Visionary filmmaker and co-founder of Studio Ghibli. Hayao Miyazaki once said in a translated video interview, “If you don’t spend time watching real people, you can’t because you’ve never seen it.” This saying alludes to the fundamental reason why the Tokyo-based artist’s films cannot be placed in the same category and classified as equivalent to other anime films from the same period. Despite the supernatural elements, Miyazaki’s work is notable for being deeply rooted in reality. The characters that inhabit his films seem to exist outside of them, walk among us as full-fledged individuals with their own habits and desires, advantages and disadvantages. These characters guide us through stories that reflect our own world, drawing inevitable allegories and parallels. This reflection is tinged with dreamlike aesthetics and fantasy elements that nonetheless emphasize the universal appeal of the director’s traits.
Miyazaki, 1997 Princess Mononoke shares this universal appeal due to the timelessness of its main themes. Presenting the film at the Toronto International Film Festival, the iconic animator said: Princess Mononoke, I deliberately dropped all the rules of making an entertaining film, so it will take some time for the true appreciation of this film to appear. Thanks to Miyazaki’s out-of-the-box vision of filmmaking, there is an enduring spark to his work that can still dazzle audiences decades later. But more than impressing the audience with its uniqueness, Princess Mononoke carries a powerful message that not only stands the test of time, but gains additional relevance over the years.
Princess Mononoke embodies Miyazaki’s spirit towards humanity and nature
All of Miyazaki’s films, if taken to their core, contain a very human essence that transcends any cultural or social barriers. AT Princess Mononoke, the human world has destroyed the natural world to such an extent that the latter is forced to fight back. Since the dawn of humanity, our species has been looking for ways to advance and evolve, often to the detriment of other species, the environment, and even ourselves. This 133-minute film shows the universality of the endless tug-of-war between human greed and the unbridled desire for progress and Nature’s desperate need for conservation. Miyazaki demonstrates a deep understanding of humanity’s inexorable progress towards progress, which usually does not take into account or does not care to take into account those who are trampled on its path. However, he deviates from reality to illustrate what would happen if Nature took up arms and decided to take revenge. Usually the silent victims of our blind ambition are given a voice that sounds louder than any other, precisely because it is often silent.
The way Miyazaki decided to vote for Nature’s side in the conflict did not come out of nowhere. The director’s real influences and sources of inspiration serve as the basis for his projects. For example, Princess MononokeRussia’s forest environment is based on the southern Japanese island of Yakushima. This setting was subsequently brought to life and given a fictional dynamic as a result of the influence of the concept of Shinto. Japan’s famous religion, Shinto, means “the way of the gods” and sees the world as teeming with supernatural entities called kami. Although often translated as “god” in English, kami are not necessarily omnipotent, omniscient, immortal, or even humanoid in nature. AT Princess Mononoke, kami - the personified forces of nature, like Moro (Akihiro Miwa) and Okkoto (Hisaya Morishige) who rebel against the people and their exploitative methods.
Although Miyazaki disapproves of attributing religious interpretations to his films, it is clear how he drew inspiration from Japan’s most prevalent religion. The masterful storyteller wove aspects of Shinto into his film, as we can clearly see in his subsequent blockbuster hit. Spirited Away, creating a textured setup without being limited to it. Miyazaki does not believe in dogmas, and Shinto does not impose any imperative codes on believers. “My own religion, if you can call it that, has no practice, no Bible, no saints, only the desire to keep certain places and myself as pure and holy as possible,” Miyazaki explained in an interview. “This kind of spirituality is very important to me. Obviously, this is an important value that cannot but be shown in my films. Although he denies having made Shinto or any religion the basis of his films, it is clear that this was an influence in the creation of images and characters such as the Deer God, and was also intertwined with the message of respect for “purity”. places like the forest where San (Yuriko Ishida), Moreau and her offspring live.
Miyazaki lets viewers make decisions instead of spoon-feeding them
This manifestation of his cultural influences plays a greater role than purely aesthetic value. Elements borrowed from Shinto are thoughtfully used to explore both sides of the dispute at the center of the story. The anthropomorphic kami and all other fictional characterizations of Miyazaki’s film do not repel viewers, but advance its main themes. Conflict at the core Princess Mononoke is not portrayed as a simple clash of forces of good and evil. If that were the case, if it followed a more traditional structure, it would be much less impressive and thought provoking. It is thanks to Miyazaki’s comprehensive understanding of human nature and his ability to see shades other than black and white that his work is endowed with subtleties and nuances.
It would be easier to make Sun a hero and Lady Eboshi (Yuko Tanaka) villain, but instead the director made them both good and bad in equal measure, or rather, completely pushed the concepts of “good” and “bad” into the realm of subjectivism. Sun and Lady Eboshi seek to protect their own and destroy hostile “others” consumed by either grudge or ambition, thus creating a realistic depiction of what is often the nature of conflict: not a struggle between good and evil, but opposing interests. colliding with each other.
Between the opposing sides of Sana and Lady Eboshi is Ashitaka (Yoji Matsuda), the last prince of the Emishi. Ashitaka serves as an intermediary, those without a dog in battle who can see both sides threaten to destroy each other. It is Ashitaka who opens their eyes to the truth they were blind to, that nothing good can come from hatred. When he stops two women from fighting to the death in the middle of Iron City, he uses his cursed hand as an example of what hate does to people: it fester and eventually eat them alive.
Princess Mononoke does not care about taking sides, but reveals the humanity of everyone, no matter how flawed it may be. The film’s point of view is basically that of Ashitaka, meaning it takes an unbiased point of view that leaves viewers with the opportunity to understand the moral of the story without spoon-feeding it. Miyazaki does not force the audience to choose someone’s side, but shows them an urgent need for balance in the world, in harmony between man and nature. Without harmony, both sides suffer and no one truly wins. Even though Lady Eboshi thinks she came out victorious by cutting off the Deer God’s head, her cruel act only serves to condemn all that inhabit the forest: humans, flora and fauna. The movie’s climax makes it clear that people shouldn’t forcibly fake, steal, or usurp what doesn’t really belong to them.
Princess Mononoke personifies nature as a warning to viewers
Princess Mononoke allows nature to have a voice, a collective will that rebels against Iron City and its destruction of the forest. Despite the fictional elements, the conflict at the heart of the story gives it its overall appeal. 25 years after its original release, Princess Mononoke has not lost its thematic relevance, on the contrary, over time it has acquired an increasing and increasing dimension. Since the release of the film, the forces of modernization and human greed have not diminished. The environment is still pushed to the extreme. The effects of climate change, environmental pollution and deforestation are still being felt and do not tend to improve. Princess Mononoke not only preserves, but also expands its thematic relevance, because humanity has approached the abyss, and has not moved away from it. The need for harmony and peace on Earth only intensified over time. Thus, the film’s message transcends any temporal barriers and reaches us even louder than then.
The world is constantly changing, Miyazaki knows this, but he is also aware that there are characteristics of people and their connection with each other and with the environment that are too integral to be discarded. His observational nature allows him to base his themes on reality, no matter how fictional and imaginary his work may be. Miyazaki is not an optimist, but he still finds ways to inspire future generations through his films’ consistent thematic sequence.
Princess Mononokethe end is a kind of rebirth, the director offers a glimmer of hope, a burning flame in the blizzard to keep moving forward. Instead of hating, we should all strive for the courage and sensitive soul of Ashitaka. To save the world from destruction, it is necessary to abandon the blind desire of people for constant progress and replace it with actions to restore, connect and harmonize. Whether it is 1997 or 2022, this message and these topics are as relevant now as they were then. Princess Mononoke as an immortal example of a remarkable study of the contradictory relationship between humanity and nature.
Source: Collider
