Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds
December 28th 2007 01:53
Category: Television
Director: Hayao Miyazaki.
Screenplay by: Hayao Miyazaki.
Producer: Isao Takahata.
Starring: Alison Lohman (Nausicaa), Patrick Stewart (Lord Yupa), Edward James Olmos (Mito), Uma Thurman (Kushana), Mark Hamil (Pejite Mayor).
Produced by: 1984 Top Craft / Studio Ghibli.
Released by: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
Running Time: 116 minutes. Rating: PG.
Every so often SBS, a free to air channel here in Australia, will go through a period of showing anime flicks usually on weekend at night and this is where I managed to catch up with this particular film, just a few days before Christmas. It certainly makes far better viewing then the usual run of the mill clichéd Christmas themed flicks that are wheeled out by the various networks leading up to the big day. Made in 1984 by Hayao Miyazaki, a major name in anime circles, this anime epic has certainly stood the test of time providing a compelling, emotional and entrancing drama that makes this film worthy of being called a classic.
The name of the film’s protagonist comes from the pages of Greek mythology, from Homer’s epic poem the Odyssey. In the Odyssey Nausicaa is the princess of the Phaeacians who discovers with her handmaidens a ship wrecked Odysseus who has managed to escape the isle of Calypso and suffered the wrath of a vengeful Poseidon. Naturally the title character of this film doesn’t rescue a ship wrecked mariner who has just experienced the wrath of a vengeful deity, still there are similarities between the two characters namely in the degree of compassion and empathy.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds is set in what could be determined as a post-Apocalyptic world, the earth one thousand years after the demise of industrial civilization. A toxic jungle covers a large portion of the known world and each day its influence slowly spreads further and further threatening the existence of the few remaining pockets of humanity that dwell on the planet. Strangely unlike other post-Apocalyptic settings this is one where the damage has not so much been caused by war but rather it is predominantly been caused by the pollution that seems to be the result of any overly industrialised modern global society. There is also an element of warfare involved, one of the characters in the story mentions the Seven Days of Fire, a time of great calamity which sounds like it was the final death knell of the Old World and the elder civilization that dominated it.
Events open in this saga with the solitary Lord Yupa, a legendary swordmaster, travelling through a desolate landscape, one that has fallen under the depredations of the toxic jungle. It seems the reach of the jungle has steadily been growing and more and more villages are falling to its expansion, the inhabitants dying either from the poisons of the various spores and fumes or else being killed by marauding insects. After examining a house in one such devastated village Lord Yupa leaves it and sees a swarm of insects swirling overhead near a ruined spire. This solitary wanderer is roaming the kingdoms of the world trying to learn of the nature of the world in which he and others like him live and whether or not humanity will be able to survive in an environment that it seems is becoming more and more hostile with each passing season. Like Odysseus he is lost in an odyssey whose actual solution he is acutely unaware of, even when it immediately presents itself to him.
From the wanderings of Lord Yupa the action then moves to the films title character, Nausicaa who is flying her glider across the land eventually coming to rest on a verge of sand outside the toxic jungle. Leaving her glider here she ventures into the depths of the jungle eventually coming across the freshly made tracks of an Ohm, one of the larger insect varieties native to the jungle. She follows the tracks and comes across a discarded Ohm shell; this is a tremendous find as the shell can be used to make various tools and implements that the inhabitants of the Valley can use in their day to day lives. After prying loose an eyepiece she then senses that there is a disturbance in the jungle and moves to discover exactly what it is, someone is trying to avoid an Ohm and seeing that they will be unable to make their way out she fires off a flare signalling the direction for which they make an exit. From firing her flare Nausicaa makes her way back to her glider to try and render more assistance. It turns out that it is Lord Yupa who needs aid and with the use of stun grenades, an insect charm and a great deal of courage she convinces the enraged Ohm to leave Lord Yupa alone and return back to the jungle, back to its world.
Here we are witness to the abilities and exuberance of the title character, despite the outlook looking bleak for herself, her people and her species Nausicaa it seems has not given up hope that the world can once again become a better place for all, not just humans. Unlike others in this world Nausicaa has not let her abilities be solely focused on a single track, she has applied herself to delving into the mysteries of the environment, of the toxic jungle and how possibly things could be made better. Her efforts have led her to unravel part of the mystery, namely that the plants of the toxic jungle are actually only toxic due to the poisons in the soil but with fresh water from deep wells they became harmless. This is only part of the mystery though and her eventual unfolding experiences within the film lead to her to the completion of this mystery. For the insects themselves who seem so intent on defending the jungle and its environs are a significant part of the mystery and when they are enraged by attempts to destroy the jungle they are implacable in their will to prevent any attempts at destruction of their world.
Naturally there are others who don’t hold with the concepts and ideas espoused by Nausicaa, that the mystery should be looked at and unravelled to find a solution; they feel destruction is the best answer. Both the Pejites and the Tolmekians are adherents of this doctrine, believing that through a strategy of massive burning will the world be cleansed and made safe for humanity. To this end they both initially intended to resurrect one of the Giant Warriors, an ancient weapon of the Old World, the one that caused the carnage and devastation during the legendary Seven Days of Fire. It was generally believed that once the Giant Warriors had laid waste to the world they all then turned to stone and were no more, one warrior however went dormant and was concealed beneath the city of Pejite where he was later discovered. Unfortunately for the Pejites the Tolmekians beat them to the punch; they captured both the city and the warrior and carried the warrior away on one of their airships. That airship rather than making its way safely back to the Tolmekian homeland ended up crashing into the Valley of the Winds, causing further turmoil for the locals and embroiling them in the conflicts of other nations.
From ecological concerns and trying to live in a way that is in harmony with the environment the film then adds to this the themes of the futility of war and violence in solving problems, as well as the intransigence of people who live by the sword. Princess Kushana of the Tolmekians and the Pejite mayor are firmly convinced that they hold all the answers and that their way is the best way. There is often no reasoning with such individuals and sometimes they and their ‘rationales’ have to be ignored. In the end the Giant Warrior proves no solution, and if anything only serves to exacerbate an already fraught situation.
The animation in this movie is of an old school feel purely because of its age, there is none of the flashy stuff that you see in Akira, released some four years later from this film, or even more modern films such as Appleseed or even Tales from Earthsea yet it works and works well. Even though the place that is being depicted within the events of this film is an Earth sometime in a distant future there is a distinctly otherworldly feel about the place, as if it were more another planet entirely. In fact as I watched this movie I felt there were some resemblances between the countryside of this post-Apocalyptic world and that of outback Australia, just an impression I had. The other interesting facets of this movie is the music, which sounded suitably brooding and ethereal in places then joyful and exuberant in others much like the winds of the film’s name and then there is technology that is used by the inhabitants of this world in their day to day lives. You see a mixture of old and new, the people of the Valley use wind power from windmills and then they have flamethrowers and a sophisticated airborne gunship. The Tolmekians have huge airships, tanks and guns then a cadre of elite warriors who wear armour and wield sword and shield like medieval knights.
All in all Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds is a rare treat to watch, Hayao Miyazaki has created a world with depth and character that is peopled by with three dimensional individuals. The inhabitants of this world are not simply stereotypes; they lend significant impact to the unfolding drama and action. This is definitely a movie that deserves being called an anime classic and a masterpiece of cinematography; it’s a work that can literally tug at your heartstrings bringing forth feelings of joy, sadness as well as nail biting tension. The other interesting aspect of this film is the end credits, as they roll we see something of the new world that will emerge from the actions that have occurred, not simply a list of names and companies involved in the production of this particular film. Kudos to the programming staff of SBS for showing this excellent film, for daring to be different from the other networks at this time of the year and moving away from the schmalz that characterises the festive season viewing.
Screenplay by: Hayao Miyazaki.
Producer: Isao Takahata.
Starring: Alison Lohman (Nausicaa), Patrick Stewart (Lord Yupa), Edward James Olmos (Mito), Uma Thurman (Kushana), Mark Hamil (Pejite Mayor).
Produced by: 1984 Top Craft / Studio Ghibli.
Released by: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
Running Time: 116 minutes. Rating: PG.
Every so often SBS, a free to air channel here in Australia, will go through a period of showing anime flicks usually on weekend at night and this is where I managed to catch up with this particular film, just a few days before Christmas. It certainly makes far better viewing then the usual run of the mill clichéd Christmas themed flicks that are wheeled out by the various networks leading up to the big day. Made in 1984 by Hayao Miyazaki, a major name in anime circles, this anime epic has certainly stood the test of time providing a compelling, emotional and entrancing drama that makes this film worthy of being called a classic.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds is set in what could be determined as a post-Apocalyptic world, the earth one thousand years after the demise of industrial civilization. A toxic jungle covers a large portion of the known world and each day its influence slowly spreads further and further threatening the existence of the few remaining pockets of humanity that dwell on the planet. Strangely unlike other post-Apocalyptic settings this is one where the damage has not so much been caused by war but rather it is predominantly been caused by the pollution that seems to be the result of any overly industrialised modern global society. There is also an element of warfare involved, one of the characters in the story mentions the Seven Days of Fire, a time of great calamity which sounds like it was the final death knell of the Old World and the elder civilization that dominated it.
From the wanderings of Lord Yupa the action then moves to the films title character, Nausicaa who is flying her glider across the land eventually coming to rest on a verge of sand outside the toxic jungle. Leaving her glider here she ventures into the depths of the jungle eventually coming across the freshly made tracks of an Ohm, one of the larger insect varieties native to the jungle. She follows the tracks and comes across a discarded Ohm shell; this is a tremendous find as the shell can be used to make various tools and implements that the inhabitants of the Valley can use in their day to day lives. After prying loose an eyepiece she then senses that there is a disturbance in the jungle and moves to discover exactly what it is, someone is trying to avoid an Ohm and seeing that they will be unable to make their way out she fires off a flare signalling the direction for which they make an exit. From firing her flare Nausicaa makes her way back to her glider to try and render more assistance. It turns out that it is Lord Yupa who needs aid and with the use of stun grenades, an insect charm and a great deal of courage she convinces the enraged Ohm to leave Lord Yupa alone and return back to the jungle, back to its world.
Here we are witness to the abilities and exuberance of the title character, despite the outlook looking bleak for herself, her people and her species Nausicaa it seems has not given up hope that the world can once again become a better place for all, not just humans. Unlike others in this world Nausicaa has not let her abilities be solely focused on a single track, she has applied herself to delving into the mysteries of the environment, of the toxic jungle and how possibly things could be made better. Her efforts have led her to unravel part of the mystery, namely that the plants of the toxic jungle are actually only toxic due to the poisons in the soil but with fresh water from deep wells they became harmless. This is only part of the mystery though and her eventual unfolding experiences within the film lead to her to the completion of this mystery. For the insects themselves who seem so intent on defending the jungle and its environs are a significant part of the mystery and when they are enraged by attempts to destroy the jungle they are implacable in their will to prevent any attempts at destruction of their world.
Naturally there are others who don’t hold with the concepts and ideas espoused by Nausicaa, that the mystery should be looked at and unravelled to find a solution; they feel destruction is the best answer. Both the Pejites and the Tolmekians are adherents of this doctrine, believing that through a strategy of massive burning will the world be cleansed and made safe for humanity. To this end they both initially intended to resurrect one of the Giant Warriors, an ancient weapon of the Old World, the one that caused the carnage and devastation during the legendary Seven Days of Fire. It was generally believed that once the Giant Warriors had laid waste to the world they all then turned to stone and were no more, one warrior however went dormant and was concealed beneath the city of Pejite where he was later discovered. Unfortunately for the Pejites the Tolmekians beat them to the punch; they captured both the city and the warrior and carried the warrior away on one of their airships. That airship rather than making its way safely back to the Tolmekian homeland ended up crashing into the Valley of the Winds, causing further turmoil for the locals and embroiling them in the conflicts of other nations.
From ecological concerns and trying to live in a way that is in harmony with the environment the film then adds to this the themes of the futility of war and violence in solving problems, as well as the intransigence of people who live by the sword. Princess Kushana of the Tolmekians and the Pejite mayor are firmly convinced that they hold all the answers and that their way is the best way. There is often no reasoning with such individuals and sometimes they and their ‘rationales’ have to be ignored. In the end the Giant Warrior proves no solution, and if anything only serves to exacerbate an already fraught situation.
The animation in this movie is of an old school feel purely because of its age, there is none of the flashy stuff that you see in Akira, released some four years later from this film, or even more modern films such as Appleseed or even Tales from Earthsea yet it works and works well. Even though the place that is being depicted within the events of this film is an Earth sometime in a distant future there is a distinctly otherworldly feel about the place, as if it were more another planet entirely. In fact as I watched this movie I felt there were some resemblances between the countryside of this post-Apocalyptic world and that of outback Australia, just an impression I had. The other interesting facets of this movie is the music, which sounded suitably brooding and ethereal in places then joyful and exuberant in others much like the winds of the film’s name and then there is technology that is used by the inhabitants of this world in their day to day lives. You see a mixture of old and new, the people of the Valley use wind power from windmills and then they have flamethrowers and a sophisticated airborne gunship. The Tolmekians have huge airships, tanks and guns then a cadre of elite warriors who wear armour and wield sword and shield like medieval knights.
All in all Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds is a rare treat to watch, Hayao Miyazaki has created a world with depth and character that is peopled by with three dimensional individuals. The inhabitants of this world are not simply stereotypes; they lend significant impact to the unfolding drama and action. This is definitely a movie that deserves being called an anime classic and a masterpiece of cinematography; it’s a work that can literally tug at your heartstrings bringing forth feelings of joy, sadness as well as nail biting tension. The other interesting aspect of this film is the end credits, as they roll we see something of the new world that will emerge from the actions that have occurred, not simply a list of names and companies involved in the production of this particular film. Kudos to the programming staff of SBS for showing this excellent film, for daring to be different from the other networks at this time of the year and moving away from the schmalz that characterises the festive season viewing.
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