Princess Mononoke on France 4: Hayao Miyazaki’s great masterpiece
France Télévisions continues its rebroadcast of Studio Ghibli classics for the end-of-year holidays.
Fantastic story of a battle of the forces of nature against a devastating humanity, Princess Mononoke is rebroadcast this Monday evening on France 4. The next day it will join the collection of Ghibli films to watch for free in streaming on the France Télévisions website.
The story of Princess Mononoke : In the heart of medieval Japan, when Ashitaka, prince of the Emishi tribe, kills the boar god Nago who has become a demon, he finds himself struck by a terrible curse which can cost him his life. His only hope is to leave his village to meet the god Stag. The latter might be able to help him. During his long and perilous journey, Ashitaka meets San, the princess of Mononoke, a human raised by Mono, the wolf goddess. The master of animation offers here a magnificent journey into the heart of the Japanese forest.
For his masterpiece, Hayao Miyazaki was greatly inspired by the beauty of the island of Yakushima in Japan, which is home to an extremely dense forest. Here is the opinion of First :
“Between My Neighbor Totoro and Princess Mononoke, there is a difference of degree which is not limited to the distinction between cartoon and animated film. This time, Miyazaki tells a complex story, almost hard due to its intransigence. There is no nostalgia in him for a lost paradise as we find in Boorman (Excalibur or The Emerald Forest). Miyazaki’s ecological commitment is more educational: he invites us to become aware of space and time by inventing images that function as memories of a previous life, mythologized but plausible, where the balance between the forces of nature were different.
In doing so, it reminds us that we are responsible for the way we modify our environment. His images are so strong that they give full meaning to the idea of animation. Firstly because it would have been impossible to represent otherwise everything that exists here: a forest with incredible vegetation, magical creatures, some specimens of giant animals, an ectoplasmic and polymorphic deer god, a pitched battle between warriors and wild boars.
But beyond the simple technique, the animation truly fulfills its function by giving life to the characters to the point of establishing a sensitive and lasting affection between them and the spectator. One may have a minor problem with references to Japanese animist culture, although in some aspects it is reminiscent of Celtic paganism.
Obviously, Miyazaki is the polar opposite of Cartesianism, particularly in his refusal of simplifying Manichaeism: he does not show good guys or bad guys; only friends and enemies, alliances that are made and broken according to interests or motivations. Humans appear as the smartest (in both senses of the word), but not necessarily the most noble. They are beaten on this ground by other species such as rebellious wild boars who, although aware of throwing themselves into a trap, still go for the gesture. It’s beautiful and tragic. It’s also a lesson in humility.”
Trailer:
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