Princess Mononoke

Average Rating:
4.11111
9 Reviews
Categories: , , , .
TitlePrincess Mononoke
Publication TypeFilm
Year Released2000
DirectorMiyazaki, Hayao
Running Time134 min
StudioMiramax
Synopsis

"This epic, animated 1997 fantasy has already made history as the top-grossing domestic feature ever released in Japan, where its combination of mythic themes, mystical forces, and ravishing visuals tapped deeply into cultural identity and contemporary, ecological anxieties. For international animation and anime fans, Princess Mononoke represents an auspicious next step for its revered creator, Hayao Miyazaki (My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service), an acknowledged anime pioneer, whose painterly style, vivid character design, and stylized approach to storytelling take ambitious, evolutionary steps here." (text taken from Amazon)
URLhttp://www.amazon.com/Princess-Mononoke-Hisaya-Morishige/dp/B00003CXBK/
Cast

Morishige, HisayaSmith, Jada PinkettThornton, Billy BobTanaka, YukoMatsuda, YojiHayao, Miyazaki

Supplemental Contributions

Members of the community have contributed the following materials as supplements to Princess Mononoke.

Title Attached Files Contributed By Contributed On Link

Princess Mononoke Overview & Culture Notes

A PDF containing an overview of the film and some culture notes.

 1 NCTA Work Projects 4/14/10

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Average Rating:
4.11111
9 Reviews

Reviews for Princess Mononoke

5

Posted By: Matthew Kizior

Posted On: January 13, 2020

Matthew Kizior
9th & 11th Grade
Career Readiness
City Charter High School

Princess Mononoke may be one of the films that I would call a genuine masterpiece. The reason I would call it such is because, having viewed the majority of Miyazaki Hayao’s oeuvre, it is a well-paced, tightly written, and methodically thought-out film that perfectly encapsulates a message that Miyazaki had been attempting to communicate for a decade up until this point. If someone asked you what Miyazaki’s worldview/philosophy is, you would show them this film. Princess Mononoke is a refined distillation of the type of messages Miyazaki started communicating to his audience as a mangaka and film director through Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, and My Neighbor Totoro. In a way, it is also a spiritual cousin with his late colleague Isao Takahata’s film Pom Poko. All of the films just listed, made within a ten year period (1984-1994) speak to a kind of artistic mission and vision: the realignment of an ecological worldview with a spiritual worldview, in the sense that mankind should have awe and reverence for a world that it may understand on an intellectual level but still not on an emotional one. The film itself could be equated with the final section of a dissertation, with Miyazaki using the two hours and fifteen minutes he has allotted himself to make his final and most forceful point (and then coming back a few years later with Spirited Away to make it clear he knew no one had actually read his dissertation).

I could summarize the film in this review, but the cultural notes attached to the page on this site already does that job. What I would like to communicate with other educators is that, if they watch this film themselves or with their class, they should be ready to discuss with their students the finer aspects of the Japanese worldview, especially when it comes to nature, philosophy, and traditional spirituality (i.e., Shinto, Shugendo, etc.). Miyazaki does not stray away from making the profound point that homo sapiens are not only a misguided race, but a complicated one. The relationship our species has with the natural world is one of fear and reverence, but also of brutality and ignorance. We may say we have awe and respect for the natural world and the other animals we share this world with, but there are many times where we contradict such a view and only look out for our own self-interest. As the protagonist Ashitaka says in the film, “look with eyes unclouded.” This film’s sharp message also has a tint of mercy: life is complicated, life goes on, and we have to do our best to live in harmony. It’s a nice message to end the movie on (not exactly the type of optimistic opinion Miyazaki himself may hold) and a sober reminder that the outer world - the world we walk in - and the inner world - the world we create inside our own heads - will clash, and soon enough all things will come to a head.

Keeping these aspects of Princess Mononoke in mind, an educator should realize that, while this is a movie that would be appropriate for middle school students, the heavy themes, concepts, and philosophy that are presented are much more attuned to young adults who are still figuring out the world. For a film about nature gods and mankind on the cusp of industrialization, Miyazaki still gives the audience the kindness of taking time to include quiet moments that show - whether you are a god, beast, or man - that we all have reflective and somber moments, and that the world is stranger and sadder than we may at first expect. But to see and comprehend such a truth, we have to look with eyes unclouded. This is a Miyazaki film that demands exactly that by the end.

5

Posted By: Martina

Posted On: November 18, 2017

This anime film is set in medieval Japan, and it depicts the struggle between the environment and the human race's impact on the environment. Personally, I believe that this film could be shown in a high school setting due to some violence. In truth, the violence in the film is depicted in a way that one could view the violence as comical and unrealistic. One thing that I found interesting is the way that the women and men are depicted. This film has a reversed gender stereotype for both the men in women, which could spark a conversation in one's classroom. Another topic that could generate some conversation is how there is not a distinct evil character in this film, because even the "bad" characters have some redeeming qualities. Plus, the ending does not resolve the issue of industrialization versus nature, which allows students to discuss how this might still be a battle in today's generation. This film could be used to introduce a class debate or research paper on industrialization versus conservation. Overall, I enjoyed watching this film, and it could generate various discussions in a high school setting.

5

Posted By: Marta Martinez Ferrero

Posted On: November 16, 2017

This is one of my favorite movies by Miyazaki, so my review is a little bit biased. I teach high school,and in my opinion this movie would be appropriate for my students, especially juniors and seniors. It has some graphic images, but violence in anime is not very realistic and seems silly most of the times.
Showing this movie would require to spend some time discussing important Japanese cultural values that are a paramount part of the theme of the movie. Also, it would be helpful to facilitate understanding by making connections with other stories that put a similar emphasis in the value of nature and the destruction caused by industrialism, like the Lord of The Rings for instance.
It would be important to point out that female characters are very strong and have solid leadership skills, actually the Wise woman and Lady Eboshi are the leaders of their own communities. Male characters are extremely weak, with a few exceptions.
It´s also necessary to discuss how powerful figures, that is, authority figures are depicted in the movie. The Emperor himself does not have a role, but there are several references to him, all of them are negative. It´s a subtle way to criticize the establishment. Also, the violence common people suffer at the hands of those who should be protecting them seems to be a critique to this militaristic society. In the end, regular people are the ones who suffer the consequences of the battles among the powerful.
Wa (Harmony) is an important value that is present in the movie, issues are resolved and the balance is restores at the end.
Aimai (Ambiguity) is another value present in The Princess Mononoke. Some characters are hard to read, they have both good and bad traits, like Lady Eboshi and the monk. This good versus evil dichotomy is present throughout the movie. Lady Eboshi is probably the more complex character regarding this characteristic; she seems to be helping people, the lepers and the prostitutes, but she might also be taking advantage of them.
Omoiyari (consideration for others) is another important value that is present in the movie. Ashitaka is the character that represents this value, he is the most caring of all, he understand the other characters´ positions and is always trying to find the balance.
Haji (shame), this value is present in Ashitaka´s village, the old men feel ashamed that Ashitaka has to leave and they can´t help him. Also, Ashitaka and the women from iron city make sure they fulfill their promises, so as not to bring shame on them.
Giri vs. Ninjo (Duty vs. desire) San helps the boar god instead of staying with her wolf mom, because she feels it´s her duty to help him out. Duty is a trait that is present throughout the movie in some other characters too.
Mono no Aware (temporary nature of life) It is obvious that nothing lasts forever, especially the beauty and purity of nature that humans want to destroy at all cost, humans´greed and hatred are the doom o nature.
Amae (Indulgence) Ashitaka and San are the ones who represent this value, they both take care of those who can´t take care of themselves. In the case of Ashitaka, he even takes care of people who might seem to be evil and not deserving of help. Lady Eboshi also seems to have this value, but it is unclear if she takes care of those who can´t take care of themselves, like the lepers, because she cares about them or because she is taking advantage of them.
This movie could be used to prompt different discussions and to study common values. It seems to be a very foreign movie, but in the end, I think students can connect with the story and identify with the characters.

5

Posted By: Tammy

Posted On: November 29, 2016

While set in medieval Japan, Princess Mononoke evokes a timeless and universal struggle between the environment and humanity's impact on it when developing and using new technologies. This is portrayed beautifully in the film as Japan enters into the Iron Age and a period of intensive manufacturing of gun powder weapons. What I love about the film, however, is that it could be used to illustrate the initial period of ANY significant new technological development in human history... the impact of the neolithic revolution (deforestation, soil depletion, and damage caused by irrigation techniques), the overgrazing that occurred as pastoralism developed, the introduction of new technologies during and after the iron age, the impact of the industrial revolution (and how it has threatened our very existence!). The angst portrayed in the film is so reminiscent of transcendentalist critiques following the industrial revolution, that it almost seems a shame not to use the film to show the universal nature of this phenomenon throughout the world. Its applicability to many different time periods and geographic regions is part of the magic of the film... its message resonates well beyond the particulars of medieval Japanese society!

Another benefit of the film is its cautious, but optimistic view of the struggle between humanity and nature. Miyazaki is careful to show the complexity of humanity's discovery and use of new technologies. His work illustrates an important historical pattern - that when a new technology is first introduced, people do not fully understand the impact it will have... we often misuse new technologies, negatively impacting our environment and ourselves. In the film, this historical pattern is shown through numerous examples of the "corruptibility" of nature due to the development of firearms (eg. the rapid deforestation that occurs as mining expands, the madness of Nago after being shot with a gun, the beheading of the forest spirit by Eboshi, the leader of Irontown where guns are mass produced). In these examples, the corruptive nature of man's actions are communicable; vectors of corruption emanate from initial points of contact (eg. Ashitaka is infected by Nago, San is corrupted by Okkoto, all life is corrupted by the forest spirit's death...including the poor Kodamas!). Miyazaki is using a central tenet of Daosim, the interconnectedness and oneness of existence, to remind us of the impact our actions have and the significant reverberations created by one single event.

What I love most, however, is that Miyazaki does not leave the viewer without hope! In the film, San and Ashitaka (both of whom have been corrupted) are able to retrieve the head of the forest spirit. The forest spirit is reborn and is able to heal the earth. Eboshi and Ashitaka vow to work together to build a "better" Irontown (implying a civilization that is more aware of the destructive power of its new technology and is dedicated to a more responsible usage of it). Ultimately, the forest spirit heals both San and Ashitaka... showing that despite great death and monumental destruction, humans can learn from their mistakes and be healed! Miyazaki does not advocate for a return to simpler times in this film. The film is a lesson on how to progress without destroying ourselves! It is a reminder to be careful as we take each step further along our path... as we travel along the Dao.

Wow! What a great film :-)

0

Posted By: Becky Lingenfelter

Posted On: November 28, 2016

Princess Mononoke
Becky Lingenfelter
LS Teacher/high school

The animated film Princess Mononoke is set in medieval Japan. It is a story of the struggle between man and nature. At the beginning Prince Ashitaka, a warrior, defends the village from the wild boar by killing it. The snakes from the boar’s skin then wound his arm. He travels west to try to find a way to lift the curse from his wound. He eventually meets Princess Mononoke, San, and Moro the wolf who raised her. San battles Lady Eboshi as she destroys the forest. San experiences an internal conflict when she discovers that all humans are not bad when Ashitaka rescues her. Althought there are feelings between San and Ashittka at the end they realize they must both go their separate ways.

My current students in my English class know of Anime, but are not captivated by it. So showing this movie and explaining parts would be a new learning experience as an introduction for students to understand Japanese culture and values.