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Like most other Japanese of my generation and younger, I grew up watching Hayao Miyazaki’s anime films.  I haven’t watched all of them, actually, but Kiki and Totoro are my favorite family fares.  Over the Christmas, I had a chance to watch it twice, once in Japanese and once in English.  It was an interesting observation on how to adapt a film to two completely different cultures by subtly (and not so subtly) adjusting the sound track.

Naturalism vs. Hype

In the US version, they hired additional composer (they chose not to hire the original composer, Joe Hisaishi, to compose) to create cues where there was none in the original.   One such scene is a pizzicato arrangement of Sorcerer’s Apprentice, used where Kiki goes up and down the stairs to go to the bathroom.

Going to the bathroom!  Not the most dramatic of the scenes, obviously, but compared to no music, having a cue there forces a certain comedic tone to the scene.

There are also subtle synth patches playing when Kiki is performing magic — like the flying sequences during the climax.  It being a synth, it comes across as modern and artificial — it’s pretty subtle, though.

Meeting the Cultural Expectations

Perhaps the biggest difference is the casting of the Jiji, the black cat sidekick.  In Japanese, it’s voiced by a cutesy female voice, while the English version gets a more pronounced smartass treatment by late Phil Hartman.  Not only that, the English Jiji talks a heck of a lot of more, once again spoon-feeding the comedic episodes.  Mr. Hartman’s delivery is most excellent here, but in the wrong hands (voices) this could have easily backfired.  That said, I have to say, the young girl vs. old man dynamics creates a much better contrast than the Japanese cuteness.

The Need to Explain Thyself

In general, the Disney version does a lot more explaining than the Japanese version.  But the additional material is very tastefully inserted, so while the overall film comes across as a lot more rollicking than the quieter Japanese version, it really doesn’t taint the sweetness of the film.  The good and bad, the hope and heartaches are much more clearly delineated, though, so the US version is slightly shallower film, leaving less to discover upon repeated viewings.  But, really, it’s not bad — and perhaps because the film is set in a more Western settings, some changes actually come across more naturally and fitting.  When I was watching the Japanese version, there were spots where I felt like I was watching a Japanese dub of a Western film!

My Verdict

Generally speaking I think a film is to be viewed in the original language, but this film may be an exception where the modified sound track has just as much to offer, in a slightly different way, than the original.  And above all, this is such a superb film — it’s truly a gem for all ages.  I only hope to be involved in a film such as this in my life.

I just watched Once.

Wow.

Wow.

I know this is predictable, being what I am, but….

Now I know why I really can’t be serious about film composing.  Films that need “dramatic underscore” all seem phony now.

It really hit me — profoundly.

If you love music, go watch this film.

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PS: I just learned that The Swell Season, a unit made up of the two leads from this film, was just in town yesterday, Dec. 5, 2009, apparently the last performance of a US tour.

The thing is, I hang on to this DVD from NetFlix for like 2 and half months, always meaning to watch it but never getting around to it.

Weird, huh?

I feel like there’s an omen, here.  Just don’t know what it’s trying to tell me.

Director: Gillermo del Toro
Composer: Marco Beltrami

Well, this one was a complete dud for me. I’ve been reading about Mr. del Toro for quite some time, so I was looking forward to checking out this film. There can never be too many superhero films with depth, you know?

Deep, this one isn’t.  Granted, I don’t know anything about the original comic book — so I had no expectation, no background knowledge.  So from a complete novice’s point of view, this film was just another well-packaged eye candy with no meat inside.  There was not a single character worth caring about, giant plot holes galore, and not a moment of the-edge-of-your-seat thrill.  The villain was a bore and visual effects, while impressive, were all predictable.

The only thing that I did like was the visual design — makeup and how everything looked.  Cinematography is good, but set design and makeup were really top notch.  It sure has a distinct feel to it.

Marco Beltrami’s score didn’t really offer anything that stayed in my head after the viewing.  It really was a typical Hollywood fare — constant bombard of operatic gestures, strung together continuously because every scene needed “help” from the music to explain, emote and be believable.  I am a fan of his work on Scream films and his collaboration with Marilyn Manson on the first Resident Evil was rather interesting.  I’m not saying he did a bad job.  A film composer’s work is only as good as the director he’s working with.  So on this film, the director didn’t get him to do anything that caught my attention.

Based on this viewing, I’ll skip the sequel.  I will still check out Pan’s Labyrinth, however.

Director: Sam Mendes

Composer: Thomas Newman

Well, this is only the 2nd time I watch this film.  And it is going to be on my all-time favorite list, and pretty close to the top at that.

First and foremost, the script.  Wow.  How do you assemble such an ensemble of believably, realisticaly quirky characters?  They all seem like people who live next door to you, but yet they are all interesting enough to make you pay attention.  People with hidden agendas and secret desires aren’t exactly rare, but when there are this many of them, the revelations that line up one after another in the 3rd act sure pack a punch.

Secondly, the casting.  Wow.  So spot on, all of them.  Chris Cooper as a rigid Marine father, Mena Suvari as a slutty cheerleader model wannabe.  Annette Benning as an overachieving real estate agent, and a 16-year-old Thora Birch really embodying a character her age.  And everybody’s having a blast — not the least of all, Kevin Spacey.

Cinematography.  Wow.  Is it possible to make generic suburbia look so fresh, so vivid, so deep? Movie studios spend millions creating sets of exotic locations.  Yet, the most beautiful thing in thie movie is a plastic garbage bag.  Flying around in wind.

I just appreciate this film, because it is so understated.  It could have turned into a totally cornball or sleaze fest.  It’s painfully poetic one moment and hilarious the next, without being schizophrenic.  Touching but unpretentious.  No gaping holes in the story that requires audience to be imaginative — yet there’s plenty here that engages your imagination.

Thomas Newman’s score is a pretty sparse affair, which doesn’t mean it’s easy or lazy. I can speak from experience that the process of boiling down music to just the most essential notes and no more is often a very laborious process.  What’s interesting about his score is how liberally ethenic percussions and instruments are used — when the film’s placed squarely in generic white America.  But he uses these instruments out of context — outside of the traditional cultural/stylistical confines — so none of the score sounds ethnic or “world music.”  Just quirky.  I have no idea what instruments were used in the dream bathroom sequence, but it borders on being over the top, just a tad — but it never actually crosses over.  Weird things are being done through music, but there’s plenty of space between notes and music.  Very well done.

I simply can’t believe this is a work of a first-time filmmaker.  Even if he is an experienced stage director, it is just so brilliant that I just can’t believe it can be done.  Sam Mendes — ironically, I understand he’s not American at all — but he certainly made something beautiful.