Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthralls all who encounter her - but ultimately she must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime.
This enchanting, admirable fable will elicit exuberant joy and great sadness due to the fact that it both celebrates women and mourns the limitations of their life under patriarchy.
Over-long, but a work of great artistry and emotion. As the woodcutter says upon finding our heroine: “A gift from heaven”.
Unique, beautiful and endlessly fascinating. It really is a work of art.
Affecting and profound animation.
Lush, hand-painted images offer plentiful consolation, but its beauty forms a gilded cage: until the undeniably moving final movements, it just feels several shades too constrained to fully honour its heroine’s restless, questing spirit.
It's not really for small children. But for older, more patient, sensitive ones, the rewards are bounteous.
Visual beauty versus narrative drag. But when the beauty is this beautiful…
Isao Takahata’s animated fable, eight years in the making, is a masterpiece to rank among Studio Ghibli’s finest.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow from Friday April 10, 2015, until Thursday April 16, 2015. More info: http://www.glasgowfilm.org/theatre/
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