Seven feature films by Japan’s master animator Hayao Miyazaki will
show between September 14 and October 28 at the Cleveland Institute
of Art Cinematheque, 11141 East Boulevard in University Circle. The
series, entitled “Spirited Away: Seven Films by Hayao Miyazaki,”
includes new English-subtitled 35mm prints of the director’s
greatest works, including MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, CASTLE IN THE
SKY, PRINCESS MONONOKE, and the Oscar-winning SPIRITED
AWAY. Admission to each film is $9; Cinematheque members $7; age
25 & under $5 (with proof of age).
The series marks a homecoming of sorts, for it was the Cinematheque
that first “broke” Miyazaki in Cleveland over two decades ago.
(The theatre presented the local premiere of six of the seven movies
in the retrospective.) “We’re thrilled to be bringing these
magical and moving animated masterpieces back to Cleveland,” said
Cinematheque Director John Ewing, “especially in newly-struck
prints with subtitles, for earlier versions were often dubbed.
Miyazaki has long been one of our biggest draws.”
When one thinks of Japanese animation—or “anime,” as it is
known to its legion of international fans—one tends to envision
adult-oriented, futuristic epics of good and evil that teem with
action and gleam with robots, cyborgs, and cutting-edge technology.
This, however, is not the world of Miyazaki (b. 1941), co-founder
(with fellow anime master Isao Takahata) of the revered Studio
Ghibli. Miyazaki, who is sometimes called “Japan’s Walt Disney,”
makes gorgeous, family-friendly fantasies that are as gentle and
poetic as most anime is violent and prosaic. In addition, his films
tend to be warm and inviting (not cold and steely), sweet instead of
scabrous, and more concerned with preserving the natural world than
fighting for control of a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Miyazaki’s protagonists are usually girls—another departure from
the macho ethos of most anime. These young women struggle to find
their place in the world—and their “worlds” are richly imagined
realms populated not only by other people, but also by ghosts and
spirits, sprites and fairies, mythical creatures, and gods, monsters,
and demons. They are coming-of-age stories like no other.
Flight is another recurring motif in Miyazaki’s movies. Almost all
of his films feature flying machines or flying creatures (or a flying
island), and they absolutely soar during the breathtaking aerial
sequences.
But even when the action is on the ground, Miyazaki transports
moviegoers to fantastic universes suffused with humor, whimsy,
excitement, and emotion. Thanks to GKIDS Distribution and Studio
Ghibli, local moviegoers can take these magic carpet rides this fall.
All films will show in the 616-seat Aitken Auditorium of the
Cleveland Institute of Art. Free parking for filmgoers is available
in the adjacent CIA lot. For further information or images, contact
John Ewing or Tim Harry at (216) 421-7450 or visit
www.cia.edu/cinematheque.
SAT
9/29 9:25 PM
PORCO ROSSO (THE RED PIG)
SUN
10/14 6:30 PM
SPIRITED AWAY
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