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8/24/2002
Back to school has come to mean one new thing to modern collegians: bandwidth. As many across the country will be returning to their T3 school intranets this week, we'll look at a couple of bandwidth-wasters that deserve attention -- and may not get it otherwise. QuickTime is required.
Metropolis
As the trailer reminds us, before 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, and some movie about the training of a terrorist called The Matrix, there was Metropolis. This particular film has had -- and will continue to have, sad to say -- a hard life. Thought too long, after its initial German release, it was butchered into a number of different, shorter cuts. Then World War II obliterated most of the original prints.
Long years of basement and attic snooping have recovered most of this film, although the current release is still missing about half an hour of the original. It has been digitally restored, and the original score has been returned. For a longer (and loving) discussion, go here....
This film is playing theatrically in limited engagements, including a full week right across the Charles from me in Cambridge, MA. Other dates and locations can be found on the previously cited sites.
Watching Metropolis for the first time, though, is something that may require a bit of mental slight-of-hand. This is a massive film, told on an epic scale, with images of such grandeur -- produced in 1927 -- that they have yet to be truly rivaled. This will be immediately enjoyable to any viewer. The politics of the film, however, about how Labor and Management must work together, will seem dated, even if the underlying message retains universality. This is also a silent film, where dialogue is sparse, and told with title cards. The acting is amped up, as a result, to a level you've probably never seen in naturalism-drenched modern times, even on the stage.
Be warned that this is a film told expressionistically, although it is a narrative with characters, plot, themes and a love story.
I realize that film students are expected to love this film sight unseen, but keep in mind that your writer is the sort who likes Shakespeare all the more because of the dirty jokes. Greet Metropolis as you would a friendly transfer student from Belize, and you will enjoy it.
Spirited Away
This is really amazing.
Under the radar, Disney has made a recent deal with a foreign company that, if played correctly, could become as profitable and sustaining for American cinema as it's five picture deal with Pixar. (Oh, and they've decided not to junk the traditional animation division. Go Lilo and Stitch!) The company in question is Studio Ghibli, the personal playground of the greatest living animator, Hayao Miyazaki. Coincidentally, one of the only people in the world today creating animated films with the skill and heart of writer/director Miyazaki is writer/director John Lasseter, of Pixar. And Lasseter is the producer of the English language version of this film.
This film took top honors at the Berlin International Film Festival this year -- not top honors for best animated film, but top honors for the best narrative film of any kind. It has broken all box office records in its native Japan, and done extremely well elsewhere in the world.
There are no exploding heads, mouths moving on otherwise static faces, high-speed superhuman fight scenes, or any of the other tropes of Japanese animation (animé) in this film. Indeed, Miyazaki has sometimes been criticized for not making films that are "Japanese" enough. Miyazaki's works are usually suitable for children, but play well as adult films. There is a maturity to his work, along with the wide-eyed sense of wonder, spontaneity and free exploration that can appeal to any age. If you haven't heard of Miyazaki, don't let the fact deter you from seeing this film, because with any luck you'll be hearing more and more of him in the years to come.
If you find that you like Miyazaki, you're also in luck, as Disney's Miramax arm has produced excellent English language versions of a number of Miyazaki's previous films, which are available on video. Parents who's kids love Harry Potter should rent Kiki's Delivery Service, an unbelievable coming-of-age story, with its own take on witches. Our Neighbor Totoro is another excellent children's movie, though one that's a hair more Japanese in flavor. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds and the recent release Princess Mononoke are for a somewhat older audience, but both are highly recommended as well.
Spirited Away represents a modern master at the height of his creative potential. This is Beethoven in his prime. Find this movie.
Touch the Toast