Sunday, November 18, 2012

Miyazaki Screening

November 2012 seems to be Studio Ghibli time: While the GKids Studio Ghibli Retrospective is currently playing at the IFC Center in New York City and at the Lagoon Theater in Minneapolis I'm very happy to be able to present Howl's Moving Castle in the Cinema Gotthard in Zug, Switzerland!

Nov 27, 8:00 pm (movie in Japanese with German subtitles, introduction in German.)


In case you have never seen one of Japan's biggest blockbusters: according to A.O.Scott from the New York Times Howl's Moving Castle is "a fitting introduction to one of modern cinema's great enchanters."

Lupin III about to enter the fictitious European kingdom Cagliostro in The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)

My half-hour introduction will focus on Japanese depictions of romanticized Europe from Heidi (1974) to Howl's Moving Castle (2004), character metamorphosis as well as Miyazaki's ambivalent fascination with war machines and the age of steam in films with strong anti-war statements.


Flying Kayaks in an 1880s illustration by science fiction author Albert Robida...
...and Miyazaki's version in the fictitious European kingdom Ingary in Howl's Moving Castle.

Of course, one cannot talk about Howl's Moving Castle without bringing up Miyazaki's unique way of eliminating explanatory scenes and his increasing reliance on intuitional rather than realistic storytelling which results in fantasy worlds closer to those created by Federico Fellini than Jules Verne.

If you know any Ghibli fans living in central Switzerland, please pass this on to them! Given the general lack of audience in Ghibli screenings around here, I'm already having nightmares of speaking to an empty auditorium!

2 comments:

Oblivion Island said...

As a fan of Howl's Moving Castle, I think you'd like Oblivion Island!

http://www.shopmanga.co.uk/title.php?Ref=10467skus

"An animated romp for the young and the young at heart! This internationally acclaimed feature film blends Japanese folklore and storybook charm reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland into an exhilarating tale sure to amaze animation fans of all ages. Sixteen-year-old Haruka is on a mission to find her mirror—a precious childhood gift from her late mother that has disappeared. On her search, she follows a strange fox-like creature to Oblivion Island, a mystical world overflowing with once-cherished items taken from their neglectful owners. Trouble follows Haruka and her new friend Teo at every turn as they contend with the island’s overbearing ruler, who will stop at nothing to use the mirror for his own sinister plan!"

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