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Poster Description: Beneath a thick tree canopy, San (Claire Danes) rides a giant white wolf. She wears a white, shaggy fur cape with a fang necklace, and her red mask is upon her brown hair. Both she and the beast look off into the distance, grim and cautious. |
In 2018, Film4 broadcasted a Studio Ghibli marathon over the summer: out of all of them, Princess Mononoke stayed on my recorded list until my TiVo box died last year. Ah, Studio Ghibli. Exquisite tales of whimsy with strong characters. By strong, I mean they are fleshed out with flaws, although a man in 1986’s Laputa: Castle in the Sky bursts his shirt at will. Yes, someone animated that, and it’s glorious. Nevertheless, the protagonists are usually female and are optimistic in the face of adversity.
Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, Princess Mononoke follows a young man cursed by a demon. Forced to leave his home behind, Ashitaka (Billy Crudup, Big Fish) finds himself in a war between a mining town and forest gods. Through it all, San rides a colossal wolf (Claire Danes, Stardust), fighting on the side of the natural world and hating humans with equal ferocity.
Though rated PG, Princess Mononoke does not hold the audience’s hand. This world is both spellbinding and dismal, with room left for us to fill in the gaps. Old gods come in the form of enormous, talking animals; the consequences of human ambition and greed are found in characters like Lady Eboshi (a solemn turn for Minnie Driver) and the smiling monk Jigo (a wonderfully sinister Billy Bob Thornton). Despite his humble demeanour, Jigo has dreams of stealing the woodland god’s head. Why? For pure notoriety.
Meanwhile, the Lady runs Iron Town, named for the ore her people are destroying the forest to obtain. She has ambitions to “take over the world,” but she also gives lepers a home and a purpose again and liberates prostitutes from their brothels. Led by Jada Pinkett Smith’s Tiko, the women’s blunt, unfettered behaviour towards men is one of the film’s best parts. Miyazaki knows how to write women, okay? They are instantly besotted with Ashitaka because he’s very handsome and brooding…if a little scary.
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Image Description: Dressed in a blue robe with dark sleeves, Ashitaka (Billy Crudup) strides down a darkened street. He carries his sword. His red cowl billows behind him as eerie black tendrils twist and spiral around one arm. |
Studio Ghibli is renowned for bright, beautiful animation with particular detail regarding nature and its many sounds. It’s wild to think Princess Mononoke was meant to be Miyazaki’s last film before he retired, because it is no less stunning, introducing us to the weirdly cute forest sprites. Still, it isn’t afraid to get dark, as San removes a bullet from one of her wolf brethren with her mouth. Ashitaka contracts the curse from a vengeful boar god, who decays before our eyes (yech). Whenever Ashitaka is angry, his curse causes his fighting arm to undulate with a violent will of its own. It can bend samurai swords like wire and even decapitate a man with a single arrow. Later, brutish apes talk of killing Ashitaka and eating him to acquire his incredible strength.
Without giving away the final act, Joe Hisaishi’s score, on the intensity scale, amps up to an unnerving eleven. The conclusion shows the environmental message rather than tell it, and hammers home the need for love, courage, and kindness. It does come across as somewhat contrived, but it’s uplifting stuff all the same.
My Rating: 4 STARS OUT OF 5
Since my biggest problem with this review was choosing which Studio Ghibli movie to explore, I will list my Top 10 favourite Studio Ghibli films towards the end of the year, as a Christmas Special.
My Sources:
Princess Mononoke poster: https://ghibli.fandom.com/wiki/Princess_Mononoke
Video - Man bursts his shirt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNWHm8sYayU
Billy Crudup filmography: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001082/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_8_q_billy%2520
Image – Ashitaka: https://facts.net/lifestyle/entertainment/14-facts-about-ashitaka-princess-mononoke/
Wait…Miyazaki planned to retire after Princess Mononoke?: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119698/trivia/?ref_=tt_trv_trv
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