
  • For the great clash of colours in the cinematography: red vs. blue!
The Breakdown

Kids Return starts with two guys in sequin jackets on a stage performing their comedy act. We only see them from back stage. We later learn that these two guys are from the same school as the two main protagonists who we are introduced to in the next scene. They both meet each other for the first time in ages and go for a nostalgic bike ride in the city.

Following the introduction, we are taken back to school days with Masaru and Shinji (the two main characters). They are bullies who skip school to mess around. They steal money from other students, beat up people, and prank their teachers. As a result, nobody thinks they have many future prospects. Their teachers all agree that the best they’ll be is become petty crooks.

At this time, both of them are vulnerable to the allure of power. This leads them both to boxing. At this time in the film, Kitano dresses one of them in red and the other in blue. Their opposing colours are a metaphor for them drifting apart. After a pivotal boxing match showing red vs. blue, they both follow different paths.

Conclusion

It’s harder to write about your favorite films. I end up trying to hard to mention everything that’s great about the film to persuade you to watch it. But the best films have something intangible, something you can’t write about. It’s a cathartic ability to truly immerse the viewer in the images and story and temporarily forget about your own reality. Kids Return does this cathartic ability perhaps aided by the soundtrack and story.

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Tokyo Story – Film Analysis (Intro to Japanese Film – Week 1)

In a time when Japanese films were just reaching foreign shores, Tokyo Story director, Yasujiro Ozu, was considered too Japanese to be exported. His simplistic style and go-to themes reflect his very modest life. Ozu never married, living with his mother until the end of his life after he returned from service in the Second World War. His gravestone today bears one single Japanese character; the character of nothingness.

So why should you care about Yasujiro Ozu?
  • He was one of the leading film-makers in Japan’s golden age of film (1950s).
  • His techniques broke Hollywood’s unwritten rules of cinematography (how a film is shot).
  • His films appeal to everyone with universal themes of family, time, and loss.
  • Tokyo Story is ranked No.3 on Sight & Sound’s best films of ALL TIME!

What makes this film great?

1. Rule-Breaking Cinematography

You might have noticed the low placement of the camera in most of this film. The height of the camera is set to around 3 foot off of the ground, the same height as someone kneeling on a Tatami mat (the ‘tatami shot’). In Hollywood, a camera looking up at characters gives them power, in contrast, in Tokyo Story, this low camera feels respectful and open, as no character dominates a single scene.

You might have also noticed how in conversation, Ozu points the camera straight at the talking characters. In Hollywood, we would normally see characters talking from behind the shoulder of the character they are talking to, but here the focus on the talking character places us (the viewer) in the center of the conversation. It also completely exposes the characters to our judgment.

Another feature Ozu deliberately does not use is camera movement. There was only one moving shot in the whole film (apparently more than his other films), where the camera moves along a fence to show the elderly couple evicted by their children. Some of you might be put off by this, but fortunately for us, Ozu magically creates 360 degree spaces. The still shots force us to absorb everything he puts in front of us.

The still shots add tone by lingering at the beginning and end of each shot. For example, characters often leave the room before the director cuts to follow them into the next room. Again, this is completely different to Hollywood films which employed ‘invisible editing’ where the cuts between each shot are so smooth that you often don’t notice them. So maybe if you are confused about what cutting is, then you’ve probably just grown up surrounded by smooth Hollywood editing. (Follow this link to learn more about editing). The lingering shots in Tokyo Story force us to think about what has happened, a lot like the when a theater stage is changed in-between scenes.

Together, the effects that Ozu uses help to build the tone of the film. The camera conveys respect, serenity, and tradition. This probably sounds pretentious so I’ll quickly explain. The camera is respectful because it never cuts from that is speaking and usually looks each character straight in the eye when they are speaking. The camera is serene in the silence and empty spaces shown at the beginning and end of shots (through the lingering). Lastly, the camera represents tradition through the ‘tatami shot’ and its lack of movement (the only movement in the film signifies a progression of time. No progression = no modernization = tradition!). So there you have it! Cinematography (the art of camera-work) does an awful lot!

2. Themes! The battle of the Old vs. the New in Tokyo Story

 Tokyo Story shows what it was like to live in Japan in the post-war period. The Second World War drained a lot of resources from Japan and ultimately ended in defeat for Japan in 1945. Images of Tokyo are used to break up scenes of the family. It is mostly shown as industrial, with pictures of factories billowing smoke and railways. The city is busy with development and modernization which reflects in its inhabitants. All of the elderly couple’s children in Tokyo are too busy and pre-occupied to spend time with them. Their jobs in Tokyo have become their lives.

The modernization of Tokyo has favored work at the expense of tradition. This is obviously pointed out on a bus tour the elderly couple are taken on which shows ancient temples surrounded by modern buildings. The past is also forgotten by the children who are too wrapped up in their careers and self to spend time with their elderly parents. The grandchildren are even more distant, too sheltered to know who their grandparents are or the traditions that they represent. The traditional central role of the family has been destroyed within these three generations, family is no longer important.

Ozu was a supporter of tradition, evident in his ‘Tatami shots’ and late adoption of film with sound (even most of his sound films feature very little background music). It is therefore not surprising that he chooses an elderly couple and a respectful daughter in law to sympathize with. With their mother’s death in the final act, tradition breathes its last breath. After a brief sob, her daughter Shige disrespectfully asks her father if she can take her mother’s Kimono, a symbol of Japanese culture. With this Shige dilutes Japanese tradition and culture further as it is replaced by self-obsession.

3. Acting – Small-talk in Tokyo Story

Quickly, I would also like to point out the subtlety of the acting in Tokyo Story. Firstly, the grandparents convey a lot without speaking. For example, the grandpa, played by Chishu Ryu, conveys so much by gently nodding. It may sound silly, but think about it. Before leaving for Tokyo he nods with excitement at the neighbor when answering her questions about his upcoming trip. In Tokyo he nods respectfully and fairly formally when greeting his children that he has not seen in a long time (showing the distance between the generations). Later, his nods convey disappointment when his family asks him to stay somewhere else. Lastly, his nods convey deep sadness when talking to his neighbor and Noriko after his wife passes away. Do I still sound crazy?

As film critic Roger Ebert said of Tokyo Story: “given the opportunity as a family o share our hopes and disappointments, we talk about the weather and watch TV.” The formalities in family conversation during the film reflect Ebert’s statement. When speaking with their children, the parents make polite conversation. They only talk about their hopes and disappointments to their daughter-in-law Noriko and with the help of alcohol. The nods of the Grandpa are the only clue to his true feelings, marking the break in the two generations.

 What’s Next for Week 2?

I hope you enjoyed Tokyo Story as much as I did. Next week we will take a look at Japan’s most famous film director, Akira Kurosawa. Stick around for Samurai epic Ran, Kurosawa’s favorite film of his storied career. A mixture of Samurai genre and Shakespeare (King Lear), this film is truly epic in size (the beautiful landscapes and enormous casts are astonishing) and is worth watching just for the spectacle alone.

See you next week for more analysis and our next assignment!

 

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Kikujiro (Japan)

Click the poster to buy the DVD and open up Japan!

Kikujiro Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Want to experience Japan without paying the expensive flight tickets? Then watch Kikujiro. You’ll travel the cities and country of Japan with little Masao and Kikujiro and do things that probably aren’t in the guide books, like betting on bike races and having fun at a local fair. You’ll also get a beautiful soundtrack from Joe Hisaishi to go with it all!

Why Watch Kikujiro?
  • If you like coming-of-age films or road trip movies! This one is inspired by The Wizard of Oz!
  • For some cool camera shots. Look out for one shot from the inside of a glass, and another shot from a car hub-cab.
  • For another Kitano classic (check out his gangster flick Hana-bi for something different)
  • It’s a postcard tour of Japan – watch this if you want to go to Japan!
The Breakdown

Kikujiro starts with a slow motion shot of a young boy running across a pedestrian bridge. He is smiling and is wearing a backpack with little wings attached to it. The camera follows him as he runs from one side of the bridge to the other.

The young boy, Masao, is described as a ‘gloomy kid.’ His parents left him when he was a baby and he has grown up with his grandmother ever since. You start to feel sorry for him as soon as his school finishes for the summer holidays. He runs home by himself, he lets himself into the house by himself, and eats a plate of food left for him on the table by himself. He’s all alone with no parents. The next morning, he walks to football practice but the instructor tells him that the session is cancelled because of the summer vacation. He plays by himself for a bit before going home. Poor Masao! He just wants a friend!

He doesn’t get a friend, but one of his grandmother’s friends (Kikujiro) reluctantly takes him to find his mum. Their journey takes us through a diverse range of life in Japan. First, Kikujiro takes Masao to the cycle races as a good luck totem for his betting. After he strikes a bit of luck, we are taken into a strip club and a Japanese diner. Later we are taken to a local fair, a hotel resort, and even end up at a bus stop in the country which is reminiscent of the bus stop in My Neighbour Totoro. Watch Kikujiro to experience Japan!

Conclusion

Just like The Wizard of Oz, Masao comes across a rabble of people from different walks of life. They all allow Masao to escape his loneliness for the summer holidays. Kikujiro shows the versatility of director Kitano as he ranges from Yakuza gangster film Hana-bi to this endearing coming-of-age film.

 

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Hana-bi (Japan)

Hana-bi Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

Ever heard of a Yakuza film? The Yakuza are the Japanese gangsters much like the Mafia in Italy or the Triads in China and Hong Kong. Intrigued? Hana-bi is a Yakuza film with more than the usual violence. You’ll meet a former cop who turns to the Yakuza for loans to help his dying wife. Watch the film to find out if he manages to pay of his debts whilst learning about his own life.

Why Watch Hana-bi?
  • It’s a sophisticated Yakuza film
  • To see one of the best gangsters on film in some kick-ass sunglasses!
  • Takeshi Kitano won the Golden Lion for this film, establishing him as one of Japan’s top film-makers
  • Kitano even painted all the paintings seen in this film!
The Breakdown

Hana-bi starts with Joe Hisaishi’s film score (he’s the guy that produced most of the sound of Studio Ghibli) playing over a few pictures of saints (which Kitano starts with in a few of his films). In the opening scene, two men in blue boiler suits are staring silently at a guy in a suit and sunglasses in a half empty parking lot. The soundtrack stops as one of the guys in blue slaps a wet cloth onto a car bonnet and starts cleaning. The guy in the suit watches him clean for a minute before kicking him off of the car.

The guy in the suit and sunglasses is Nishi, a violent former cop, and the main protagonist of this film. We learn about his past in his flashbacks. Nishi has segmented flashbacks to the same event multiple times throughout the opening 30 minutes, but the whole flash back is not shown until later in the film. Early on, it shows two people being shot multiple times on the floor. It is not clear who is shooting them or why they are being shot but it obviously pains Nishi. We learn that he was held responsible for their deaths and relieved of his job.

Without a job, Nishi spends most of his time with his wife who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. He brings her cakes and puzzles but they never talk. He obviously cares for his wife, but his dead pan face makes it appear like he is begrudgingly keeping her company. As stated by his former colleague ‘work is all they have ever known’ so this unexpected free time to spend with their wives and their hobbies is unfamiliar. Without work they are lost.

Conclusion

Hana-bi is a stripped down Yakuza (Japanese Gangster) film. Instead of focusing on violence and gangs, Kitano chooses to focus on the impact of retirement. Nishi and his colleague are both forced out of their police jobs because of a tragic accident. Both of them cannot forget the accident and both of them do not know what to do with their free time.