Some more things to think about, to follow on from Weeks 8-9!!
1. In this paper we have considered Herge's The Blue Lotus as an example of orientalism, that is, the way the 'East' is constructed in western discourse. Miyazaki lived for a spell in Italy and almost half of his feature-length films - Castle of Cagliostro (1979), Laptua: Castle in the Sky (1986), Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), Porco Rosso (1992) and Howl's Moving Castle (2004) - are set in Europe. Yet Miyazaki's Europe is a kind of imaginative reconstruction with fantasy elements that defamiliarises actual European settings and culture while remaining somehow remain indelibly Japanese. See the article I gave out by Dani Cavallaro (2006), pages 167-70.
Did you note any effects of such - what could be termed - 'Occidentalism' in Howl's Moving Castle? How might Europe function imaginatively for a Japanese audience? How do you think it works for a western audience? (Whew! That's my longest question yet :)
2. According to Cavallaro how successful was Howl commercially and critically?
3. What 3 major differences does Cavallaro identify between the book (a European fantasy novel by Wynne Jones) of the same name?
4. What does Cavallaro tell us about the technical aspects of Howl's production in terms of the animation technique and special effects?
Nice to see some smiles after this screening ＼（＾ ＾）／
What did you like (or not like, if that's the case) about Howl?
Hi my friends I am trying to answer to some question. Howl’s Moving Castle has gotten the Osella Award for Technical Excellence on September 2004 at the 61th Venice film Festival. This movie was shown at the same time in 450 cinemas in Japan. On its opening weekend, the movie was seen by 1.1 million viewers and earned $14.6million (P, 157). This film has earned $18 million in Korea and about 3 million viewers seen it. This film has made more than $100 million in England and 42.1 million in France. Between book and film are three major differences: Firstly, in Jones’s novel the wizard’s reputation as a heart-eater. Secondly, in the movie the Witch of the waste is not as in the book “an unredeemable fiend but is actually returned to human form “(P, 160). Thirdly, Sophie is not, in the film, “depicted as an entirely ancient- looking woman as a result of witch’s curse “(p, 160) It continued.
PS there's still lotsa discussion to be had, seems to me, on both this and the general anime topic (weeks 8-9) so would be great to see some discussion clutering around both!＾＾
‘Howl brings into play and ingeniously maximizes virtually all of the major animation techniques already deployed to stupendous effect in previous Ghibli productions’ (Cavallaro 2006, p.165). The film represents the ‘primary example of Studio Ghibli’s spellbinding integration of traditional animation and CGI: all of its backgrounds were, initially, hand-drown and hand-printed, while its characters were hand-drown and only subsequently scanned digitally, instead of being actually generated in the computer’ (Cavallaro 2006, p.165). Cavallaro quotes Schlling’s (2004) assessment to explain the special effects. That is, ‘Miyazaki’s technical mastery of the animator’s art, from the lush, vibrant beauty of his landscapes to the way he makes the smallest movement and gesture come alive. In Miyazaki’s world, even the way the heroine sews artificial berries onto a hand band expresses character and mood’.
The other primary techniques are the followings: ‘It frequently uses elongation in the passing position between two key frames in order to invest the action with a smoothly realistic pattern of motion’ (Cavallaro 2006, p.165). ‘It offers a deftly handled alternation of slow-paced sequences and headlong dives, poised elegance and hyperdynamism, as well as audacious camera angles and depth-of-field effects intended to propose daring juxtapositions of depth and height’ (Cavallaro 2006, p.165). ‘Howl makes masterful use of walks as a means of individualizing its characters at the levels of age, status, and mood, manipulating weight and flexibility to evoke shifts and fluctuations in both individual and relational modalities of motion’ (Cavallaro 2006, p.165).
I’d like to add to some information for Hayao-chan’s excellent success.
The film received the Audience Award at the Sitges International Film Festival on December 11, 2004. The film received the title of Le Chateau Ambulant on January 12, 2005. Miyazaki received an honorary Golden Lion for career achievements at the 62nd Venice Film Festival to be held in August/September 2005 (Cavallaro 2006).
I’d like to add to the part of your answer for Question 3.
About the first difference
Jones’s Howl’s character is rather shallow and self-obsessed, though often captivatingly so (Cavallaro 2006). On the other hand, Miyazaki vividly conveys the gravity of Howl’s intent and actions. ‘A deep strain of sadness, combining feelings of exhaustion, disenchantment and even self-contempt, courses through his hatred of warfare and his inability, nonetheless, to disengage himself from the conflict’ (Cavallaro 2006, p.160).
About the second difference
In the movie Waste‘s ‘character is ultimately accorded positive attributes – primarily the ability to empathize, in her own idiosyncratic fashion, with the heroine’s predicament – and even though she retains elements of her initial penchant for self – indulgence and covetousness, she is finally capable of acting selflessly’ (Cavallaro 2006, p.160).
About the third difference
Sophie is never ‘uniformly and incontrovertibly presented as either young or old. Miyazaki has succeeded in lucidly conveying this potentially mystifying idea by recourse to constant and sometimes almost imperceptible fluctuations in the heroine’s countenance and movements and thus delivered, both graphically and psychologically, one of the most complex and satisfying accomplishments’ (Cavallaro 2006, p.161).
Hi kimiko I have to mention that the Howl’s Moving Castle is one of the best animations which were made by Miyazaki. Moreover, I think another important aspect of film is Miyazaki’s view of war. It is an anti-war theme. This film made fun of war. He tries to show that war causes lot problems for people and understanding the philosophy of war is secret for majority of people. The main character of our Sophie as a young and headstrong girl is main character of the story. She is bit innocence to her character. According to Cavallaro (2006) Sophie is never ‘uniformly and incontrovertibly presented as either young or old. Miyazaki has succeeded in lucidly conveying this potentially mystifying idea by recourse to constant and sometimes almost imperceptible fluctuations in the heroine’s countenance and movements and thus delivered, both graphically and psychologically, one of the most complex and satisfying accomplishments’ (p. 161).
Do you know what? This is the first time I watched an Anime movie. Guess what? It was interesting and I really liked it. So, may be I will borrow some more Anime from the video store and watch them during our holidays.
However, let me add some more to our Question 1, to extend Bahram’s answer.
According to Napier (2007), anime has been rapidly acquiring global appeal in recent years. Its growing popularity outside Japan, could be attributed to the fact that “the medium is both different in a way that is appealing to a western audience, fully satisfied on the predictabilities of America popular culture, and also remarkably approachable in it’s universal themes and images (p.10).
At the same time, Anime has enabled western audiences to develop novel perceptions of Japan, that constitute a refreshing alternative to the formulaic and staid images promoted for decades by the guardians of tradition. So, as a fact, this affects some of the west artistic cultures as there have been attempts as well, ever since the late 19th century, to expose the west to many aspects of Japanese culture such as, theatre, architecture, gardens… “(Cavallaro, 2006, citied in the Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki, Critical Reader, 2008)”. In addition, the 19th century Miyazaki’s imaginary unfolds in together with a no less imaginary version of Europe. This is the kind of idealized world as in Cagliostro and Kiki, that the Japanese designate as akograve no Paris (“the Paris of our dreams”). (Cavallaro, 2006, p.168).
Cavallaro also reveals that Miyazaki and his team also turns to the work of Albert Ropida (1948), an illustrator, historian, etc, by drawing inspiration from his fantastic speculation about the future of technology, in order to improve or enhance the French flavour of the film settings: It is believed that Ropida’s prediction concerning the development of the 20th century media are more accurate than his rival or his opponent Jules Verne’s own musings, and the visionary element is indeed vital and crucial to the world wide promoted and promulgated by Howl (p.168).
In Miyazaki’s movies, they draw many pictures imagining what the 20th century would be like because of the fascination with the many artists, who “drew illusion arts” in Europe back then…(p.168). The complete attention to such images, for Miyazaki, resides in their ability to conjure up “a world in which science exists as well as magic, since they are illusion” (Cavallaro, p. 168).
Sorry for this long piece of writing, but reading about this as well as watching Howl’s Moving Castle, I have found out some knowledge of “Occidentalism in Howl’s Moving Castle,” as the West and Eastern culture in artistry are being affected, as the growing and the promoting of films are so crucial nowadays . I think, this is enough for this week’s discussion from me.
8 comments:
Some more things to think about, to follow on from Weeks 8-9!!
1. In this paper we have considered Herge's The Blue Lotus as an example of orientalism, that is, the way the 'East' is constructed in western discourse. Miyazaki lived for a spell in Italy and almost half of his feature-length films - Castle of Cagliostro (1979), Laptua: Castle in the Sky (1986), Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), Porco Rosso (1992) and Howl's Moving Castle (2004) - are set in Europe. Yet Miyazaki's Europe is a kind of imaginative reconstruction with fantasy elements that defamiliarises actual European settings and culture while remaining somehow remain indelibly Japanese. See the article I gave out by Dani Cavallaro (2006), pages 167-70.
Did you note any effects of such - what could be termed - 'Occidentalism' in Howl's Moving Castle? How might Europe function imaginatively for a Japanese audience? How do you think it works for a western audience? (Whew! That's my longest question yet :)
2. According to Cavallaro how successful was Howl commercially and critically?
3. What 3 major differences does Cavallaro identify between the book (a European fantasy novel by Wynne Jones) of the same name?
4. What does Cavallaro tell us about the technical aspects of Howl's production in terms of the animation technique and special effects?
Nice to see some smiles after this screening ＼（＾ ＾）／
What did you like (or not like, if that's the case) about Howl?
Hi my friends
I am trying to answer to some question. Howl’s Moving Castle has gotten the Osella Award for Technical Excellence on September 2004 at the 61th Venice film Festival. This movie was shown at the same time in 450 cinemas in Japan. On its opening weekend, the movie was seen by 1.1 million viewers and earned $14.6million (P, 157). This film has earned $18 million in Korea and about 3 million viewers seen it. This film has made more than $100 million in England and 42.1 million in France.
Between book and film are three major differences: Firstly, in Jones’s novel the wizard’s reputation as a heart-eater.
Secondly, in the movie the Witch of the waste is not as in the book “an unredeemable fiend but is actually returned to human form “(P, 160).
Thirdly, Sophie is not, in the film, “depicted as an entirely ancient- looking woman as a result of witch’s curse “(p, 160)
It continued.
PS there's still lotsa discussion to be had, seems to me, on both this and the general anime topic (weeks 8-9) so would be great to see some discussion clutering around both!＾＾
Hi Group:
This is my answer for Question 4.
‘Howl brings into play and ingeniously maximizes virtually all of the major animation techniques already deployed to stupendous effect in previous Ghibli productions’ (Cavallaro 2006, p.165). The film represents the ‘primary example of Studio Ghibli’s spellbinding integration of traditional animation and CGI: all of its backgrounds were, initially, hand-drown and hand-printed, while its characters were hand-drown and only subsequently scanned digitally, instead of being actually generated in the computer’ (Cavallaro 2006, p.165). Cavallaro quotes Schlling’s (2004) assessment to explain the special effects. That is, ‘Miyazaki’s technical mastery of the animator’s art, from the lush, vibrant beauty of his landscapes to the way he makes the smallest movement and gesture come alive. In Miyazaki’s world, even the way the heroine sews artificial berries onto a hand band expresses character and mood’.
The other primary techniques are the followings: ‘It frequently uses elongation in the passing position between two key frames in order to invest the action with a smoothly realistic pattern of motion’ (Cavallaro 2006, p.165). ‘It offers a deftly handled alternation of slow-paced sequences and headlong dives, poised elegance and hyperdynamism, as well as audacious camera angles and depth-of-field effects intended to propose daring juxtapositions of depth and height’ (Cavallaro 2006, p.165). ‘Howl makes masterful use of walks as a means of individualizing its characters at the levels of age, status, and mood, manipulating weight and flexibility to evoke shifts and fluctuations in both individual and relational modalities of motion’ (Cavallaro 2006, p.165).
Hi Bahrm:
For Question 2…
I’d like to add to some information for Hayao-chan’s excellent success.
The film received the Audience Award at the Sitges International Film Festival on December 11, 2004.
The film received the title of Le Chateau Ambulant on January 12, 2005.
Miyazaki received an honorary Golden Lion for career achievements at the 62nd Venice Film Festival to be held in August/September 2005 (Cavallaro 2006).
Hi Bahram:
I’d like to add to the part of your answer for Question 3.
About the first difference
Jones’s Howl’s character is rather shallow and self-obsessed, though often captivatingly so (Cavallaro 2006). On the other hand, Miyazaki vividly conveys the gravity of Howl’s intent and actions. ‘A deep strain of sadness, combining feelings of exhaustion, disenchantment and even self-contempt, courses through his hatred of warfare and his inability, nonetheless, to disengage himself from the conflict’ (Cavallaro 2006, p.160).
About the second difference
In the movie Waste‘s ‘character is ultimately accorded positive attributes – primarily the ability to empathize, in her own idiosyncratic fashion, with the heroine’s predicament – and even though she retains elements of her initial penchant for self – indulgence and covetousness, she is finally capable of acting selflessly’ (Cavallaro 2006, p.160).
About the third difference
Sophie is never ‘uniformly and incontrovertibly presented as either young or old. Miyazaki has succeeded in lucidly conveying this potentially mystifying idea by recourse to constant and sometimes almost imperceptible fluctuations in the heroine’s countenance and movements and thus delivered, both graphically and psychologically, one of the most complex and satisfying accomplishments’ (Cavallaro 2006, p.161).
Hi kimiko
I have to mention that the Howl’s Moving Castle is one of the best animations which were made by Miyazaki. Moreover, I think another important aspect of film is Miyazaki’s view of war. It is an anti-war theme. This film made fun of war. He tries to show that war causes lot problems for people and understanding the philosophy of war is secret for majority of people. The main character of our Sophie as a young and headstrong girl is main character of the story. She is bit innocence to her character. According to Cavallaro (2006) Sophie is never ‘uniformly and incontrovertibly presented as either young or old. Miyazaki has succeeded in lucidly conveying this potentially mystifying idea by recourse to constant and sometimes almost imperceptible fluctuations in the heroine’s countenance and movements and thus delivered, both graphically and psychologically, one of the most complex and satisfying accomplishments’ (p. 161).
Hi My blogger mates!
Do you know what? This is the first time I watched an Anime movie. Guess what? It was interesting and I really liked it. So, may be I will borrow some more Anime from the video store and watch them during our holidays.
However, let me add some more to our Question 1, to extend Bahram’s answer.
According to Napier (2007), anime has been rapidly acquiring global appeal in recent years. Its growing popularity outside Japan, could be attributed to the fact that “the medium is both different in a way that is appealing to a western audience, fully satisfied on the predictabilities of America popular culture, and also remarkably approachable in it’s universal themes and images (p.10).
At the same time, Anime has enabled western audiences to develop novel perceptions of Japan, that constitute a refreshing alternative to the formulaic and staid images promoted for decades by the guardians of tradition.
So, as a fact, this affects some of the west artistic cultures as there have been attempts as well, ever since the late 19th century, to expose the west to many aspects of Japanese culture such as, theatre, architecture, gardens… “(Cavallaro, 2006, citied in the Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki, Critical Reader, 2008)”.
In addition, the 19th century Miyazaki’s imaginary unfolds in together with a no less imaginary version of Europe. This is the kind of idealized world as in Cagliostro and Kiki, that the Japanese designate as akograve no Paris (“the Paris of our dreams”). (Cavallaro, 2006, p.168).
Cavallaro also reveals that Miyazaki and his team also turns to the work of Albert Ropida (1948), an illustrator, historian, etc, by drawing inspiration from his fantastic speculation about the future of technology, in order to improve or enhance the French flavour of the film settings:
It is believed that Ropida’s prediction concerning the development of the 20th century media are more accurate than his rival or his opponent Jules Verne’s own musings, and the visionary element is indeed vital and crucial to the world wide promoted and promulgated by Howl (p.168).
In Miyazaki’s movies, they draw many pictures imagining what the 20th century would be like because of the fascination with the many artists, who “drew illusion arts” in Europe back then…(p.168). The complete attention to such images, for Miyazaki, resides in their ability to conjure up “a world in which science exists as well as magic, since they are illusion” (Cavallaro, p. 168).
Sorry for this long piece of writing, but reading about this as well as watching Howl’s Moving Castle, I have found out some knowledge of “Occidentalism in Howl’s Moving Castle,” as the West and Eastern culture in artistry are being affected, as the growing and the promoting of films are so crucial nowadays
.
I think, this is enough for this week’s discussion from me.
I love you all my mates!!
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