Post by klep on Apr 24, 2017 6:50:04 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 4/24: Princess Mononoke
ARBOR DAY EDITION!
Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar-winning Spirited Away made gestures towards an environmental message, but his true plea on behalf of the environment is Princess Mononoke. Literally about a a destructive industry corrupting and polluting a pristine natural space, Miyazaki's skill nevertheless keeps the film from becoming a polemic. And as usual for the master, it's undeniably gorgeous.
When Ashitaka's town is attacked by a crazed, corrupted boar god, he is himself cursed with a progressive condition consuming his flesh, and must set out to find the curse's source in hopes of undoing it. He soon comes across a mining town that is deforesting the land to gain access to iron ore for muskets. It is rapidly clear that this mining is both corrupting the land and the source of Ashitaka's curse. But nature is fighting back, harassing the mining town and its people in attacks led by a pack of wolves and their adoptive daughter, a young girl named San.
In a simpler film this would be as far as it goes. Evil industrial town and pure nature in conflict, with no ambiguity as to who should triumph. But Miyazaki is never that boring or trite. There's no question that the town is causing a lot of problems, but it's also in some ways a force for good. It's ruled by a woman - Lady Eboshi - and is remarkably egalitarian with respect to gender as well as serving as a haven for lepers. Industry may be polluting and harming the environment, but it's also providing uplift for the downtrodden and serving as an example of what can be accomplished when we respect all people as equals.
The question, therefore, is not whether nature and goodness will triumph over the evil and/or misguided polluters, but whether these two opposing sides can find some sort of balance to coexist together. The solution cannot be that either the humans stop mining or get forced out by nature, but to find a middle ground where man and nature can exist in harmony.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 5/1: F for Fake
FIRST WEEK OF DOCUMENTARY MONTH
It seems suitably ironic that our month about the use of film to show people true representations of the world starts with a documentary about the art of the con. Orson Welles was a big fan of misdirection, and this film examines the allure of the con artist with a few detours along the way. F for Fake is available on Filmstruck's Criterion channel and for rent on Amazon Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 4/20: Ghost in the Shell (2017)
The new Ghost in the Shell is the topic of the second part of this week's podcast, having pulled from the original even more than The Matrix did. Next Wednesday we'll have a thread to discuss this ill-advised remake. Ghost in the Shell may still be in a theater near you.
ARBOR DAY EDITION!
Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar-winning Spirited Away made gestures towards an environmental message, but his true plea on behalf of the environment is Princess Mononoke. Literally about a a destructive industry corrupting and polluting a pristine natural space, Miyazaki's skill nevertheless keeps the film from becoming a polemic. And as usual for the master, it's undeniably gorgeous.
When Ashitaka's town is attacked by a crazed, corrupted boar god, he is himself cursed with a progressive condition consuming his flesh, and must set out to find the curse's source in hopes of undoing it. He soon comes across a mining town that is deforesting the land to gain access to iron ore for muskets. It is rapidly clear that this mining is both corrupting the land and the source of Ashitaka's curse. But nature is fighting back, harassing the mining town and its people in attacks led by a pack of wolves and their adoptive daughter, a young girl named San.
In a simpler film this would be as far as it goes. Evil industrial town and pure nature in conflict, with no ambiguity as to who should triumph. But Miyazaki is never that boring or trite. There's no question that the town is causing a lot of problems, but it's also in some ways a force for good. It's ruled by a woman - Lady Eboshi - and is remarkably egalitarian with respect to gender as well as serving as a haven for lepers. Industry may be polluting and harming the environment, but it's also providing uplift for the downtrodden and serving as an example of what can be accomplished when we respect all people as equals.
The question, therefore, is not whether nature and goodness will triumph over the evil and/or misguided polluters, but whether these two opposing sides can find some sort of balance to coexist together. The solution cannot be that either the humans stop mining or get forced out by nature, but to find a middle ground where man and nature can exist in harmony.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 5/1: F for Fake
FIRST WEEK OF DOCUMENTARY MONTH
It seems suitably ironic that our month about the use of film to show people true representations of the world starts with a documentary about the art of the con. Orson Welles was a big fan of misdirection, and this film examines the allure of the con artist with a few detours along the way. F for Fake is available on Filmstruck's Criterion channel and for rent on Amazon Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 4/20: Ghost in the Shell (2017)
The new Ghost in the Shell is the topic of the second part of this week's podcast, having pulled from the original even more than The Matrix did. Next Wednesday we'll have a thread to discuss this ill-advised remake. Ghost in the Shell may still be in a theater near you.