Forum - View topicThe Tale of Princess Kaguya (movie).
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nobahn
 Subscriber Posts: 5150 |
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The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (movie) Genres: drama, supernatural Themes: growing up, coming of age, family, parenting, folklore, mythology, tragedy Plot Summary: In an idyllic rural setting an old bamboo cutter and his wife raise a tiny girl found nestled within a glowing bamboo stalk along with a fortune in gold. As she approaches adulthood the bamboo cutter uses the fortune to purchase a villa in the capital, buy himself a title and employ tutors to transform the country girl—now given the name Kaguya—into a refined woman. News of her beauty brings powerful and wealthy suitors who compete for her hand in marriage, culminating in a proposal from the emperor. All the while Kaguya wishes that she and her family could return to their former life and to be reunited with her sweetheart, Sutemaru. Sooner or later, though, her true origins will make their own claim upon her. ---------------------------------- English Trailer Japanese Trailer ====================================== So, I've seen the movie; the first impression of mine is that this is not a children's movie (or, at the very least it's not aimed at young children). With a running time of 2 hours and ~15 minutes this movie would just tax their attention spans. (Hell, I love the movie, but even so I found myself checking my watch a couple of times during the screening.) Also, the film asks the very adult question of whether or not happiness can be found in marriage. |
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vanfanel
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I don't think it's about marriage per se; after all, Kaguya tells spoiler[her childhood friend near the end that she might have been happy with him.] I think it's more an issue of living your own life vs. going along with what others -- even those who love you and only mean well -- think is best for you. Okina defined happiness as marrying "well," which meant marrying into wealth and power, even if that meant living in an environment Kaguya herself would find stifling. No other definition of happiness for her ever occurred to him; certainly not the option of her remaining a poor country girl surrounded by the friends, animals, and forest she loved. I think this is quite relevant today, because sometimes I ask my students what their future dreams are, and get answers like, "I want to become an A, but I have to become a B, because my father is a B, and I have to take over his business." The closest thing Kaguya ever got to a choice was as a toddler, spoiler[with the kids chanting "Li'l Bamboo" and her father chanting "Princess." She went to Okina, but was way too young to know any better.] A friend of mine pointed out that Okina also thought he was doing the gods' will in pushing Kaguya to become a princess -- and it would be hard for him to draw a different conclusion given spoiler[the silks and gold he was finding in bamboo stalks.] So maybe spoiler[Buddha (I'm pretty sure that's who we see at the end)] was trying to wreck her earthly happiness by creating this situation? The Japanese ads did say this is a movie about sin and punishment -- Kaguya's sin being spoiler[her desire to come to Earth and live as a human]. |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 24171 |
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I enjoyed this movie but I found it an uncomfortable experience. Basically, you are dealing with an engaging protagonist who spoiler[only knows happiness briefly at the beginning of the movie and spends the rest being aware of what she has lost.] Not the most uplifting experience I've ever had at the cinema, I must say.
Having said that, I will definitely buy a copy when it comes out. |
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Maidenoftheredhand
 Posts: 2634 |
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^ Yeah but I found the theme interesting that Kaguya would rather have that brief moment of happiness and years of sadness than have no feelings at all.
It kind of reminds me of the saying it is better to have loved than to not love at all. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 24171 |
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Except I don't recall getting a sense from her that that was her take-away from the experience. Perhaps that will be more clear to me after a re-watch.
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Maidenoftheredhand
Posts: 2634 |
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This is what happens to her at the end of the series. When you go to the moon you lose all memories of sadness but also the happy times too. I actually felt to the people of the moon sending people down there is punishment because of all the hardships but they don't realize the joy that comes with the sadness. In the end she feels and remembers nothing but is she better off that way? |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 24171 |
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That's exactly what I'm driving at. I never get the sense that she herself thinks, "I knew fleeting happiness and longer sadness, but in the end it was all worthwhile." What I get from the movie is that she was spoiler[happy as a small child, not happy when she was taken from her country home and at the end returns to a state of not knowing, remembering or feeling anything] which makes me wonder what the point of it all is.
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Maidenoftheredhand
Posts: 2634 |
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But she wanted to stay on Earth despite all the unhappiness. I guess the series didn't spell it out but I felt her wishes made it clear. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 24171 |
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In other words, three-fourths of the movie is all about her spoiler[wanting something and not being allowed to have it.] No wonder I left the theatre feeling bummed.
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Maidenoftheredhand
Posts: 2634 |
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^ Well I am certainly not disagreeing the movie left me sad as well but also thoughtful. I felt the theme of the story at least the way I saw it was a very compelling one.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 24171 |
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Well, I'll be interested in seeing what my reaction is to a rewatch. In my original watch, I didn't really know anything about the story or what to expect. It's entirely possible that a rewatch will give me a perspective I lacked the first time around.
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GeminiDS85
Posts: 391 |
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I finally got around to watching this movie the other day and while I did highly enjoy the overall experience, I have some major issues with the film.
The first major issue I had with the film was the insertion of religious ideology into a story that originally contained none. Taketori Monogatari, the story that film is based on, is quite unique in the classic Japanese literary canon because it contains no decipherable message or particular ideology; rather, it is usually considered to be one, if not the first, example of straightforward Japanese science fiction/fantasy. Just imagine, for a second, the outrage if a classic western story with no religious undertones had Christianity inserted into it. The second major issue I had with the film was the adoration for a more ascetic, natural existence as opposed to the comforts of the modern world. Takahata’s fetishism for a more natural existence in the countryside in juxtaposition to the decadence of city life reeks of the musings of people who idolize periods of the past without actually considering the hardships and difficulties the peoples of times had to cope with. Again, this is also not a message contained in the original story and was something Takahata elected to include in the movie. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 24171 |
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Yes, I stubbed my toe on the pastoral idealization versus the decadence of civilization, as well. The idea that the countryside is filled with honest, salt-of-the-earth types while cities teem with hypocritical social strivers is hopelessly naive. |
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Jose Cruz
 Posts: 1796 Location: South America |
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I found this movie to be extremely impressive. I don't know exactly why, but I think it's Takahata's best since Only Yesterday.
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nobahn
Subscriber Posts: 5150 |
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What I liked about the film was that Kaguya is presented as a Daddy's Girl before going through teen rebellion -- in other words, a normal girl.
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