REVIEW: The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Introduction of the films about Heian part 2

A short review of 'The Tale of the Princess Kaguya かぐや姫の物語' as a long appendix to the previous post REVIEW: 'The Tale of Genji'.

Film / Director

The film is based on the classic work of the Heian period, 'The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter 竹取物語', and the plot is basically the same as the original.

Directed by Isao Takahata 高畑勲 belonging to Studio Ghibli, the Mochi director, and my Mochi brother. He has the same type of personal qualities as me. I have sympathy for his philosophy of nature and life. His conclusion is obvious; Mochi. It's everywhere in his works. O-Kiyo おキヨ of 'Pom Poko 平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ' is my ideal girl. 

And again he made this film Mochi, this is Mochi film expect the grown-up Princess and Mikado the Emperor. The Emperor is portrayed as the symbol of Money, Power, Vanity. The Emperor's chin and outfit are designed to be the complete opposite quality of Mochi. Maybe Takahata needed to face this motif as a Mochi director before he ends his career.

REVIEW: The Tale of Genji

You have slept with thousand people? Cool. I am sleeping with people of recent thousand years. --Yeah?

Okay, I have finished exchanging "That's not too bad" facial expressions with some of you, now then shall we dive into the Heian period?

'The Tale of Genji 源氏物語' is a classic work of Japanese literature, written by the noblewoman and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century, around the peak of the Heian period. 

If you ask modern Japanese people about Heian literature, they will mention this work. Because it is so important, some call it the world's first novel, everybody learns it at school. And also because it is a masterpiece, its story is thrilling and sensational.

Heian Max: Furyū Road

The Heian period, from the 8th century to the 12th century, between Nara and Kamakura period, named after the capital city Heian-kyō, which is now known as Kyoto. Heian 平安, literally "tranquillity and peace", was eventually a relatively peaceful and stable period, and that made possible the birth of Wayō and the prosperity of Japanese literature.

Let me introduce my viewpoint on the period this time.

Wayō(Japanese style beauty) / Karayō(Chinese style beauty)

Everything is connected, more or less. However, if there are particular examples of the influence on Japanese culture, that would be China and the U.S. China is the father, the U.S. is the stepfather. Mother? It's the earth--God bless Mother Nature, she's a single woman too--of course. In the 8th century, Japan entered an era of the prosperity of its own art, there was a movement away from Karayō then. Wayō 和様 is a contrast to Karayō 唐様. These terms are normally used in the field of calligraphy but occasionally also in general art. The environment develops human mind, and it's a great inspiration. China gave us great gifts, but our natural environments are very different from each other. 

Upper: Chinese / Lower: Japanese

So when our ancestors looked closely at their environment, when they tried to portray what they really felt in everyday life, Wayō had begun as a matter of course, although it progressed gradually and they were wavering between two styles, philosophies. For instance, they say that Sukemasa Fujiwara(944-998) the Saseki 佐跡 described their contradictory feelings at that time as follows, "漢詩だけでは、また和歌だけでは、何かさびしくものたりない、こうして漢詩における自己充足感の減退と、和歌における未成熟の意識と、こういう方向のすきま、空虚を満たすものとして、和漢をならべたてるという傾向が生まれてくる"

Kanamoji / Brush Calligraphy

When Japanese people were still having communications only orally in ancient times, Chinese character was introduced into Japan. In the Nara period, in the 8th century, people started to describe oral Japanese language by Chinese character. In the early Heian period, in the early 9th century, those Chinese characters were redesigned and simplified by men. And by the end of the 9th century, the movement toward Japanese style progressed, those Chinese characters were again redesigned and developed into Kanamoji by women.

White Day

On Valentine's Day, girls present chocolates to boys in Japan. 

Japanese people like Matsuri 祭-festival, which gives us an opportunity to strengthen community's unity and blow off steam and forget daily, perhaps modest, perhaps suffocating life. In the nineteen sixties, Japanese confectionery industry discovered potential demand through everyday commercial efforts, and Valentine's Day became a large-scale social annual event in Japan. Japanese style Valentine's Day is now some sort of Matsuri.

Why people present chocolates

People give chocolates for communication which can be classified into four classes;

Question

Devotion

Association

Obligation

REVIEW: The Theory of Everything

I had never imagined that I would pay for a love story until I saw this film. 'The Theory of Everything' is the first love story film that fascinated me. 

This is a love story--of three, based on a true story of the theoretical physicist Professor Stephen Hawking. Starring Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking, Felicity Jones as Jane Hawking, Charlie Cox as Jonathan Hellyer Jones. The story describes love in a not overly romantic way, which is very comfortable, and yet there is certainly the excitement of the new relationship. "We are not normal family", Jane says. Yes, their relationships are not simple. But their love was a light, a hope, an inspiration to me.

Acting

Their acting is brilliant. Eddie Redmayne's portrayal is very detailed, and it carries strong conviction. Professor Stephen Hawking has ALS. Eddie Redmayne realistically portrays the progress of the disease, and the character's feelings and traits by limited physicality. Felicity Jones is also a formidable actor, but the delicious part of their performance is not in individual talents or skills, that is in dialogues, face-to-face communications. Their performances resonate with each other, amplify each other. The croquet sequence, for instance, is something beyond play.

Couldn't get THERE, AND BACK AGAIN

I couldn't make it because of troubles. I'm fine but terribly disappointed. I wanted to lead you to a good end of the adventure. I was completely ready to mingle with his fans and talk about how awesome 90' Hans' guitar is, or to dispute with folks about which Hans' work we should choose for the night and have a bar fight in France. It didn't go well, but I believe he and I are connected and "we" will have another chance. 

When an adventure ends, this blog ends.

That being said, I could hardly "share" this time. This company still have to make its way before we get home and have a cup of tea. So let me show you several more entries as an amusement on the way home, as an epilogue of the adventure, as a token of my appreciation.

Enjoy!



P. S. I've never seen a bar fight in French film. French people don't have a bar fight? Are they all...adult? They just have nicely briefly reasonably discussions? Are they all Sartre and Beauvoir?