Classic Rewind: Princess Mononoke
12, Nov, 2012
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Of all the films Hayao Miyazaki has crafted over the years, and I have watches pretty much every film of his, Princess Mononoke (1997) is hands down my favorite. It was the first film of his I watched and it captivates and thrills me every time I see it. From the animation style, characters, storyline and setting there is so much to love about this film.
For those who have not seen the film, it takes place in Japan during the late 16th century and follows the journey of prince named Ashitaka who will die of a demonic curse if he does not seek the help of a magical forest god. Through his journey he becomes involved in a struggle between supernatural guardians and the humans of a town who wish to exploit and use natural resources the guardians want to protect.
What makes the film intriguing in my opinion, is the moral ambiguity of several central characters as well as the cyclical conflicts between man and nature. Not to mention the film looks fantastic!
For instance, one of most morally ambiguous characters is Lady Eboshi, the leader of the town Iron Town, who seeks to continue to exploit the surrounding natural resources despite a potential war with the forest gods.
In Iron Town she is revered by the residents, as they say she is generous, protective and respectful to everyone. She even takes in lepers and prostitutes and provides them with work and shelter.
However, the forest gods despise and wish to kill her. They see her as an evil woman who brings nothing but death and destruction to the forest they call home.
It is really up to the viewer to decided whether she can be considered a protagonist, antagonist or neither when considering all of her actions in the film.
Additionally, the cyclical conflicts between man and nature that bring death and destruction are lessons that can be taken out of the film and applied in the real world. In the film, when humans come and exploit nature they bring death and destruction. This then makes the forest gods bring death and destruction upon humans for taking their land.
Eventually, such conflicts lead up to an all out battle between the two forces, with neither gaining a clear victory. It begs the question, is it possible for both nature and man to co-exist peacefully?
Finally, the action scenes are graphic and varied. In one scene Ashitaka is fighting a demonic boar, while in another the forest god kills everything in its path to find a missing part of his body. I would always enjoy replaying these scenes to see that action all over again.
It is truly a masterpiece of animated film that any fan of Japanese cinema or anime should watch.
I am writing this as a guest post for Crystin’s movie blog. On my blog I mostly write about Electronic Dance Music and Digital Media/Advertising.
Photo Source: Wikipedia Commons