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Film: Wake Wood
Year of production: 2011
UK Release date: 28th March 2011
Distributor: Momentum
Certificate: 18
Running time: 90 mins
Director: David Keating
Starring: Eva Birthistle, Ella Connolly, Amelia Crowley, Aidan Gillen, Brian Gleeson
Genre: Drama/Horror/Thriller
Format: DVD
Country of Production: Republic of Ireland/UK
Language: English
The reinvigorated Hammer Film Productions studio follows up on the critical and commercial success of Let Me In with this low-budget Irish horror. Harking back to the company’s heyday, this low-key offering emphatically explores loss and rebirth against the backdrop of rural Ireland, with a cast including Timothy Spall (the Harry Potter franchise) and Aiden Gillen (TV’s Queer As Folk and The Wire).
A vet, Patrick (Aiden Gillen), and his pharmacist wife, Louise (Eva Birthistle), have settled down with their young daughter, Alice (newcomer Ella Connelly), in Wake Wood, a small village set amidst the picturesque Irish countryside. On Alice’s birthday, tragedy strikes when she is mauled and killed by a vicious dog on her way to school, and the young couple understandably struggle to cope with their loss.
One year later, after their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, the couple seek refuge at the home of Patrick’s employer, the mysterious Arthur (Timothy Spall), where they witness a bizarre ritual taking place behind his house. It soon transpires that Arthur and some of the residents of Wake Wood are capable of performing a resurrection ritual because of some unexplained force surrounding the village. Provided the deceased has been in the ground for less than a year, the townsfolk can bring them back for three days for closure and the opportunity for the mourning family to say goodbye to their loved one properly. Arthur offers this service to Patrick and Louise, who jump at the chance to see their beloved daughter again.
Once the ritual has been performed, however, the couple attempt to escape the village to hold on to their undead daughter after lying to Arthur by saying Alice was buried less than twelve months prior, causing her fatal injuries to reappear and a murderous streak to manifest in the child. With the townsfolk in terror, and the couple’s emotions in turmoil, it soon becomes clear that what was once dead and buried should remain so…
Death is the one inevitable, inescapable certainty in life, and to attempt to defy this fact (in cinema at least) never has a happy ending. A strong script and deep, multi-layered performances are required to effectively portray the unavoidable emotional havoc of characters suffering such a profound loss. Also, a supernatural subject matter requires a certain suspension of disbelief to appear effective, but tend to work best when they retain an element of logic and cohesion to encourage a ‘buy-in’ from the viewer. Unfortunately, Wake Wood largely fails on both counts, most notably with its gaping plot holes, laughable scenes and inconsistent performances that range from wooden (Eva Birthistle) to surprisingly effective (Aiden Gillen). The film’s only real ‘star’, Timothy Spall, offers a performance that is so bizarrely over-the-top that it becomes difficult to keep a straight face. This is largely due to the terrible script that forces a great actor to stumble through incoherent, bumbling explanations of the resurrection procedure that open more questions than they answer.
This lack of logical cohesion plagues the film throughout, hindered somewhat further by the lamentable editing. Cuts jump back and forth through time during critical themes, particularly during the love scene between the tormented couple. This moment is pivotal to the narrative, as it shows a relationship fractured by the death of a child beginning to rebuild once they have her back in their lives, albeit on a temporary basis. What begins as a fairly standard tryst cuts all over the place. Items of clothing are removed and reappear in the next shot, only to be taken off again in a completely different manner. Of course, this is a stylistic technique adopted by the editor, but completely fails in its execution. What should have been an affecting and emotionally significant scene becomes farcical in its execution. This choppy editing continues throughout, losing any sense of flow or logical progression in the narrative.
The most questionable aspect of the film is, however, the couple’s complete lack of questioning of the supernatural elements of the plot. As Arthur briefly explains the process, they are absolutely accepting of this as a logical step in coping with the premature death of their daughter. Apart from a couple of “What the hell?!” exclamations, they never question the technique or plausibility of what Arthur is proposing, prompting the audience to question it even more, despite the fact that it should be logical within the film’s context.
Despite these shortcomings, the ritual itself is suitably gory and follows an interesting pattern (who knew that coating a fresh corpse in cow dung and setting it on fire could prompt a metamorphosis?) with some decent practical make-up effects. Once Alice’s murderous rampage begins, the action takes a turn for the ludicrous by yet again falling victim to an over reliance on computer generated gore, which completely detaches the viewer from any tension or suspense by making the payoff so predictable. It is also clear, however, that the makers had to be understandably careful about what they could allow their child actor to be involved in. It is shocking enough to see her graphically mauled by a German Shepherd, and she remains visually detached from the actual killings, which could have been much more effective in the hands of a more capable editor. One shot in particular shows Alice waving around a makeshift weapon while the actual contact is clearly filmed separately and crudely edited together with a laughable CG skewering.
The general lack of logical progression culminates in the film’s ending, delivering a conclusion that is equally as full of plot holes and inconsistencies as the proceeding ninety minutes.
A decent enough concept is wasted with poor execution, a lack of tension and generally weak performances from a promising cast. If this is the quality of the re-established Hammer Film’s output, their future is bleak. RB
Film: Primevil
Release date: 21st March 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 86 mins
Director: Roel Reiné
Starring: Hadley Fraser, Terry Notary, Nick Mennell, Emily Foxler, Marc Bacher
Genre: Action/Adventure/Horror/Thriller
Studio: Revolver
Format: DVD
Country: Australia/USA
This is an English-language release.
In 2009, Jorge Ihle was tasked with making The Forgotten Ones, a horror adventure film eventually released in the UK under the title After Dusk They Come. The studio, and the late, great Irwin Kirshner (The Empire Strikes Back) as producer, however, were not happy with his efforts and, in fear of a commercial flop, enlisted Dutch director Roel Reiné to recast, reshoot and entirely remake the film as The Lost Tribe, which is now available on DVD under the title Primevil. Is the quickest remake in cinema history justified or were the studio bosses unnecessarily keen to part with another million dollars (the estimated budget for each of the versions) to flog a dead horse?
A group of attractive, young adults party on-board a luxury yacht in the middle of the ocean, celebrating a potential business partnership that could prove extremely lucrative for all involved.
While diving from the boat, Tom (Nick Mennell) spots a man clinging to a piece of driftwood in obvious distress. Rescuing and taking the man onboard, suspicions are raised as the drowning man’s motives are not altogether wholesome. Escaping from his makeshift cell, he commandeers the navigational controls, sending the yacht crashing into a reef.
Shipwrecked, the group find themselves washed up on a desert island, where they frantically call for help on the yacht’s emergency radio and try to find their bearings.
On their first night on the island, the stranger has vanished, leaving behind a pool of blood and gore. Tom is also missing, so the group set off in search of their friend and the stranger responsible for their harrowing predicament. During their exploration, they come across an abandoned army camp where there are clues leading to the existence of an indigenous tribe who may be the missing evolutionary link between Neanderthals and humans. With this realisation, the group are hunted, separated and picked off by the tribe, who operate mainly from the trees, before Anna (Emily Foxler) is forced to tackle them head on…
As the synopsis undoubtedly reveals, Primevil (or whichever name it has adopted this week) lacks even the slightest shred of originality. It seems that Reiné and the screenwriters have misinterpreted the meaning of homage as ‘to blatantly plagiarise’. The air of unoriginality is most apparent after the initial shipwreck sequence when the frequently used POV shots from the creatures are used to frame the group’s investigation of the island. Their prey is stalked through a grainy heat detecting filter, overcome by the hapless victims by, believe it or not, disguising themselves in the gooey juice from a native plant. The creatures hunt their prey from the treetops, making purring growls and jumping through the canopy in a laughable, scientifically impossible defiance of gravity, which belies the pseudo-scientific babble about the creatures’ evolution.
If all this sounds familiar, it is because the whole second and third act of the film is a complete retelling of John McTiernan’s classic Predator, but with only a disappointing fraction of the tension, action or imaginative creature design. The creatures themselves look ridiculous, with any hint of tension being completely abandoned as soon as their appearance is revealed. Obviously styled as a primal, Neanderthal version of Stan Winston’s timeless creation, complete with dreadlocks and a similarly styled bone mask, the creatures fail to frighten or add any tension to the film. They simply cheapen an already bare bones thriller which is successful only in its ability to bore with its unimaginative action, wooden acting and predictable narrative.
Even a brief supporting role as a church assassin by Lance Henriksen (Aliens) fails to ignite any real sense of excitement, as he has also become a staple in b-movie trash, despite the obvious intention to add a sense of authenticity to the film. His role is underplayed and signifies a totally pointless and underdeveloped subplot, despite an intriguing start as he assassinates an unarmed woman to protect the evolutionary secrets of the island from undermining his employer’s religious beliefs.
The film does, however, feature some pretty decent old school make-up effects, with some grisly scenes (particularly Tom’s ‘missing back’ in his final scene) that adds to a sense that the production team missed a trick with the tame killings and could have utilised their obviously competent make-up department to improve on the poor creature designs and create a film which could at least satisfy the gore hounds in the audience. What remains, unfortunately, is ninety minutes of an underwhelming script, wooden performances and a non-starting plot which could have allowed the film to elevate to the heady heights of so-bad-its-good, Asylum films (Mega Piranha, Transmorphers, etc.) quality trash, but unfortunately takes itself far too seriously, resulting in an uninspiring and tedious experience.
Arguably the most pointless remake ever, Primevil offers nothing exceptional. A bland, unoriginal thriller whose uninspired aping of superior titles leaves the audience in no doubt as to why the studio was panicked that the original would flop. RB
Film: Phenomena
Release date: 7th March 2011
Certificate: 18
Running time: 111 mins
Director: Dario Argento
Starring: Jennifer Connelly, Daria Nicolodi, Dalila Di Lazzaro, Patrick Bauchau, Donald Pleasence
Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller
Studio: Arrow
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Italy
Italian horror maestro Dario Argento follows a string of genre classics such as Suspiria, Deep Red and Tenebrae with 1985’s Phenomena. Originally released in America under the title Creepers, the film was heavily edited with almost 30 minutes cut. It is now finally released in full on Blu-ray for the first time.
A young Danish tourist is left behind in Switzerland after her bus leaves without her. Approaching a nearby house, she hears a banging from upstairs as she calls out for help. Someone has been chained to the wall of one of the bedrooms and is struggling to break free. As the girl searches the house for further signs of life, the shackles are torn free from the wall, as the girl is brutally murdered by a leather gloved killer.
Eight months later, Jennifer Corvino (Jennifer Connelly), the daughter of a well-known film star is escorted to her new school, a creepy international boarding school for girls, by Frau Brückner (Daria Nicolodi). Suffering from bouts of sleepwalking, she has an affinity with, and the ability to manipulate insects. Jennifer struggles to adapt to her new lifestyle, tormented by bullies and finding it hard to get on with her classmates and teachers, especially the stern head mistress.
After sleepwalking through the grounds of the school, Jennifer awakens to find herself on the roof, where she witnesses the murder of a student at the hands of a leather gloved killer. After fleeing into the local village, she soon becomes acquainted with entomologist Professor John McGregor (Donald Pleasance), who is capable of studying the insects found in decomposed body parts, and can use this information to ascertain the approximate time of death. He believes that between them, he and Jennifer can solve the riddle of the murders, and tasks her with tracking down the killer using a fly from a maggot found on one of the murdered student’s gloves, which leads Jennifer on an investigation that erupts in a crescendo of violence, as she discovers that she has nobody left who she can trust…
Dario Argento has created a unique fusion of the fantasy and giallo genres, which successfully combines a sense of mystery with supernatural horror. The main success of Phenomena is the performance from a 15-year-old Jennifer Connelly, who follows her exceptional performance in Sergio Leone’s classic Once Upon A Time in America with this. Connelly gives a fragile and inquisitive performance which works extremely well alongside the breathtaking, eerie cinematography by Romano Albani. Switzerland’s sweeping countryside proves to be an exceptionally creepy environment, and adds to the suspense of many sequences.
Likewise, horror veteran Donald Pleasance’s Scottish entomologist is a welcome addition to the cast, even though his bizarre Edinburgh accent leaves a lot to be desired. The wheelchair bound professor lends the film’s more ludicrous assertions a sense of grounding in reality, despite the fact that his assistant is a mischievous, razor wielding chimpanzee
Argento has once again chosen to collaborate with Goblin on the film’s score, this time adding tracks from Iron Maiden and Motörhead. Critically praised, but completely ineffective, Goblin’s score is all jazzy synth and inappropriately upbeat guitar tracks. The main grievance with the score (and the accompanying heavy metal tracks) is that it completely undermines any sense of intrigue and suspense created by the director. One scene in particular, where Jennifer’s roommate Sophie is dreaming that she is lost in an old abandoned house, is completely ruined by the inappropriate use of Iron Maiden’s ‘Flash Of The Blade’. It plays out like a low-budget music video as opposed to the carefully crafted, moody scene it was undoubtedly intended to be.
The film shines when it moves away from the surreal sleepwalking montages and dream sequences and focuses on the more palatable horror elements. Argento’s oeuvre contains some much better examples of giallo (see Profondo Rosso) than this, but there are some unique and exciting elements to the slasher side of this film. Sergio Stivaletti’s make-up and special effects used during the film’s more exciting scenes are exceptional, with the facially disfigured, grotesque monster-child’s demise at the hands (or teeth) of a few hundred thousand flies proving especially effective.
The plot is, at times, frustratingly slow and confusing, with holes appearing throughout. This lack of pace is thankfully alleviated towards the end, when the narrative is wrapped up in a tense and exhilarating final act.
Unfortunately, the transfer does unfairly age the film by exacerbating some of the slightly dubious swarm effects and gives certain scenes a stark, hospital lighting feel, which does little to add to the suspense. Extras include a fifty-minute making-of documentary which traces the film’s production from inception and features many of the key players, including Argento himself, which gives an interesting insight into the director’s vision.
Phenomena is a mixed bag of excellent gore effects and some effective flourishes which are unfortunately hindered by the poor pacing and lamentable music. While by no means one of Argento’s strongest works, a strong cast and moments of genuinely squirm-inducing insect horror help to alleviate this from being an entirely unenjoyable experience. RB
Film: Death Notice: Ikigami
Release date: 7th March 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 128 mins
Director: Tomoyuki Takimoto
Starring: Shota Matsuda, Koji Tsukamoto, Riko Narumi, Takayuki Yamada, Akira Emoto
Genre: Drama/Fantasy
Studio: MVM
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
Tomoyuki Takimoto faithfully adapts three stories from Môtoro Mase’s seven volume manga Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit for the screen, where he explores themes of loss and mortality against a backdrop of a fictional Japan where the government rules through fear and a demand for unwavering allegiance from its citizens.
In a dystopian Japan, where CCTV monitors its citizens’ every move, the totalitarian government has implemented the Special Law for the Maintenance of National Prosperity, whereby all children are inoculated as they enter junior school.
While the majority of the inoculations are benign, one in every thousand carries a tiny radio controlled capsule which, on activation by the government when the condemned receive their ikigami (death notice) any time between the ages of 18 and 24, causes the recipient to fall down dead exactly twenty-four hours later. Upon receipt of this notice, the victims are given any food, lodgings and entertainment they desire at the state’s expense. If, however, they commit a crime during this time, they forfeit pension payment that the government pays to their family as a means of compensation. By enforcing such a tyrannous law, the government hopes that by instilling the fear of instant and unprejudiced death, young people will learn to appreciate life more, thus creating a more prosperous Japan
Kengo Fujimoto (Shôta Matsuda) has just qualified as a distributor of these death notices. Despite having serious concerns over the morality and humaneness of the government’s practices, especially with regards to their severe punishment of ‘thought crimes’ (forced ‘re-education’), Kengo embarks on his first assignment; to deliver an ikigami to 23-year-old up-and-coming musician Tsubasa Tanabe (Yuta Kanai). Soon after, he pays a somewhat more welcome visit to the reclusive son of the opposition party’s outspoken politician, who’s strained relationship with his parents causes him to flout the ‘no crime’ rule. Finally, Kengo must deliver to Satoshi Iizuka (Takayuki Yamada), a working class debt collector struggling to arrange his blind sister’s cornea transplant.
These three stories of the recipients of Kengo’s death notice intertwine to explore the many ways that people cope with death when forced to face its inevitability…
After a low key, grainy opening showing an ikigami recipient exacting revenge on a former bully, the pace slows dramatically, mirroring the regimented and bleak training Kengo must endure before he is qualified to deliver the death notices. A dull palette of greys and white is juxtaposed by the stark black suits of the marching salary men of this Orwell-inspired alternate Japan, with Big Brother watching their every move via an extensive network of CCTV (often shown from a POV shot, adding to the illusion). This slow pace threatens to disengage and alienate the viewer, but comes together as soon as the more human element comes to the fore. As Tsubasa and his busking partner take to the streets, the city comes to life with a bustling, more instantly familiar Japan enveloping Kengo in the human consequences of the law he is blindly enforcing.
The film’s emotional core is most present in, unsurprisingly, the different reactions of the characters on receipt of their death notices. Throughout their ordeals, Kengo acts as our witness, observing the events without interference (as he is instructed to do by his superiors) allowing for a restrained performance by Matsuda, which he uses to embody Kengo with a stoic professionalism which is perfectly tuned to his sterile surroundings, and makes his journey more engaging as he realises the effect these ikigami have on the Japanese youth and their families.
The first ikigami follows Tsubasa as he neglects his old band mate in favour of the promise of fame and fortune, which is arguably the most effective of the three stories, showcasing the character’s ability to deal with his impending death head on, and make the most of his last twenty-four hours. After using his free pass to order everything on the menu at a fancy restaurant, the musician rushes across town to attend the televised showcase of his duo’s new single (think Top Of The Pops), determined to realise his life’s ambition before succumbing to the inevitable. Meanwhile, his old busking partner is watching on television, along with the boy’s mother and Kengo (who is already questioning the regime). It is impossible not to be moved as the singer abandons the scheduled performance in favour of the song he used to play on the streets, while his friend watches from across the city and tearfully strums along. As the literal final curtain falls, Tsubasa becomes a figurehead for the anti-ikigami political movement. It is Yuta Kanai’s performance as Tsubasa that creates the emotional impact of this section, as his passionate performance channels all the confusion, unfairness and irrationality of his predicament into Komatsuna’s song, ‘Signpost’. It’s poignant and just on the right side of sentimental to remain effective.
The film does, however, forego some of this subtlety in the final act, opting for a more soap opera approach which somewhat pales in comparison to the emotional impact of Kengo’s previous encounter. This does little to dampen the subtleties of the rest of the film, which does well to offer an alternative to the similarly themed manga adaptations, such as Shusuke Kaneko’s Death Note and Kinji Fukasaku’s Battle Royale.
A well balanced and emotionally effective film, Death Notice: Ikigama stumbles at the final hurdle by relying a little too heavily on overt sentimentality, but is redeemed by its believable dystopian vision and some genuinely touching moments. RB
Film: Memories Of Matsuko
Release date: 14th February 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 130 mins
Director: Tetsuya Nakashima
Starring: Miki Nakatani, Eita, Yusuke Iseya, Teruyuki Kagawa, YosiYosi Arakawa
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Fantasy/Musical/Mystery
Studio: Third Window
Format: Blu-ray
Country: Japan
Based on the acclaimed novel by Muneki Yamada, Tetsuya Nakashima’s Memories Of Matsuko comes to Blu-ray for the first time, after being adapted into a television series in its native Japan, and garnering worldwide acclaim from audiences and critics alike.
Young slacker Shô Kawajira (Eita) has moved to Tokyo with dreams of making it as a rock star, but soon finds himself leaving his band and breaking up with his girlfriend.
After stalking the streets of Tokyo’s Shinjuku district in search of a seedy thrill, he is abruptly woken by his well-to-do father, Norio, who arrives carrying a casket of ashes and some troubling news. He informs his son that his 53-year-old aunt, Matsuko, has been found murdered. He explains that she has led an entirely meaningless life and has been estranged from the family for thirty years. Previously unaware of her existence, Shô is uninterested until Norio asks him to clean out her apartment for him.
After arriving at the dilapidated building and beginning to sort through the piles of rubbish in the apartment, Shô finds an old photograph which allows him to begin to piece together elements of Matsuko’s life and the events leading to her murder. Intrigued, he learns more from the people that knew her in life, and soon discovers that her time on Earth was anything but meaningless.
After feeling like she was playing second fiddle to her terminally ill sister, Matsuko struggled with trying to win her father’s affections, eventually making him proud by becoming a school teacher, only to be dismissed after trying to protect a student, Ryu, who was accused of theft. What followed was a series of abusive relationships, plagued by suicide, murder and crime, including a spell in prison, work as a hostess girl and eventually becoming a Yakuza’s girlfriend.
Her intriguing story unfolds as Shô works his way through her belongings. Shô has some unexpected encounters of his own while aiming to solve the mystery surrounding her untimely death…
At first glance, it seems apparent that Memories Of Matsuko owes a debt of gratitude to Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Amelie - from the artificial vibrancy of the colour palette to the playful nature of the narrative and naïve innocence of the protagonist - and in many ways this comparison is justified. However, Memories Of Matsuko carries with it a darker edge, and uses the fabricated sense of innocence to juxtapose the potentially disturbing and challenging aspects of Matsuko’s interesting life. Moments of hardship and terror are interspersed with impromptu musical numbers and scenery straight out of a child’s pop-up book. This playfulness continues into the ‘real’ world of Shô as he meets a colourful cast of characters, ranging from a tattooed mentalist punk to a vivacious porn star, who all share a connection to his late aunt.
One of the most engaging elements of the film is Matsuko herself, perfectly portrayed by Miki Takatani. She forms a perfect balance between the extroverted surrealism and fragility of the character, without becoming too melodramatic. Each stage of Matsuko’s life requires a shift of tone which proves effortless, exemplified by one of the most endearing running gags. As a child vying for her father’s affections, Matsuko finds that by pulling a face, in tribute to a Manzai act they see together, she could make her father laugh, thus taking some of the attention away from her sister, Kumi (Mikako Ichikawa). Throughout her life she continues to rely on this facial contortion as a coping mechanism in times of duress (of which she experiences many). As the troubling situations Matsuko finds herself in mount up, pulling this face becomes customary, with often hilarious results. However, as these situations grow from simply troubling to outright shocking, and the character retreats within herself on the road to becoming the eccentric recluse we know has just been killed, this act stops, sadly signalling an end to the childlike innocence of Matsuko, just as she has been corrupted and abused by those around her.
Matsuko laments that she needs a man to be happy, despite each one of them mercilessly beating and abusing her. This perseverance in the face of such adversity is rewarded by the ascent into heaven once Shô deciphers the mystery surrounding her murder, but is a questionable end result for someone who does little to escape her situation and defends these men to the detriment of her few positive relationships. This mixed moral message offers little to the film’s success, and somewhat undermines Matsuko’s complex and interesting characterisation.
The perfect balance of the film’s narrative tone is exacerbated by the unique visuals, which add a sense of melancholic surrealism to proceedings. This film really finds its home on Blu-ray, where the crisp, energetic palette glows and adds richness to the film that mesmerizes in high definition.
A vibrant, surreal and exciting film, Memories Of Matsuko is equal parts murder mystery, bildungsroman and fantasy. Takatani’s excellent performance forms the backbone of the narrative, and the superb art direction and imaginative use of a variety of narrative forms seems perfectly tailored to the Blu-ray format. RB
Film: Spirits Of The Dead
Release date: 15th November 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 121 mins
Director: Federico Fellini, Louis Malle, Roger Vadim
Starring: Brigitte Bardot, Alain Delon, Jane Fonda, Terence Stamp, James Robertson Justice
Genre: Horror/Mystery
Studio: Arrow
Format: Blu-ray
Country: France/Italy
Inspired by three short stories by Edgar Allan Poe, Roger Vadim (Barbarella), Louis Malle (Murmur of the Heart) and Federico Fellini (La Dolce Vita) each contribute to this horror omnibus which is available for the first time on Blu-ray.
Roger Vadim follows Barbarella with the first segment in this anthology, with his adaptation of the first of Poe’s published works, Metzengerstein: A Tale In Imitation Of The German. Starring both Jane (then married to Vadim) and Peter Fonda as the evil countess Frederique de Metzengerstein and her rival Baron Wilhelm Berlifitzing respectively. In an act of rage after being spurned by the young Baron, spoiled Frederique burns down his stables, killing him and all but one of his horses. She forms a strange bond with the black stallion after witnessing the same figure being burned out of the large tapestry in her castle, indicating that there is more to the horse than she anticipated.
Louis Malle continues with William Wilson, adapted from the short story of the same name. An Austrian soldier desperately runs through the claustrophobic streets of a 19th century Italian town before seeking refuge in a church. He frantically demands to be seen for confession, and continues to recount all the evils in his life to the bewildered priest. It becomes clear that the soldier, William Wilson (Alain Delon), has been doggedly pursued throughout his life by his doppelganger (Delon again), who is determined to make him see the errors of his ways.
Fellini concludes the trio of stories with Toby Dammit, (very) loosely based on the short story Never Bet The Devil Your Head. Terence Stamp is Toby Dammit, a failing Shakespearean actor, driven to near-madness by alcohol and paranoia who travels to Rome to take part in a film where he will be paid with a new Ferrari. Drunk and delirious, Dammit stumbles around an awards ceremony where he is the guest of honour, before speeding off in his new car. Plagued by visions of a young girl playing with a ball, Dammit approaches a fallen bridge, determined to make the jump across…
The most striking element of this collection is the differing quality of the three films. Metzengerstein is by far the weakest of the three, despite the calibre of the cast. The production values are poor, with many of the costumes being recycled from Barbarella, resulting in medieval sets and a medieval-looking supporting cast working around a scantily clad 21st century astronaut riding around the countryside on her horse. Its Robin Hood meets Flash Gordon, but with an even more nonsensical plot than that allegory suggests. Jane Fonda snarls and pouts impressively enough as the spoiled and selfish countess, but Peter Fonda is criminally underused, with only a few fleeting minutes of screen time.
The rivalry between the two families is barely touched upon, with the baron’s rejection of the sexual advances of the countess providing the basis for her act of revenge (in the original story, both characters are male, and there is a long line of disputes and competition between the warring families which sets up the burning of the stables). This interpretation of the source material brings a strange, obsessive quality to the character of Metzengerstein, which is at odds with her actions. Initially she is headstrong and assertive, but soon becomes completely fixated by the horse who she believes to be the embodiment of the baron - despite their interaction being limited to her flirting with him, and his rejection of her.
Louis Malle fairs slightly better with William Wilson. With a much more interesting plot and a truly unnerving premise, this story is a welcome change of pace after the drawn out trudge through Metzengerstein. Alain Delon is superb as the titular soldier, confessing his sins after being relentlessly pursued by his doppelganger. The game of cat and mouse between the two starts in their school days, with the evil Wilson’s bullying and torture of his classmates attracting the attention of his double, and continues through his time in medical school when he intends to perform a living autopsy on a tied and naked girl before being foiled again.
Poe’s notion of the doppelganger is based on the feeling of unease when one encounters someone with the same name, taking away an element of one’s identity as we lose part of our uniqueness. This sense of the uncanny permeates the film, as the macabre and evil acts of Wilson are infiltrated by his reflection. Whether or not the other William Wilson is merely a projection of his subconscious is open to speculation, as he shows little remorse for his actions.
This segment does suffer from some laughable production errors (breathing corpses and mannequin’s in lieu of stunt doubles being of particular note) which only seem to add to the sense of strangeness and disjointedness that is channelled through Delon’s tormented performance.
Finally, Federico Fellini’s Toby Dammit concludes the anthology. This unique and bizarre short is undoubtedly the highlight of Spirits Of The Dead, and is so superior to the other offerings that it is lauded as Fellini’s hidden masterpiece. Terence Stamp is Dammit, turning in a mesmerizing performance that perfectly mirrors the melancholic, surrealist backdrop of the augmented Rome of the piece. Looking every inch the washed up rock star, Dammit stumbles and staggers his way through the various production meetings and interviews that he is forced to endure, always keeping his eye on the prize of the brand new Ferrari he was promised. He is plagued by visions of a young girl (in the original story, the devil was an old man) who seems to be tempting him towards his downfall. He has literally sold his soul for the fame and fortune that is slowly killing him.
Awash in a sea of flashing paparazzi bulbs and masked, nightmarish passers-by, Toby’s arrival in Rome is particularly unsettling. It is an overwhelming sensory overload which acts as the perfect allegory for the broken, burnt out alcoholic he has become, and the price that he must pay for the notoriety he desired. The breakneck race around the empty city in his newly acquired Ferrari is also a highlight, as his madness and desperation is played out through a first person perspective.
Unfortunately, the weakness of the first entry of this omnibus leaves a sour taste that William Wilson works hard to placate. It is worth staying, however, for the phenomenal Toby Dammit, which is the least faithful to the source material of the three, but somehow remains the most truthful, playing with the themes of the original text while updating them to a more contemporary setting. RB
Film: Stranded
Release date: 24th January 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 114 mins
Director: Hugues Martin & Sandra Martin
Starring: Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet, Thierry Fremont, Said Taghmaoui, Cyril Raffaelli, Aurelien Wiik
Genre: Action/Horror/War
Studio: E1
Format: DVD
Country: France/Morocco
Originally released under the title Djinns, this French debut from directing husband and wife partnership Hugues and Sandra Martin comes to DVD. The North African desert is the home of the Djinn, a group of invisible demons intent on protecting their home from a platoon of French soldiers on a rescue mission.
Michel (Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet) is young, nervous and accompanying a platoon of experienced soldiers in the Algerian desert as they track down a downed plane in the French-Algerian decolonisation war of the late 1950s and early ‘60s. He struggles to adapt to the overwhelming heat and his lack of experience means he is constantly playing catch-up to the grizzled, battle weary veterans. As they slowly make their way through the desert, they eventually make contact with their enemies and take hold of a small village nestled in the sand dunes.
All is not what it seems, however, as the young recruit begins to experience terrifying visions of near-invisible, demonic figures who are capable of possessing their victims, turning them into murderous vessels with only one thing on their minds. These creatures are a known threat to the locals, with the elder of the tribe appointed protector of the village. She claims to know why Michel can see these creatures, and as the soldiers are picked off one-by-one, it seems he is the only one with the power to protect his remaining comrades and the innocent inhabitants of the town…
Like many similarly themed films, such as Daniel Myrick’s The Objective or Michael J Basset’s Deathwatch, the ‘group of soldiers stalked by unseen threat’ has been done many times before. Unfortunately, the Martin’s effort is by no means a shining example of this type of film. It starts off interestingly, with a mysterious figure staggering down a desolate road handcuffed to a silver briefcase. This perfectly introduced the element of the unknown that accompanies the eerie desert. In fact, the desert is the most interesting element of the film. It is almost treated as a character in its own right, and its otherness offers much more tension and suspense than the Djinns ever could. It is obviously a dangerous place to be, and the soldier’s ordeal is exacerbated by the treacherous terrain.
The clichéd character types of most ‘squad’ movies are all present and correct, which adds a distinct sense of unoriginality to proceedings. Michel, the new recruit, clutches his treasured 8mm camera and continually bemoans his situation, while the handsome ladies man, Saria (Aurélien Wiik), befriends him and helps him along when he struggles. Malovitch (Matthias Van Khache) is the company’s resident veteran. Battle scarred and hard as nails, he ticks every box of the strong, silent type. However, despite being tired clichés, these characters are well played, and offer a decent dynamic as a group of men unwillingly thrown together and forced to face insurmountable odds.
Again, like many films of this type, the director unwisely chooses to reveal his monsters too early on, despite the fact that they are almost invisible. During the first forty-five minutes or so, the Martin’s manage to build a credible tension that works well with the slow pace and meandering conversations of the squad. That is until they discover the crashed plane and bodies of their comrades, and are met with a sandstorm and resistance from the local militia. Taking refuge in the dunes surrounding a small village, Michel begins to experience visions of the demons. Quite simply, the CGI used to create the transparent terrors are not good enough to warrant such a blatant reveal, and leave the audience feeling nonchalant towards their presence. The sense of tension and paranoia is, however, utilised quite effectively as the Djinns begin to possess the soldiers, and an interesting dynamic of not knowing who to trust takes over as members of the team are slowly turned into murderous psychopaths, one by one.
It is at this point, however, that the directors choose to undo their good work of building this sense of unease. The potential for decent horror is squandered with uninteresting climaxes to each member’s possession, and a far-fetched Macguffin involving Michel’s role as protector of the village. The entire second half of the film leaves a sense of flatness and unoriginality that disappoints after the promising start.
Undoubtedly, the most impressive element of the film is the cinematography, with the potentially unexciting desert coming to life with beautiful, sweeping long shorts of the massive dunes, and the isolated crew mere pinpoints on the screen as they traverse the treacherous sands. The opportunity for the directors to contrast this sense of openness with the claustrophobia of the confines of the tiny village is squandered, however, resulting in a sub-par creature feature that fails to ignite much excitement.
With Stranded, Hugues and Sandra Martin have somewhat missed the opportunity to present a worthy successor to other superior examples of similarly themed films. By no means a disaster, but still remarkably unremarkable, and too familiar to leave much of an impression. RB
Film: Deep Red
Release date: 3rd January 2011
Certificate: 18
Running time: 121 mins
Director: Dario Argento
Starring: David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, Gabriele Lavia, Macha Méril, Eros Pagni
Genre: Crime/Horror/Mystery/Thriller
Studio: Arrow
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Italy
Italian master Dario Argento weaves an intricate tale of mystery and brutal murder with 1975’s Deep Red (Profondo Rosso). Critically acclaimed but a financial disappointment, this giallo classic is widely considered to be one of Argento’s finest.
A Christmas scene accompanied by children’s music is shattered by a brutal murder. Many years later, a psychic medium named Helga Ulmann is brutally hacked to death after delivering a lecture on her abilities and identifying a murderer in the audience.
English jazz pianist Marcus Daly (David Hemmings) witnesses the murder from the street while attempting to coerce his drunken fellow musician Carlo (legendary playwright Gabriele Lavia) into giving up for the night. After an initial investigation at the scene of the crime, Daly is convinced that he (and the police) may have missed a vital clue which could lead to discovering the identity of the killer.
Daly takes it upon himself to solve the inevitable string of subsequent murders, enlisting the help of feisty journalist Gianna Brezzi (Daria Nicolodi, incidentally Argento’s real-life lover) and parapsychologist Professor Giordani (Glauco Mauri), while the body count rises and someone seems to be getting away with murder. This investigation leads him to the now dilapidated home from the film’s introduction, where he makes a gruesome discovery and begins to fear for his own life, as all those connected to the case fall victim to the psychotic killer, and it becomes apparent that someone is determined not to leave any witnesses…
Throughout the entire film, the brutal, graphic murders are performed from a first-person perspective, with only a pair of black leather gloved hands and a leather trench coat on show. Despite this, within the first twenty minutes of Deep Red, the viewer is shown the killer’s face; unquestionable evidence which could potentially ruin the masterfully crafted suspense of what is to follow. The mastery lies in the fact that the face is so cleverly hidden in plain sight that only on repeat viewings does it become clear that Argento has duped his audience with a simple illusion that relies only on forced perspective and camera trickery. This bravery and self-assuredness permeates the film, and leads the audience through a narrative that twists and turns, expertly utilising red herrings and moments of genuine terror that create an unsettling atmosphere which refuses to subside, even after the final credits have rolled.
The key to the believability of the narrative is Hemmings’ performance as Marcus Daly, an Englishman living in Italy and working as a piano teacher. He is flawed, nervous and entirely emasculated by Gianna, none more so than in the scene where she continually beats him at arm wrestling, despite his accusations of false starts and cheating. While not quite the suave, archetypal noir hero, he does display elements of the characteristics associated with the genre, as does the narrative as a whole. One notable observation is that despite continually playing with a cigarette, he never actually lights one, or smokes, avoiding the smouldering, smoke encased image of a crime-solving noir protagonist, instead adding emphasis to his fidgety and anxious nature. During production, Hemmings was recovering from a broken heart following a messy divorce, drinking too much and constantly fighting with Argento, adding a sense of desperation and fragility to the performance.
The supporting cast are also excellent, particularly Daria Nicolodi as Gianni, offering a deep, layered performance which adds to the mystery of the piece (the audience is gently encouraged to think they have solved the case and that it is the nosey reporter who is the killer). Marcus’ gay friend Carlo (ably portrayed by Lavia) is another standout character, struggling with alcoholism and his sexuality, while heavily traumatized by past events.
The suspense created by the twisting narrative culminates in inventive and brutal killings, with excellent gore effects. One scene in particular, in which the killer catches up to one of the investigating team is wince-inducing in its brutality, but utilises absolute silence to allow the tension to build. From this silence, a terrifying human-sized doll, which makes Jigsaw’s dummy in the Saw franchise look like a Barbie doll, charges across the room toward the victim, both unexplainable and absolutely petrifying as it foreshadows the subsequent murder. The genius of the scene is most apparent in the use of sound (or lack thereof), but also in the unexpectedness of the doll’s appearance, bursting from a side door as the audience expects the killer to emerge. The fact that it remains unexplained only adds to the surreal, unsettling nature of the scene.
The film’s score is performed by Italian prog-rock band Goblin, who also scored Argento’s Suspiria. The score is arguably unfitting to the film, framing the action with inappropriate riffs and synthesised tunes that distract from the action and unfairly date the film. However, the soundtrack does add a sense of melancholy to the film that accurately mirrors the confusion and mistrust felt by the lead.
As with many Italian films of the era (see Lucio Fulci’s Zombi films among many others) the film was shot with a mixture of English and Italian actors, and is either overdubbed entirely in English or Italian, and subtitled accordingly. While this technique is distracting and adds an unnecessary sense of disjointedness to the work, it is unavoidable if a sense of consistency is to be achieved.
With Deep Red, Dario Argento has proven himself yet again to be the undisputed master of Italian horror cinema. The use of sleight of hand and misdirection to create a sense of mystery, coupled with some gory and brutally shocking scenes create a tension which is, at times, unsettling, with a twist in the final act that is impossible to see coming, but which remains coherent and logical. RB
Film: A Bay Of Blood
Release date: 20th December 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 84 mins
Director: Mario Bava
Starring: Claudine Auger, Luigi Pistilli, Claudio Camaso, Anna Maria Rosati, Chris Avram
Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller
Studio: Arrow
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: Italy
Mario Bava precedes the American slasher genre with 1971’s A Bay Of Blood (also known as Twitch Of The Death Nerve, Blood Bath and Last House On The Left 2, among others), a violent landmark in Italian cinema. Controversial, with a mixed critical history, it remains one of the most influential horror films of all time, without which Jason Vorhee’s mask would be splatter free, and Michael Myers’ kitchen knife would have remained in the drawer.
An elderly, wheelchair bound countess is brutally murdered. Her killer is swiftly stabbed, and his body disposed of in the titular bay. Shortly after, a flash real estate agent named Frank Ventura (Chris Avram) arrives in the area with his lover Laura (Anna Maria Rosati), with every intention of taking ownership of the sought after bay. All they need to seal the deal is the signature of the countess’ husband, and they almost do, until his rotting corpse is discovered in the bay by skinny-dipping teen Brunhilda (Brigitte Skay).
Her friends are partying in Ventura’s house, when they are picked off, one-by-one by Simon, the countess’ illegitimate son, who has been paid off by the greedy Ventura to secure the bay for their taking. The arrival of another couple of potential benefactors, the countess’ daughter Renata (Claudine Auger) and her husband, Albert (Luigi Pistilli), throws their plan into disarray.
As the body count rises and the allure of the mysterious bay deepens, who will be left to lay claim to the property?
With A Bay Of Blood, Mario Brava has crafted a film which is remarkably before its time. The initial set-up is simple; a group of individuals kill each other off in a race to claim the sought after property of a wealthy old aristocrat, but the execution is such that the audience is kept guessing throughout the entirety of the film’s meagre running time. As the cast pick each other off, it is seldom clear who is killing who, but it is there that the majority of the entertainment lies. The set-up is a simple MacGuffin, and it is entirely irrelevant who is doing all the killing.
It initially appears that each of the brutal murders is a small vignette, crafted with the sole aim of setting up the next kill. The confusing plot is irrelevant - this is cinematic Cluedo without the blind guesses. Any character exposition or expectation of an emotional buy-in from the audience is shattered as the character (or group of characters) that has been set-up as integral to the narrative is swiftly dispatched.
The most startling element of the film is the astounding make-up effects, which rival anything that the torture porn craze of recent years can muster. Characters are hacked, slashed, strangled and impaled, with the machete to the face being a particular achievement. Legendary special effects guru Carlo Lambardi (credited with designing the titular character in E.T., as well as designing the make-up effects in Dario Argento’s Deep Red) has expertly created a series of murder effects (thirteen in all) that both thrill and repulse in equal measure, remaining just on the right side of over-the-top but still entirely believable so that the audience can enjoy the violence without being too repulsed - much in the same way as the equally violent slasher and splatter films of the ‘80s, which were so clearly inspired by A Bay of Blood. This confident approach to the presentation of violence prevents the film from being bogged down by its own slightly convoluted plot.
The characters suffer from either being dispatched too quickly to allow for much exposition, or from being overshadowed by the confusing and complicated plot. Ventura, the suave estate agent is played as equal parts womanizing James Bond and sleazy salesman by Chris Avram, offering a level of comedy to proceedings (whether intentional or otherwise) which lightens the tone - until his true motivations become clear. The group of young people who break into his house for a party are impossible to view as anything other than a tired cliché, until the viewer realises that this film predates anything popularised by Wes Craven or John Carpenter. The scene where the lovers Duke (Guido Boccaccini) and Denise (Paolo Rubens) retire to a bedroom before being interrupted by a large spear impaling them through the bed remains a classic teen-slasher stable, and is often replicated (see Friday The 13th - Part 2).
With A Bay Of Blood, Mario Brava has produced not only his most aggressively violent work, but also his most revered and imitated. Kick-starting the splatter craze of the late-70s and early-80s, this film is bogged down by a slow-paced and convoluted plot, saved in the most part by the astounding special effects and now clichéd but undisputedly entertaining characters. RB
Series: The Slayers Revolution: Season 4 Part 1
Release date: 8th November 2010
Certificate: PG
Running time: 325 mins
Director: Takashi Watanabe
Starring: N/a
Genre: Anime
Studio: MVM
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
Taking inspiration from Dungeons & Dragons, and based on Hajime Kanzaka’s manga series, Slayers Revolution returns for a fourth season, blending action with fantasy and comedy as Lina and her gang face insurmountable odds to face off against the evil Duclis.
The sorceress Lina Inverse and her gang are searching for the Sword of Light after losing it in an earlier battle when they happen across Pokota, who is in possession of one Lina’s most powerful spells.
On the way, they meet a marauding gang of pirates, who have kidnapped a mermaid; emergency aid for Pokota’s kingdom of Taforashia is vindictively intercepted by the evil Gioconda; and a rich lady’s pets have gone missing. As the crew deal with these problems, they must bring the final battle to Duclis’ newly created Zanaffar, who can only be damaged by the missing Sword of Light…
The most striking element in season four of Slayers Revolution is the poor animation and characterisation. The style forgoes the obvious potential of similar series’ in favour of a simplistic, poorly designed approach, with uninteresting clichéd character models and a lack of consistency throughout the production. Clichéd is a notion which is synonymous with the whole series, as the attempted aesthetic and function of the show has been done before so many times, and done so much better (see D.Gray Man et al).
The lead character, Lina Inverse, is presented as an anti-hero of sorts, with the producers aiming to squeeze some comedy out of her arrogance and defiance. All they succeed in doing is making her possibly the single most un-relatable and unlikeable protagonist in anime. Of course, not all heroes have to be pure and innocent, and these flaws normally succeed in driving the narrative - and offering the audience anchor for the adventure, but it seems they have set out to make the most repugnant, annoying character ever, helped in no small part by the irritating voice acting from Megumi Hayashibara. The voice acting is a mixed bag, with a notable turn from Yasunori Matsumoto as the hapless Gourry who brings most of the comic beats as he struggles with his clumsiness and constantly breaking sword - much to the dismay and anger of Lina.
The relationship between Lina and the rest of the gang consists mainly of them lamenting her bad attitude or (rather bizarrely for a PG rated show) relentlessly bullying her for her flat chest (a sentiment echoed by many of the enemies they come across, even the live stuffed animal Pokota). This shift in tone from action and adventure into infantile, repetitive references to an 18-year-old girl’s breasts (or lack thereof) is somewhat unsettling, and lends an element of unsuited crudity to the show.
The aforementioned stuffed animal antagonist, Pokota, is also a redundant, infuriating character, despite featuring heavily in the earlier episodes. This is largely down to his simplistic and uninspired characterisation, leading the gang on a fruitless and dangerous journey before becoming an annoying sidekick of sorts once he realises that the evil Gioconda is involved in a plot to destroy Pokota’s kingdom, Taforashia. Pokota’s appearance is reminiscent of a bargain bin Pokémon, lacking any of their charm and harbouring a massive chip on his tiny shoulder, which, when combined with Lina’s constant arrogance, presents a truly lamentable proposition.
The juxtaposition of highly stylised, overly cartoony characters (Lina and Pokota) with much more human, relatable designs (specifically in Wizer Freon, the inspector of Ruvignald) creates a sense of disjointedness which does not lend itself well to the show’s overall aesthetic. Secondary and background characters are very poorly animated, with seemingly only a couple of frames of animation to share between them, becoming the only focal point as they spasmodically jig behind the action in a relentless loop of lazy production..
These moments of laughable shoddiness are only exacerbated when shown alongside the rather impressive action scenes. The characters cry out the names of their attacks - in typical anime fashion - and use creative combat and spells to offer a real sense of pace to these scenes, and present a pleasant distraction from the rest of the episode.
The plot is rather typical fantasy fare, with the clichéd set up of an overarching narrative beset with smaller sub-plots to appease the casual viewer. The main narrative is a convoluted affair, with Lina and Gourry reconvening with her separated friends before Wizer attempts to arrest her for apparently “being herself” (which would have been a blessing). And so begins a cat and mouse chase between Wizer, Lina and Pokota which results in an epic final battle against the Zanaffar. The confusing main narrative is made more so by the simplicity of the events of individual episodes. New characters are constantly introduced and long-winded names of far off lands are dropped with a misguided familiarity while the gang search for missing pets - and take part in a ball rolling festival.
Slayers Revolution is a poorly produced, confusing and unappealing anime with substandard design and a lead character who is one of the most unlikeable and annoying in recent memory. There are much stronger examples of similarly themed anime available, and fleeting moments of exciting combat and comedic lines cannot save this from being difficult to recommend. RB
Film: Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind
Release date: 18th October 2010
Certificate: PG
Running time: 116 mins
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Mahito Tsujimura, Hisako Kyoda, Goro Naya, Kohei Miyauchi, Minoru Yada
Genre: Anime
Studio: Optimum
Format: Blu-ray
Country: Japan
Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind marks the first of many collaborations between director Hayao Miyazaki and producer Toshio Suzuki, resulting in the creation of the legendary Studio Ghibli. Grossing ¥740 million (approximately £5.7 million) and endorsed by the World Wildlife Fund for its strong environmental message, Nausicaä forms the basis of the undeniable majesty of the subsequent Studio Ghibli output, and appears on Blu-ray for the first time.
Set a thousand years after the Seven Days of Fire, the world lies in tatters, smothered by an ever-growing Toxic Jungle that threatens the small pockets of civilization that remains.
One of these safe havens is the Valley of the Wind, protected by its princess, Nausicaä. A skilled, but peace-loving warrior, Nausicaä possesses a unique gift; the ability to placate the fearsome insect creatures that occupy the ever growing Toxic Jungle. Her expeditions into the jungle to try and find non-toxic life are interrupted by the crash landing of a huge airship in the Valley of the Wind.
Onboard, a dying hostage reveals herself to be the princess of the town Pejite, informing Nausicaä to quickly destroy the ships cargo. Onboard is the embryonic Giant Warrior, a gargantuan creature manipulated as a weapon during the war. The weapon has been stolen from Pejite by the people of Tolmekian, a nearby settlement, who have invaded the valley to steal back the warrior, eventually taking Nausicaä hostage.
After the transportation ships are destroyed, Nausicaä encounters the dying princess’ twin brother Asbel. They fight together in an attempt regain control of the Giant Warrior and prevent the two warring nations from self-combusting, destroying each other and their planet…
The strongest aspect of Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind is its engrossing story. The film manages to balance a clear environmental message with a socio-political morality tale that’s heavy-handed in its approach as Miyazaki makes his point. While occasionally confusing, the epic nature of the narrative is nonetheless entirely engrossing. The environmental message of the film is dealt with expertly, with no clear cut boundaries between good vs. evil, or destruction vs. creation. The antagonists are not evil; they merely have their own idea of what is right, and what is best for their civilisation. Despite the potential weight of the themes, it is just as easy to sit back and enjoy the spectacle as a family sci-fi/adventure without pondering the film’s message too much.
The animation itself is simply stunning, combining strong human character design with unforgettable creatures, particularly in the scene featuring the Giant Warrior as he battles the insect hordes. Animated by the now legendary Hideaki Anno, the mud-like textures and liquid effect of the beast as it rolls forward amidst a sea of insect creatures is a standout moment. So too is the creature design in general, giving the insect inhabitants of the Toxic Jungle an otherworldly quality while remaining recognisable to the viewer. The action scenes are plentiful and well executed, particularly those involving Nausicaä’s jet glider. One particular moment exemplifies the painstaking attention to detail of the animation, as Nausicaä disembarks from the glider and catches her foot it the harness strap, stumbling slightly before continuing on. It is undoubtedly a minor observation, and could be easily ignored or considered a goof in a live action film. However, in this instance, it shows a level of commitment and knowing playfulness seldom seen in animation.
The Blu-ray transfer shows the film as it was undoubtedly intended, with crystal clear images and vibrant, bright colouring. The sound design is also excellent, although the music leaves a little to be desired. Unquestionably ‘80s, the attention is occasionally diverted away from the action and onto the music, as the low-tech synth tunes hammer away in the background. This dates an otherwise timeless film, and belies the natural, rural setting and key themes of the production. This feeling of distraction is exacerbated by the few occasions where an orchestral score is used, as it works so much better, and could have added to the emotional core of the film.
The film that started an international phenomenon is only improved by a crystal clear Blu-ray transfer. This undeniably classic example of Japanese animation fuses a strong message with sumptuous animation to create an influential piece that ranks with the best Studio Ghibli has to offer. RB
