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Millennium Actress
I watched the second Netflix title tonight. I had heard about "Millennium Actress" when it was released on DVD. It was one of those "not sure if I'll like it" titles that works perfectly for the Netflix format.
I'm really glad I tried it out. Wowee-wow. You almost forget this is an anime title when you're watching. You feel like you're watching a historical epic mini-series as you're drawn into each period.
The film deals with a documentary director finding and interviewing a legendary actress who retired at the height of her career. Rather than simply showing her past in straight flashbacks, you feel like you're literally going into them. The mystical thing with the key worked less for me oddly and I usually like those sort of elements. The music was a little loud and intrusive for such a subdued movie.
Dreamworks seems to treat their anime like foreign films, so it was only subtitled, not dubbed. All the voices were very distinctive, with three voices covering the main character. The modern filmmakers provided both comic relief and nostalgia. Poor Ida. He was so aggrieved. The older actress Eiko strangely reminded me of Hilary. I could easily hear Melinda doing the English voice for her.
The dvd also included the "making of" documentary so you saw how all the elements came together from the initial plot to the voice actors to the final premiere. They showed them researching the old Japanese eras they were showing in the film, including trying on the samurai armor. One of designers commented that they weren't being literal in their historical imagery, just using the best bits, what worked for their story. Oddly I didn't feel my usual reaction, since when you think about it, it's similar to how films handle historical periods.
I adored "Millennium Actress". I might buy my own copy at some point.
In other news, the apartment is continuing its yo-yo effect. I opened up the windows today when it was so lovely outside and then closed it back up when I knew the rain was coming. And guess what? We're back almost to square one. I *hate* humidity. All the places to live...
I'm really glad I tried it out. Wowee-wow. You almost forget this is an anime title when you're watching. You feel like you're watching a historical epic mini-series as you're drawn into each period.
The film deals with a documentary director finding and interviewing a legendary actress who retired at the height of her career. Rather than simply showing her past in straight flashbacks, you feel like you're literally going into them. The mystical thing with the key worked less for me oddly and I usually like those sort of elements. The music was a little loud and intrusive for such a subdued movie.
Dreamworks seems to treat their anime like foreign films, so it was only subtitled, not dubbed. All the voices were very distinctive, with three voices covering the main character. The modern filmmakers provided both comic relief and nostalgia. Poor Ida. He was so aggrieved. The older actress Eiko strangely reminded me of Hilary. I could easily hear Melinda doing the English voice for her.
The dvd also included the "making of" documentary so you saw how all the elements came together from the initial plot to the voice actors to the final premiere. They showed them researching the old Japanese eras they were showing in the film, including trying on the samurai armor. One of designers commented that they weren't being literal in their historical imagery, just using the best bits, what worked for their story. Oddly I didn't feel my usual reaction, since when you think about it, it's similar to how films handle historical periods.
I adored "Millennium Actress". I might buy my own copy at some point.
In other news, the apartment is continuing its yo-yo effect. I opened up the windows today when it was so lovely outside and then closed it back up when I knew the rain was coming. And guess what? We're back almost to square one. I *hate* humidity. All the places to live...