The big picture
- Isao Takahata's overlooked masterpiece,
The Tale of Princess Kaguya
it challenges social norms and celebrates individual freedom. - Takahata's distinctive style of storytelling and animation evokes emotions over his detailed visuals.
- The film explores themes of identity, the transitory nature of life and the pursuit of happiness, leaving behind an important legacy.
For many animation fans around the world, Studio Ghibli is synonymous with the name Hayao Miyazaki. From beloved classics like tucked away in his latest film, The boy and the heron, Miyazaki is not only one of the most famous Japanese directors today, but has also won the hearts of Western audiences and won two Academy Awards, cementing his position as one of the biggest names in the film industry. animation. While Miyazaki's art deserves to be recognized and celebrated, there is another figure under the Ghibli banner who has contributed his own cinematic masterpieces that are often overlooked: director, screenwriter and producer. Isao Takahata.
The two directors met while working on Takahata's debut film, The great adventure of Horus, prince of the sunwhich was then considered a commercial failure. However, their collaboration led to a deep friendship and rivalry, and eventually co-founded Studio Ghibli along with the producer Toshio Suzuki. Takahata has directed well-known and celebrated Ghibli films such as Only yesterday i The grave of the fireflies. However, despite achieving a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes, his latest film and magnum opus, The Tale of Princess Kaguyait is often underestimated and misunderstood.
The Tale of Princess Kaguya
A bamboo carver in ancient Japan finds a miniature girl inside a bamboo stalk and believes it to be a divine presence. He and his wife raise her as their own, and as the girl quickly matures into a beautiful young woman, suitors from all over the country come to seek her hand. However, her heavenly lineage holds secrets that challenge her earthly ties, leading to profound revelations about joy, freedom, and her destiny.
- Publication date
- November 23, 2013
- director
- Isao Takahata
- chastity
- Aki Asakura, Takeo Chii, Nobuko Miyamoto, Kengo Kora, Atsuko Takahata
- Execution time
- 137 minutes
- writers
- Riko Sakaguchi, Isao Takahata
- Studies
- Studio Ghibli, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, KDDI, Mitsubishi Shoji, Nippon Television Network Corporation, Toho, T2 Studio
What is Studio Ghibli's “The Tale of Princess Kaguya” about?
The Tale of Princess Kaguya is an adaptation of a fictional prose narrative called The tale of the bamboo cutter, presumably written in the early 10th century. It is considered one of the best-known literary classics in Japan thanks to its inclusion in Japanese high school textbooks. The story has also been adapted many times into picture books, manga and anime series under the name of Princess Kaguya However, when Isao Takahata read the story in his childhood, he could not relate to the story at all. Originally intended to teach young people to obey the rules and live up to society's expectations, Takahata flipped the script and approached The Tale of Princess Kaguya with empathy for the heroine, create a coming-of-age story about women's restraint, independence, and environmentalism.
The Tale of Princess Kaguya centers on a magical girl discovered on a glowing bamboo stalk by a humble bamboo cutter and his wife. Named a princess by her parents, she grows up quickly, captivating those around her with her ethereal beauty and charm. Believing that the gods want her to become a noble woman, her father tries to provide her with a luxurious lifestyle away from her friends and the fields where Kaguya grew up. As the woman blossoms, suitors from far and wide seek her hand, but she refuses. all of them, longing for freedom but longing for the happiness and approval of their parents. Over time, Kaguya's longing intensifies, and after being assaulted by the Emperor, who seeks to make her his concubine, she is forced to reveal her true identity as the Moon Princess, sent on Earth after committing a sin.
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Prepare the fabrics.
Ultimately, he will have to return to the Moon, where he will forget all the sorrow and all the joy he experienced during his time on Earth, and the people he has loved. The Tale of Princess Kaguya delves into issues of identity, societal expectations and the transitory nature of life, portrayed through stunning hand-drawn animation and a distinctive style that set the film apart from anything Studio Ghibli had done before.
Takahata prioritizes different details than Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki is known for his mastery of detailed animation. Movies like Ponyo i Udol's moving castle they are so vibrant and full of life that viewers can almost feel transported into a fantasy world. Active backgrounds, full of depth and movement, only enhance this feeling. In contrast, Isao Takahata uses a completely different style but achieves a similar effect. Movies like Only yesterday i pom pom they are minimalist, lean towards impressionism and get rid of all excess to focus solely on the details necessary to carry the story. This method is also present in the watercolor style of The Tale of Princess Kaguya, which sometimes resembles a Sumi-e painting.
During an interview with With cableTakahata mentioned it Frédéric Back's The man who planted trees served as inspiration for his adaptation of Princess Kaguya, stating, “I have long believed that it is better to appeal to the memory and imagination of the viewers.” The director intended to evoke a feeling as if the audience was watching someone rapidly sketching what was happening in front of the person's eyes. Instead of focusing on the elements or characters, Takahata wanted to capture the emotions presented in order to make us empathize with the heroine.
In what is perhaps the most famous scene of the film, Princess Kaguya is dressed in fine clothes and forced to sit inside a box for three days while noble society celebrates its coming of age party. Unseen and unheard, separated from everyone around her like a porcelain doll, Kaguya listens as some nobles mock her father's attempts to pass her off as a princess when in fact she is just a rural area. Overwhelmed by disappointment and frustration, he takes off his robe and flees to his home in the mountains. During this scene, the background, the trees, and Kaguya herself become blurred lines and colors, with no elements recognizable, but the desperation and desperation of this scene is palpable.
Isao Takahata's film leaves behind an important message
One of the central themes explored in The Tale of Princess Kaguya it is the cyclical nature of life and the transience of existence. Near the film's conclusion, when Kaguya informs her parents of her imminent return to the Moon, she reflects on the purpose of her journey to Earth, stating: “I was born to truly live!”
Isao Takahata's final film transforms a narrative initially focused on conforming to societal norms and fulfilling family expectations into a moving story about the pursuit of happiness and living in harmony with nature, turning the in one of the best Ghibli films ever produced.
The Tale of Princess Kaguya is available to watch on Max in the US
Look at Max
