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By DEBORAH NICOL
Studio Ghibli of Japan has
created another masterpiece. The fantastical world
of Diana Wynne Jones' novel, Howl's Moving Castle,
has been brought to life through Hayao Miyazaki's
creative forces – the same animation geniuses
behind Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro.
What is lovely about the world that has been
shaped is that it exists no place else. Similar to
the films of Terry Gilliam and the imagery of
Jean-Pierre Jeunet's The City of Lost Children, it
is a highly mechanical, futuristic society
constantly crumbling under its own fragility. It
is a child's dream not entirely realized, full of
gadgets from a toy box but with no scientific
knowledge to keep them working. Unlike the
aforementioned (brilliant) filmmakers' visions,
however, there are clean countrysides in this film
to clear one's mind – escape for certain members
from a society full of tragic ambitions.
Unfortunately, the chaos is literally just over
the horizon.
Howl's world encompasses a variety of creatures.
Though most appear human, magic weaves itself
under almost every skin. Tripping over the
supernatural is not surprising, but rather
disconcerting. With witches and wizards indebted
to the royal family to help fight an unclear war,
no motives are innocent. A young milliner, Sophie,
finds herself consumed by sorcery when she
unknowingly exchanges barbs with the worst of them
all, the Witch of the Waste. Quickly placed under
a spell of which she can tell no one (and
therefore cannot ask for help), her youth is
ravished for painful old age. In her quest to
reverse the curse, she soon becomes a traveler
aboard the castle of the film's title.
The behemoth's owner, Howl, initially appears as a
hero beyond reproach. Yet as he is forced to fight
-- both emotionally and physically -- he begins to
falter. There is a crack of weakness in every
character, but a pillar of strength is usually
hiding deep within. The beauty of this story is
that each character is dealing with an issue,
often under the guise of a curse. The trick is not
to insist upon help from others or become consumed
by hopelessness, but rather to discover their own
solutions. It is from this great quest that a
handful of oddballs become a close, unbreakable
family.
This fairy tale is dark but not destructive.
Bravery is a hard-won internal battle, and war is
not a hero's journey. Friendship and loyalty are
understood truths, and there are deeper messages
of personal struggle and confidence. Truly, this
is a lovely story for any age.
The two-disc set contains many nice extras. The
first disc highlights the transition and
translation of the Japanese film to its English
dubbed version. A featurette discusses the efforts
to fit the dialogue perfectly and the star power
involved (Lauren Bacall, Billy Crystal, Emily
Mortimer, and Christian Bale who sounds decidedly
like Keanu Reeves when he slips into his American
accent). Also included are Japanese teasers, an
interview with the official translator for the
film, and a surprise visit from Miyazaki to the
Pixar kingdom as they are about to screen the
finished film. The other disc includes complete
storyboards set to the film's soundtrack. |
