Movies With a Deeper Meaning
al·le·go·ry
ˈaləˌgôrē/
noun
noun: allegory; plural noun: allegories
Was the film The Life of Pi really only about a boy surviving a shipwreck on a lifeboat with a tiger? Or was there more to Pi's fantastic story?
ˈaləˌgôrē/
noun
noun: allegory; plural noun: allegories
- 1. a story, poem, picture, or movie that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
"Pilgrim's Progress is an allegory of the spiritual journey"
synonyms:parable, analogy, metaphor, symbol, emblem More
- a symbol.
Was the film The Life of Pi really only about a boy surviving a shipwreck on a lifeboat with a tiger? Or was there more to Pi's fantastic story?
What's the Difference Between a Symbol and Allegory?
Basically, a symbol can be a word, place, character or object that means something beyond what it is on a literal level.
An allegory involves using many interconnected symbols or allegorical figures in such a way that nearly every element of the narrative has a meaning beyond the literal level, i.e., everything in the narrative is a symbol that relates to other symbols within the story.
What are Allegories Doing in My Movies?
Authors and painters use allegories in their work to create a point or present an idea in a metaphoric or symbolic way. In the same manner, writers and film-makers use their movies as vehicles to provide a greater, deeper commentary on the world in a deeper and more meaningful manner.
What are Some Famous Allegorical Films?
1. The Wizard of Oz (1939) - You think it's about a little girl from Kansas, but it may be an economic parable of the late 19th century.
2. The Matrix (1999) - You think it's about space aliens using humans as fuel, but it may be about religion or even another allegory by Plato (allegory of the cave) about setting the self-conscious free.
3. Avatar (2009) - You think it's a movie about a beautiful alien planet, but it may be about the American treatment of Native Americans, the human treatment of the planet Earth, racism, militarism and even corporate greed.
4. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) - You think it's a movie about aliens taking over the body of your neighbors, but it could be about the American fear of Communism during the post-WWII era.
How is The Wizard of Oz an Allegory?
"Secrets of the Wizard of Oz"
By Rumeana Jahangir
BBC News
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is one of the world's best-loved fairytales. As Judy Garland's famous film nears its 70th birthday, how much do its followers know about the story's use as an economic parable?
Dorothy in Kansas conjures up nostalgic thoughts of childhood Christmases hiding behind the sofa from the Wicked Witch of the West. Or those flying monkeys. It's unlikely its young fans will have been thinking about deflation and monetary policy. The 1939 film is the most famous evocation of the story, but the story has underlying economic and political references that make it a popular tool for teaching university and high school students - mainly in the United States but also in the UK - about the economic depression of the late 19th Century.
At a time when some economists fear an onset of deflation, and economic certainties melt away like a drenched wicked witch, what can be learnt from Oz?
The 1939 film starring a young Judy Garland was based on Lyman Frank Baum's book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900. It told of an orphaned Kansas girl swept by a tornado into a fantastical world, but who wants to return home to her aunt and uncle. Thinking the great Wizard of Oz can grant her wish, she sets out to meet him with her beloved dog, Toto, joined by a scarecrow, a tin woodman and a lion. Baum published the book in 1900, just after the US emerged from a period of deflation and depression. Prices had fallen by about 22% over the previous 16 years, causing huge debt.
Farmers were among those badly affected, and the Populist political party was set up to represent their interests and those of industrial labourers.
The US was then operating on the gold standard - a monetary system which valued the dollar according to the quantity of gold. The Populists wanted silver, along with gold, to be used for money. This would have increased the US money supply, raised price levels and reduced farmers' debt burdens.
Yellow brick code
In 1964, high school teacher Henry Littlefield wrote an article outlining the notion of an underlying allegory in Baum's book. He said it offered a "gentle and friendly" critique of Populist thinking, and the story could be used to illuminate the late 19th Century to students. Since its publication, teachers have used this take on the tale to help classes understand the issues of the era.
SYMBOLISM OF CHARACTERS
Dorothy: Everyman American
Scarecrow: Farmer
Tin Woodman: Industrial worker
Lion: William Jennings Bryan, politician who backed silver cause
Wizard of Oz: US presidents of late 19th Century
Wicked Witch: A malign Nature, destroyed by the farmers' most precious commodity, water. Or simply the American West
Winged Monkeys: Native Americans or Chinese railroad workers, exploited by West
Oz: An abbreviation of 'ounce' or, as Baum claimed, taken from the O-Z of a filing cabinet?
Emerald City: Greenback paper money, exposed as fraud
Munchkins: Ordinary citizens
And Littlefield's theory has been hotly debated. He believed the characters could represent the personalities and themes of the late 1800s,with Dorothy embodying the everyman American spirit.
US political historian Quentin Taylor, who supports this interpretation, says: "There are too many instances of parallels with the political events of the time. "The Tin Woodman represents the industrial worker, the Scarecrow is the farmer and the Cowardly Lion is William Jennings Bryan."
Bryan was a Democratic presidential candidate who supported the silver cause. But he failed to win votes from eastern workers and lost the 1896 election. In the same way, the Lion's claws are nearly blunted by the Woodman's metallic shell.
The Wicked Witch of the West is associated with a variety of controversial personalities, chief among them the industrialist Mark Hanna, campaign manager to President William McKinley. In this scenario, the yellow brick road symbolises the gold standard, the Emerald City becomes Washington DC and the Great Wizard characterises the president - and he is exposed as being less than truthful.
Off to see the President
Yet none can help Dorothy return home. Eventually she discovers that her silver shoes (changed to ruby for the film) have the power to take her back to Kansas. The possible implication is that gold alone cannot be the solution for the problems facing the average citizen. But Professor Taylor thinks it's unlikely the book took sides. Instead he says it was merely explaining the story of the Populist movement, some of whom marched on Washington DC in 1894 to demand government improve their plight.
Their demand for the use of silver with the gold standard was not met, although within a few years, inflation returned after discoveries of gold in South Africa and other parts of the world. In Baum's story, Dorothy loses her silver slippers in the desert before she reaches home - a possible reflection of the decline of the silver cause after 1896.
What Allegorical Movies Will We Explore?
We've already examined how The Life of Pi represents an allegory of a life experience in which the viewer is left to decide which version of the story (one of stark and brutal reality vs. one of magical heroism and beauty) we choose to accept. In our unit, we will now explore how two modern films serve as allegories from two fantastic film-makers. For this short unit, we will break away from American film-makers in order to consider two foreign directors and two foreign films: Hayao Miyazaki and his Japanese Studio Ghibi film Spirited Away, and Guillermo Del Toro, in his Mexican-Spanish production Pan's Labyrinth.
Basically, a symbol can be a word, place, character or object that means something beyond what it is on a literal level.
An allegory involves using many interconnected symbols or allegorical figures in such a way that nearly every element of the narrative has a meaning beyond the literal level, i.e., everything in the narrative is a symbol that relates to other symbols within the story.
What are Allegories Doing in My Movies?
Authors and painters use allegories in their work to create a point or present an idea in a metaphoric or symbolic way. In the same manner, writers and film-makers use their movies as vehicles to provide a greater, deeper commentary on the world in a deeper and more meaningful manner.
What are Some Famous Allegorical Films?
1. The Wizard of Oz (1939) - You think it's about a little girl from Kansas, but it may be an economic parable of the late 19th century.
2. The Matrix (1999) - You think it's about space aliens using humans as fuel, but it may be about religion or even another allegory by Plato (allegory of the cave) about setting the self-conscious free.
3. Avatar (2009) - You think it's a movie about a beautiful alien planet, but it may be about the American treatment of Native Americans, the human treatment of the planet Earth, racism, militarism and even corporate greed.
4. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) - You think it's a movie about aliens taking over the body of your neighbors, but it could be about the American fear of Communism during the post-WWII era.
How is The Wizard of Oz an Allegory?
"Secrets of the Wizard of Oz"
By Rumeana Jahangir
BBC News
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is one of the world's best-loved fairytales. As Judy Garland's famous film nears its 70th birthday, how much do its followers know about the story's use as an economic parable?
Dorothy in Kansas conjures up nostalgic thoughts of childhood Christmases hiding behind the sofa from the Wicked Witch of the West. Or those flying monkeys. It's unlikely its young fans will have been thinking about deflation and monetary policy. The 1939 film is the most famous evocation of the story, but the story has underlying economic and political references that make it a popular tool for teaching university and high school students - mainly in the United States but also in the UK - about the economic depression of the late 19th Century.
At a time when some economists fear an onset of deflation, and economic certainties melt away like a drenched wicked witch, what can be learnt from Oz?
The 1939 film starring a young Judy Garland was based on Lyman Frank Baum's book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900. It told of an orphaned Kansas girl swept by a tornado into a fantastical world, but who wants to return home to her aunt and uncle. Thinking the great Wizard of Oz can grant her wish, she sets out to meet him with her beloved dog, Toto, joined by a scarecrow, a tin woodman and a lion. Baum published the book in 1900, just after the US emerged from a period of deflation and depression. Prices had fallen by about 22% over the previous 16 years, causing huge debt.
Farmers were among those badly affected, and the Populist political party was set up to represent their interests and those of industrial labourers.
The US was then operating on the gold standard - a monetary system which valued the dollar according to the quantity of gold. The Populists wanted silver, along with gold, to be used for money. This would have increased the US money supply, raised price levels and reduced farmers' debt burdens.
Yellow brick code
In 1964, high school teacher Henry Littlefield wrote an article outlining the notion of an underlying allegory in Baum's book. He said it offered a "gentle and friendly" critique of Populist thinking, and the story could be used to illuminate the late 19th Century to students. Since its publication, teachers have used this take on the tale to help classes understand the issues of the era.
SYMBOLISM OF CHARACTERS
Dorothy: Everyman American
Scarecrow: Farmer
Tin Woodman: Industrial worker
Lion: William Jennings Bryan, politician who backed silver cause
Wizard of Oz: US presidents of late 19th Century
Wicked Witch: A malign Nature, destroyed by the farmers' most precious commodity, water. Or simply the American West
Winged Monkeys: Native Americans or Chinese railroad workers, exploited by West
Oz: An abbreviation of 'ounce' or, as Baum claimed, taken from the O-Z of a filing cabinet?
Emerald City: Greenback paper money, exposed as fraud
Munchkins: Ordinary citizens
And Littlefield's theory has been hotly debated. He believed the characters could represent the personalities and themes of the late 1800s,with Dorothy embodying the everyman American spirit.
US political historian Quentin Taylor, who supports this interpretation, says: "There are too many instances of parallels with the political events of the time. "The Tin Woodman represents the industrial worker, the Scarecrow is the farmer and the Cowardly Lion is William Jennings Bryan."
Bryan was a Democratic presidential candidate who supported the silver cause. But he failed to win votes from eastern workers and lost the 1896 election. In the same way, the Lion's claws are nearly blunted by the Woodman's metallic shell.
The Wicked Witch of the West is associated with a variety of controversial personalities, chief among them the industrialist Mark Hanna, campaign manager to President William McKinley. In this scenario, the yellow brick road symbolises the gold standard, the Emerald City becomes Washington DC and the Great Wizard characterises the president - and he is exposed as being less than truthful.
Off to see the President
Yet none can help Dorothy return home. Eventually she discovers that her silver shoes (changed to ruby for the film) have the power to take her back to Kansas. The possible implication is that gold alone cannot be the solution for the problems facing the average citizen. But Professor Taylor thinks it's unlikely the book took sides. Instead he says it was merely explaining the story of the Populist movement, some of whom marched on Washington DC in 1894 to demand government improve their plight.
Their demand for the use of silver with the gold standard was not met, although within a few years, inflation returned after discoveries of gold in South Africa and other parts of the world. In Baum's story, Dorothy loses her silver slippers in the desert before she reaches home - a possible reflection of the decline of the silver cause after 1896.
What Allegorical Movies Will We Explore?
We've already examined how The Life of Pi represents an allegory of a life experience in which the viewer is left to decide which version of the story (one of stark and brutal reality vs. one of magical heroism and beauty) we choose to accept. In our unit, we will now explore how two modern films serve as allegories from two fantastic film-makers. For this short unit, we will break away from American film-makers in order to consider two foreign directors and two foreign films: Hayao Miyazaki and his Japanese Studio Ghibi film Spirited Away, and Guillermo Del Toro, in his Mexican-Spanish production Pan's Labyrinth.
Spirited Away (2001)
Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi?, "Sen and Chihiro's Spiriting Away") is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film stars Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Takeshi Naito, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Tsunehiko Kamijō, Takehiko Ono and Bunta Sugawara, and tells the story of Chihiro Ogino (Hiiragi), a sullen ten-year-old girl who, while moving to a new neighborhood, enters the spirit world. After her parents are transformed into pigs by the witch Yubaba (Natsuki), Chihiro takes a job working in Yubaba's bathhouse to find a way to free herself and her parents and return to the human world.
Miyazaki wrote the script after he decided the film would be based on his friend's ten-year-old daughter, who came to visit his house each summer. At the time, Miyazaki was developing two personal projects, but they were rejected. With a budget of US$15 million, production of Spirited Away began in 2000. During production, Miyazaki realized the film would be over three hours long and decided to cut out several parts of the story. Pixar director John Lasseter, a fan of Miyazaki, was approached by Walt Disney Pictures to supervise an English-language translation for the film's North American release. Lasseter hired Kirk Wise as director and Donald W. Ernst as producer of the adaptation. Screenwriters Cindy Davis Hewitt and Donald H. Hewitt wrote the English-language dialogue, which they wrote to match the characters' original Japanese-language lip movements.[4]
Spirited Away was released on July 20, 2001, and became the most successful film in Japanese history, grossing over $274 million worldwide. The film overtook Titanic (at the time the top grossing film worldwide) in the Japanese box office to become the highest-grossing film in Japanese history with a $229,607,878 total.[5] Acclaimed by international critics, the movie is considered one of the best films of the 2000s decade and one of the greatest animated films of all time.[6][7][8] It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards, the Golden Bear at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival (tied with Bloody Sunday) and is among the top ten in the BFI list of the 50 films you should see by the age of 14. (from wikipedia.com)
Key Characters
Chihiro Ogino/Sen(荻野 千尋, Ogino Chihiro?) Chihiro is the 10-year old protagonist of the movie.Haku/Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi(ハク/ニギハヤミ コハクヌシ, haku/nigihayami kohakunushi?) A young boy who helps Chihiro after her parents have transformed into pigs.
Yubaba(湯婆婆, Yubaaba?, lit. "bath crone") An old witch with an inhumanly large head and nose, who supervises the bathhouse.
Kamajii(釜爺/缶爺, lit. "kettle geezer"/"boiler geezer"?) An old man with six arms, who operates the boiler room of the bathhouse.
No Face(カオナシ, Kaonashi?, lit. 'without face') No Face is an odd spirit who takes an interest in Chihiro.
Lin(リン, Rin?) A worker at the bathhouse who becomes Chihiro's caretaker.
Boh(坊, Bō?) Boh is Yubaba's son. Although he has the appearance of a young baby, he is twice Yubaba's size.
Akio Ogino(荻野 明夫, Ogino Akio?) Chihiro's father.
Yuko Ogino(荻野 悠子, Ogino Yūko?) Chihiro's mother who, along with Chihiro's father, is turned into a pig at the start of the movie.
Questions to Consider as You View:
How does Chihiro's journey into the alternate world represent the journey from childhood to adulthood?
What perils does the movie suggest exist when movie into adulthood?
How does the movie explore the awareness of the blurred lines between good and evil that become apparent in adulthood?
How is this movie also a reflection of changing culture and changing values? How is the movie about greed and the world of work?
How does Miyazaki also offer commentary about environmental issues?
Links and Additions
Miyazaki drawing Princess Mononoke
The Making of Spirited Away
The New York Times (Review of The Wind Rises)
Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi?, "Sen and Chihiro's Spiriting Away") is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film stars Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Takeshi Naito, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Tsunehiko Kamijō, Takehiko Ono and Bunta Sugawara, and tells the story of Chihiro Ogino (Hiiragi), a sullen ten-year-old girl who, while moving to a new neighborhood, enters the spirit world. After her parents are transformed into pigs by the witch Yubaba (Natsuki), Chihiro takes a job working in Yubaba's bathhouse to find a way to free herself and her parents and return to the human world.
Miyazaki wrote the script after he decided the film would be based on his friend's ten-year-old daughter, who came to visit his house each summer. At the time, Miyazaki was developing two personal projects, but they were rejected. With a budget of US$15 million, production of Spirited Away began in 2000. During production, Miyazaki realized the film would be over three hours long and decided to cut out several parts of the story. Pixar director John Lasseter, a fan of Miyazaki, was approached by Walt Disney Pictures to supervise an English-language translation for the film's North American release. Lasseter hired Kirk Wise as director and Donald W. Ernst as producer of the adaptation. Screenwriters Cindy Davis Hewitt and Donald H. Hewitt wrote the English-language dialogue, which they wrote to match the characters' original Japanese-language lip movements.[4]
Spirited Away was released on July 20, 2001, and became the most successful film in Japanese history, grossing over $274 million worldwide. The film overtook Titanic (at the time the top grossing film worldwide) in the Japanese box office to become the highest-grossing film in Japanese history with a $229,607,878 total.[5] Acclaimed by international critics, the movie is considered one of the best films of the 2000s decade and one of the greatest animated films of all time.[6][7][8] It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards, the Golden Bear at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival (tied with Bloody Sunday) and is among the top ten in the BFI list of the 50 films you should see by the age of 14. (from wikipedia.com)
Key Characters
Chihiro Ogino/Sen(荻野 千尋, Ogino Chihiro?) Chihiro is the 10-year old protagonist of the movie.Haku/Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi(ハク/ニギハヤミ コハクヌシ, haku/nigihayami kohakunushi?) A young boy who helps Chihiro after her parents have transformed into pigs.
Yubaba(湯婆婆, Yubaaba?, lit. "bath crone") An old witch with an inhumanly large head and nose, who supervises the bathhouse.
Kamajii(釜爺/缶爺, lit. "kettle geezer"/"boiler geezer"?) An old man with six arms, who operates the boiler room of the bathhouse.
No Face(カオナシ, Kaonashi?, lit. 'without face') No Face is an odd spirit who takes an interest in Chihiro.
Lin(リン, Rin?) A worker at the bathhouse who becomes Chihiro's caretaker.
Boh(坊, Bō?) Boh is Yubaba's son. Although he has the appearance of a young baby, he is twice Yubaba's size.
Akio Ogino(荻野 明夫, Ogino Akio?) Chihiro's father.
Yuko Ogino(荻野 悠子, Ogino Yūko?) Chihiro's mother who, along with Chihiro's father, is turned into a pig at the start of the movie.
Questions to Consider as You View:
How does Chihiro's journey into the alternate world represent the journey from childhood to adulthood?
What perils does the movie suggest exist when movie into adulthood?
How does the movie explore the awareness of the blurred lines between good and evil that become apparent in adulthood?
How is this movie also a reflection of changing culture and changing values? How is the movie about greed and the world of work?
How does Miyazaki also offer commentary about environmental issues?
Links and Additions
Miyazaki drawing Princess Mononoke
The Making of Spirited Away
The New York Times (Review of The Wind Rises)
More about Hayao Miyazaki
In 2003, Spirited Away was the first anime film (Japanese animated movie) to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. For many Americans, the director, Hayao Miyazaki, was an unknown despite the fact that his seven previous full-length animated features had made him a household name in Japan. Disney Studios had tried in the past to expand Miyazaki’s American audience, and in 1996 negotiated with Miyazaki and his animation company, Studio Ghibli, to bring nine of their films into wide release for English-speaking audiences. The first film to be distributed was Princess Mononoke, which succeeded critically but failed at the box office. Disney was reluctant to release any more Studio Ghibli films—until the success ofSpirited Away. The film’s fine storytelling and breathtaking animation made it the highest grossing movie of all time in Japan, and Disney hoped it would create wider appeal for Japanese anime in the U.S.
Born in Japan on January 5,1941, Hayao Miyazaki grew up in the shadow of World War II. Miyazaki’s father, Katsuji, headed the family’s airplane factory, which produced wingtips for Zero fighters. The factory made his family wealthy, but Miyazaki was ashamed that his family profited from the war when so many others suffered. In 1944 the entire family was forced to evacuate the city and flee to the country, and after the war Miyazaki’s family moved several more times. Miyazaki started school in 1947, the same year his mother was hospitalized due to spinal tuberculosis. In spite of her illness, she had a strong influence on Miyazaki, who rarely saw his busy father.
Miyazaki’s interest in art and animation grew from two major influences: Japanese comic books, called manga, and his schooling at Gakushuin University. Mangawere a profound cultural phenomenon when Miyazaki was growing up, embracing complex themes and often targeting an older audience. Miyazaki decided he wanted to draw manga for a living when he was in high school. Later, inspired by the full-length Japanese animated features that were becoming increasingly popular, he changed his mind and decided to become an animator. At Gakushuin University, Miyazaki’s economics and political science studies shaped the cultural, artistic, and political sensibilities that influenced his later works. As part of his economics major, Miyazaki researched Japanese industry and the war’s effect on his country. He later incorporated this and other material into movies such asPrincess Mononoke, where a city of women produces nothing but weapons and iron. He also joined the children’s literature research society, a club for aspiringmanga writers and illustrators.
Shortly after graduating in 1963, Miyazaki landed a job as an inbetweener—helping to create seamless frames—at Toei Douga, Japan’s leading animation studio. But just as important to Miyazaki’s career was his role as chief secretary of Toei Douga’s labor union. His involvement with the union, and the union itself, deviated from Japan’s cultural programming, which insists on absolute subordination to one’s employer. As a labor leader, he made many valuable career connections and met his future wife, animator Akemi Ot. In 1971, Miyazaki left Toei Douga for A-Pro, an animation studio owned by two of his former Toei Douga colleagues. At A-Pro and subsequent studios, Miyazaki honed his skills as a storyteller and animator in both television and film. He also became a popular author and creator of manga.
In 1984, Miyazaki released his first full-length feature, Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind, which was based on his popular manga series. It was so successful that he was able to establish Studio Ghibli. More importantly, the success of the movie revived feature-length animation in Japan. For some time, television anime had threatened to render animated movies obsolete. Miyazaki’s films helped to reverse this trend, and the success of each new Miyazaki film has surpassed its predecessors. Princess Mononoke received the Japanese Academy Award for Best Film and was the highest-grossing domestic film in Japan’s history until Spirited Away supplanted it.
Now in his sixties, Miyazaki shows no sign of slowing down. His films are still not commercially successful in America, possibly because American audiences have difficulty identifying with the Japanese culture he explores. However, his influence on the art of feature-length anime has given it a quality unrivalled in American animation. (spark notes.com)
In 2003, Spirited Away was the first anime film (Japanese animated movie) to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. For many Americans, the director, Hayao Miyazaki, was an unknown despite the fact that his seven previous full-length animated features had made him a household name in Japan. Disney Studios had tried in the past to expand Miyazaki’s American audience, and in 1996 negotiated with Miyazaki and his animation company, Studio Ghibli, to bring nine of their films into wide release for English-speaking audiences. The first film to be distributed was Princess Mononoke, which succeeded critically but failed at the box office. Disney was reluctant to release any more Studio Ghibli films—until the success ofSpirited Away. The film’s fine storytelling and breathtaking animation made it the highest grossing movie of all time in Japan, and Disney hoped it would create wider appeal for Japanese anime in the U.S.
Born in Japan on January 5,1941, Hayao Miyazaki grew up in the shadow of World War II. Miyazaki’s father, Katsuji, headed the family’s airplane factory, which produced wingtips for Zero fighters. The factory made his family wealthy, but Miyazaki was ashamed that his family profited from the war when so many others suffered. In 1944 the entire family was forced to evacuate the city and flee to the country, and after the war Miyazaki’s family moved several more times. Miyazaki started school in 1947, the same year his mother was hospitalized due to spinal tuberculosis. In spite of her illness, she had a strong influence on Miyazaki, who rarely saw his busy father.
Miyazaki’s interest in art and animation grew from two major influences: Japanese comic books, called manga, and his schooling at Gakushuin University. Mangawere a profound cultural phenomenon when Miyazaki was growing up, embracing complex themes and often targeting an older audience. Miyazaki decided he wanted to draw manga for a living when he was in high school. Later, inspired by the full-length Japanese animated features that were becoming increasingly popular, he changed his mind and decided to become an animator. At Gakushuin University, Miyazaki’s economics and political science studies shaped the cultural, artistic, and political sensibilities that influenced his later works. As part of his economics major, Miyazaki researched Japanese industry and the war’s effect on his country. He later incorporated this and other material into movies such asPrincess Mononoke, where a city of women produces nothing but weapons and iron. He also joined the children’s literature research society, a club for aspiringmanga writers and illustrators.
Shortly after graduating in 1963, Miyazaki landed a job as an inbetweener—helping to create seamless frames—at Toei Douga, Japan’s leading animation studio. But just as important to Miyazaki’s career was his role as chief secretary of Toei Douga’s labor union. His involvement with the union, and the union itself, deviated from Japan’s cultural programming, which insists on absolute subordination to one’s employer. As a labor leader, he made many valuable career connections and met his future wife, animator Akemi Ot. In 1971, Miyazaki left Toei Douga for A-Pro, an animation studio owned by two of his former Toei Douga colleagues. At A-Pro and subsequent studios, Miyazaki honed his skills as a storyteller and animator in both television and film. He also became a popular author and creator of manga.
In 1984, Miyazaki released his first full-length feature, Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind, which was based on his popular manga series. It was so successful that he was able to establish Studio Ghibli. More importantly, the success of the movie revived feature-length animation in Japan. For some time, television anime had threatened to render animated movies obsolete. Miyazaki’s films helped to reverse this trend, and the success of each new Miyazaki film has surpassed its predecessors. Princess Mononoke received the Japanese Academy Award for Best Film and was the highest-grossing domestic film in Japan’s history until Spirited Away supplanted it.
Now in his sixties, Miyazaki shows no sign of slowing down. His films are still not commercially successful in America, possibly because American audiences have difficulty identifying with the Japanese culture he explores. However, his influence on the art of feature-length anime has given it a quality unrivalled in American animation. (spark notes.com)
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
(Spanish: El laberinto del fauno, "The Labyrinth of the faun") is a 2006 Mexican-Spanish dark fantasy film written and directed by Guillermo del Toro. It was produced and distributed by Esperanto Films.
The story takes place in Spain in May–June 1944, five years after the Spanish Civil War, during the early Francoist period. The narrative of the film interweaves this real world with a mythical world centered around an overgrown abandoned labyrinth and a mysterious faun creature, with which the main character, Ofelia, interacts. Ofelia's stepfather, the Falangist Captain Vidal, hunts the Spanish Maquis who fight against the Francoist regime in the region, while Ofelia's pregnant mother grows increasingly ill. Ofelia meets several strange and magical creatures who become central to her story, leading her through the trials of the old labyrinth garden. The film employs make-up, Animatronics and CGI effects to bring life to its creatures.
Del Toro stated that he considers the story to be a parable, influenced by fairy tales, and that it addresses and continues themes related to his earlier film The Devil's Backbone (2001),[4] to which Pan's Labyrinth is a spiritual successor, according to del Toro in his director's commentary on the DVD. The original Spanish title refers to the fauns of Roman mythology, while the English, German, and French titles refer specifically to the faun-like Greek character Pan. However, del Toro has stated that the faun in the film is not Pan.[4]
The film premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. It was released in the United Kingdom on November 24, 2006. In the United States and Canada, the film was given a limited release on December 29, 2006, with a wide release on January 19, 2007. Pan's Labyrinth opened to widespread critical acclaim. The film won numerous international awards, including three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards including Best Film Not in the English Language, the Ariel Award for Best Picture, the Saturn Awards for Best International Film and Best Performance by a Younger Actor for Ivana Baquero and the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form. (from wikipedia. com)
(Spanish: El laberinto del fauno, "The Labyrinth of the faun") is a 2006 Mexican-Spanish dark fantasy film written and directed by Guillermo del Toro. It was produced and distributed by Esperanto Films.
The story takes place in Spain in May–June 1944, five years after the Spanish Civil War, during the early Francoist period. The narrative of the film interweaves this real world with a mythical world centered around an overgrown abandoned labyrinth and a mysterious faun creature, with which the main character, Ofelia, interacts. Ofelia's stepfather, the Falangist Captain Vidal, hunts the Spanish Maquis who fight against the Francoist regime in the region, while Ofelia's pregnant mother grows increasingly ill. Ofelia meets several strange and magical creatures who become central to her story, leading her through the trials of the old labyrinth garden. The film employs make-up, Animatronics and CGI effects to bring life to its creatures.
Del Toro stated that he considers the story to be a parable, influenced by fairy tales, and that it addresses and continues themes related to his earlier film The Devil's Backbone (2001),[4] to which Pan's Labyrinth is a spiritual successor, according to del Toro in his director's commentary on the DVD. The original Spanish title refers to the fauns of Roman mythology, while the English, German, and French titles refer specifically to the faun-like Greek character Pan. However, del Toro has stated that the faun in the film is not Pan.[4]
The film premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. It was released in the United Kingdom on November 24, 2006. In the United States and Canada, the film was given a limited release on December 29, 2006, with a wide release on January 19, 2007. Pan's Labyrinth opened to widespread critical acclaim. The film won numerous international awards, including three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards including Best Film Not in the English Language, the Ariel Award for Best Picture, the Saturn Awards for Best International Film and Best Performance by a Younger Actor for Ivana Baquero and the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form. (from wikipedia. com)
Guernica is a painting by Pablo Picasso. It was created in response to the bombing of Guernica, a Basque Country village in northern Spain, by German and Italian warplanes at the behest of the Spanish Nationalist forces on 26 April 1937 during the Spanish Civil War (taken from wikipedia.com/guernica)
Historical Background: The Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict that devastated Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939. It began after an attempted coup d'état by a group of Spanish Army generals against the government of the Second Spanish Republic, then under the leadership of president Manuel Azaña.
The nationalist coup was supported by the conservative Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right (Confederación Española de Derechas Autónomas, or C.E.D.A), monarchists known as Carlist groups, and the Fascist Falange (Falange Española de las J.O.N.S.).
Following the military coup, working-class revolutions spread across the country in support of the Republican government, but were all brutally put down by the army. The war ended with the victory of the nationalist forces, the overthrow of the Republican government, and the founding of Authoritarian State led by General Francisco Franco. In the aftermath of the civil war, all right-wing parties were fused into the state party of the Franco regime. After the war ended, the Franco regime systematically hunted out and eliminated oppositional Republican-supporting rebels and holdouts.
The Nationalists (nacionales), received the support of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, as well as neighboring Portugal. The Soviet Union intervened on the Republican side, although it encouraged factional conflict to the benefit of the Soviet foreign policy, and its actions may have been detrimental to the Republican war effort as a whole.
The United States government offered no official support for the Republican side, although over two thousand Americans volunteered on the Republican side. American corporations such as Texaco, General Motors, Ford Motors, and The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company greatly assisted the Nationalist army with their constant supply of trucks, tires, machine tools, and fuel. (taken from topdocumentaryfilms.com)
The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict that devastated Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939. It began after an attempted coup d'état by a group of Spanish Army generals against the government of the Second Spanish Republic, then under the leadership of president Manuel Azaña.
The nationalist coup was supported by the conservative Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right (Confederación Española de Derechas Autónomas, or C.E.D.A), monarchists known as Carlist groups, and the Fascist Falange (Falange Española de las J.O.N.S.).
Following the military coup, working-class revolutions spread across the country in support of the Republican government, but were all brutally put down by the army. The war ended with the victory of the nationalist forces, the overthrow of the Republican government, and the founding of Authoritarian State led by General Francisco Franco. In the aftermath of the civil war, all right-wing parties were fused into the state party of the Franco regime. After the war ended, the Franco regime systematically hunted out and eliminated oppositional Republican-supporting rebels and holdouts.
The Nationalists (nacionales), received the support of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, as well as neighboring Portugal. The Soviet Union intervened on the Republican side, although it encouraged factional conflict to the benefit of the Soviet foreign policy, and its actions may have been detrimental to the Republican war effort as a whole.
The United States government offered no official support for the Republican side, although over two thousand Americans volunteered on the Republican side. American corporations such as Texaco, General Motors, Ford Motors, and The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company greatly assisted the Nationalist army with their constant supply of trucks, tires, machine tools, and fuel. (taken from topdocumentaryfilms.com)
Questions While Viewing:
1. How does Ofelia's journey into the fantasy world of the faun mirror Chihiro's journey? How are they both about the difficulty of leaving behind childhood for adulthood?
2. How does this movie also explore the blurred lines between good and evil, fantasy and reality? Much like Spirited Away, consider how some of the creatures in the film inhabit both good and evil roles for Ofelia. Is the guan good, evil or both? What does he represent?
3. How is this movie also a reflection on the loss of innocence from war? What commentary does the film making about the toll that war and violence take upon innocence and fantasy?
4. In addition to the journey motif, what other similarities do you see between this film and Spirited Away? Consider both films use of a little girl as the main protagonist. Also consider similar scenes (the banquet/eating scene) and the idea of "crossing into a new world." How are these scenes similar?
5. Which movie did you prefer? Which allegory did you feel was more powerful? Why?
1. How does Ofelia's journey into the fantasy world of the faun mirror Chihiro's journey? How are they both about the difficulty of leaving behind childhood for adulthood?
2. How does this movie also explore the blurred lines between good and evil, fantasy and reality? Much like Spirited Away, consider how some of the creatures in the film inhabit both good and evil roles for Ofelia. Is the guan good, evil or both? What does he represent?
3. How is this movie also a reflection on the loss of innocence from war? What commentary does the film making about the toll that war and violence take upon innocence and fantasy?
4. In addition to the journey motif, what other similarities do you see between this film and Spirited Away? Consider both films use of a little girl as the main protagonist. Also consider similar scenes (the banquet/eating scene) and the idea of "crossing into a new world." How are these scenes similar?
5. Which movie did you prefer? Which allegory did you feel was more powerful? Why?