Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Hayao Miyazaki, 1984)
Hayao Miyazaki's second film (and first outside of the Japan's 007-like franchise Lupin) is 1984's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and Disney has recently rereleased the movie as a two-disc DVD. Of course, his more recent works are Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and - coming this summer to the US - Howl's Moving Castle. A Miyazaki movie has three key components: a pro-environmental message, a heroine, and flying.
In distant future, the Earth has been destroyed by pollution and war, leaving only small, remote tribal nations and a vast poisonous forest inhabited by large, hominous insects. The tribes live in constant fear of the insects and the spread of the forest. This fear leads to conflict between the tribes, as each tribe seeks to keep their land pure and sound and direct the spread of poisonous plants in other directions, towards other peoples.
The heroine is Nausicaä, princess of the Valley of the Wind. In many Miyazaki movies, the female lead follows a rite of passage. However, Nausicaä has little to learn. Her motives are always pure, and she is perhaps the only person who understands the forest and the insects. This understanding grows during the movie, but from the beginning, we see this special power she has, as she is able save Lord Yupa from a charging football-field-sized insect by pacifying it then convincing it to return to the forest. In many ways, she is a prototype for Neo of The Matrix (although much more human): it's obvious she has to save everyone, she just doesn't know how and from what yet.
Of course, in this desolate future there are no roads or rails, because the forest is impassable. Instead there are plenty of flying machines. Giant warships engage in dogfights, small hot air balloons carry cargo, and Nausicaä has her own glider, which she uses to make majestic tours of the bucolic landscapes.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind stands as not just one of the best animated movies of all time, but also one of the best works of science fiction. Its mythology is both fantastic and believable, and its plot is masterfully crafted, leading to an exciting climax. Even its weak points, like the dated 80s video game soundtrack, seem quaint and enjoyable.
Despite dropping the ball on some other Miyazaki titles, Disney deserves accolodes for their Nausicaä release. The anamorphic widescreen transfer is, of course, superb. The movie is 21 years old, but it looks vibrant and alive. Those with surround sound will be disappointed, though; the original audio is glorious Dolby 1.0 mono sound, and that's exactly what you get. As is standard for this Disney series, the DVD contains both the English dubbed and original Japanese soundtrack, as well as two sets of English subtitles - one transcribing the dubbing ("for the hearing impaired") and one translating the original Japanese dialogue. The English dub is actually rather okay; there is no over-Americanization or Robin Williams-ization, as has happened with other Disney dubs. The actors universally play the roles in an understated manner, as I believe is closest to the original film. Mark Hamill as the Mayor and Patrick Stewart as the strong warrior Yupa are both great choices, and even Shia LaBeouf as Asbel, the male lead, doesn't ruin things.
There's three main special features. The highlight is a Japanese TV segment on the beginnings of Studio Ghibli and the making of the movie, dubbed into English. Very informative for those interested, and also includes some bizarre "America's Most Wanted"-style recreations of the birth of Studio Ghibli. The second disc in the two disc set is the same movie, using the storyboards instead of the full animation. These storyboards are provided on all of the Disney Miyazaki DVDs (except Mononoke), and no one watches them; it's just an excuse to charge more. Also a standard part of the Disney/Miyazaki package is a "Behind the Microphone" featurette, showing the American voice actors complaining about having to match the mouth movements of the preexisting animation. Funnily, Patrick Stewart celebrates the fact that his character has a big bushy moustache that covers his mouth the entire movie.
| Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind at Amazon |
