Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

[DA_Champion]

Grave of the Fireflies
1988 Film
8.5/10-IMDb
97%-Rotten Tomatoes
Director: Isao Takahata
Production company: Studio Ghibli
Story by: Akiyuki Nosaka
Screenplay: Isao Takahata
Cast: Yoshiko Shinohara, Akemi Yamaguchi, Ayano Shiraishi, Tsutomu Tatsumi

I saw the 1988 animated Japanese film Grave of the Fireflies tonight, it's by Studio Ghibli. The above two images should prove to every single one of you that it's a physically beautiful film, but let me say that it's also an emotionally beautiful film. It warmed my heart throughout, and at the end, it broke my heart.

It follows two siblings in 1945 Japan, the older brother Seita and his younger sister Setsuko. They live in Kobe, Japan which is being frequently firebombed by faceless American bombers. Their mother suffers serious burns in one of the fires, and subsequently dies. We follow the two siblings, as they try and maintain a life for themselves in a crumbling society. We primarily follow Seita as he tries to care for his little sister, which he has a hard time doing since, again, society is crumbling, and he himself has limited skills, though the film teaches us he does have some talent. The things he does to care for his sister are extremely touching.

In western countries, it's naturally perceived to be an anti-war film. That was not the intention of the director, nor is it how it's perceived in Japan.

However, director Takahata repeatedly denied that the film was an anti-war film. In his own words, "[The film] is not at all an anti-war anime and contains absolutely no such message." Instead, Takahata had intended to convey an image of the brother and sister living a failed life due to isolation from society and invoke sympathy particularly in people in their teens and twenties, whom he felt needed to straighten up and respect their elders for the pain and suffering they had experienced during arguably the darkest point in Japan's history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_of_the_Fireflies

I'm having a bit of a trouble wrapping my head on this, he's critical of how society functioned during the war, but he didn't consider it an anti-war film. I don't get quite get it, but he is the genius who put this together so I have to resect that.

All in all, a magnificent film, from animation to score to voice acting to plot to themes.

Grade: A

 

[DA_Champion]

Has no one else seen this?

 

[Batjag]

I've seen it. It's a great film, and I encourage everybody to watch it, but I don't think I'll ever watch it again.

It's really sad. Probably the most emotional I've ever gotten watching a movie. A classic.

 

[Pink Ranger]

Like many WW2-themed creative works from Japan, my appreciation of the genuine artistry and impact of this piece has to be viewed against the fact that it reflects an ongoing culture of Axis-power-apologism/rationalization that continues to permeate Japan at all levels.

 

[Tequilla]

The only movie in history that has moved me to the point of shedding tears . I rented it thinking it was something more normal (i was young). I was preplexed as i saw it.

Takahata ability to invoke despair and helplessness is terryfying effective.

Setsuko losing a child sense of wonder is simply painfull. A great display of the innocence that war simply rips apart.

Just listening agair to some chords of the music makes me sad.

And its based on a true story

 

[C. Lee]

I saw this about 20 years ago....I taped it off of the IFC....still have the tape around here somewhere....it was a beautiful film, need to find the tape and watch it again now.

 

[DA_Champion]

Like many WW2-themed creative works from Japan, my appreciation of the genuine artistry and impact of this piece has to be viewed against the fact that it reflects an ongoing culture of Axis-power-apologism/rationalization that continues to permeate Japan at all levels.

There's no apologia here. The four year old girl was not responsible for Nanjing.

In any case, I find that criticism strange, as I never read it applied the other way, to American or British war films for example.

 

[Teelie]

It's a movie I've almost seen many times but for whatever reason ended up not getting to it.

 

[marcvader]

Same here. Have had ample chances to see it but one thing or another has kept me from it. Should make an effort as I 've always heard its a beautiful film.

 

[Jamimo20]

I like this movie and and was touched deeply. During the war, the life is not easy, but the relationship between people is more tight. This is the first movie I saw about Japan films. Afterwards, I am into J movies.

Source from nihofun.com

 

[a user]

A masterpiece indeed.

 

[Saitou Hajime]

There's a Japanese drama from the perspective of the aunt that's pretty decent.

 

[childeroland]

This is Takahata's masterpiece (though I prefer Only Yesterday) and among the best war films ever made.

I see Takahata's point, but I don't know how he expected anyone to get that message (particularly about the elders) from his film. A classic case of trust the tale, not the teller.

 

[Pond]

A masterpiece. Funny enough, as i recall, this was shown originally in many japanese theaters as a double feature. The other movie was... My neighbour Totoro. Now, if that is not a contrast, i dont know what it is...

Usually the meaning of a work of art is up to the viewer. Original intention is great and all, but its meaning is very personal. I like how Joss Whedon put it. "A work of art is not your pet. Its like a child. It eventually grows up, leaves home and has his own life, and you, the parent, need to accept that." Its not the first time that a work of art gets interpreted in a way different way than the author intended, despite his protestations and much chagrin.

In fact many works of art are considered great for centuries, yes... but the why differs many times from century to century quite drastically. Something is obviously great about this book because people still read it to this day, but the reason why they thought it was awesome back then is not the reason you think its awesome, by a mile. And its not only time, but nations, cultures and, of course, individuals.

The old truism is actually true. You give the same book to ten people and you probably will get the impression that they actually read a completely different book alltogether... all of them. Wich makes most of the ocassions where an author is acused of saying something bad kinda absurd, as most of the times its more about what you read than what he/she wrote.

There are many authors that also admit, freely, that in rereading theyre own work in later years they find new meanings to them that they didnt even know where present when they wrote them. So, respect to the author and all, but it is what a work does to us that matters, ultimately.

That said, i kinda see Takahatas point. You could argue that there is some responsability about what happens geared towards the brother. There are bad decisions made, based on pride, nationalism and foolish delusion that make him a bit "guilty", and that is actually pretty hearthbreaking. How to extrapolate those responsabilities in context of age and situation is up to us, i guess. But there are a couple of moments where you go "yeah, you are young and all, and people are being asses to you, but if you could just take it a bit more you probably would be both still alive, at least." That those decisions made are not only responsible for his fate but the fate of the little girl he was suposed to care for are a main part of the wild complexities of this particular movie.

I can sorta see the theme of youthfull pride and thoughlessness as doors for your downfall inside this film, while also admiting that the movie is, like any masterpiece, much much more complex that that. I guess Takahata was just a bit annoyed that some of his pet themes were ignored in favor of others, but who knows.

A genius, unfairly overshadowed by another genius, wich is kinda funny, considering that Miyazaki can be, if you read between the lines, as dark or even darker than Takahata.

I heartily recomend The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness, a documentary that is mainly about the creation of THe Wind Rises, but has completely hilarious instances of EVERYBODY (mostly producer Suzuki though) complaining about the fact that Takahata is taking FOREVER to finish that bloody Princess Kaguya (another masterpiece, by the way). "Im not even sure he wants to finish that at all." Its really hilarious.