Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Clues to Isao Takahata’s next film


This story is a wee bit late coming, but it’s been a lot of work getting the blog up and running, so my apologies. That being said the folks at Ghibli World (http://www.ghibliworld.com/) have the scoop on some tantalizing clues to Isao Takahata’s next film.

In a very brief interview with TV personality and author Agawa Sawako discussed her love for the films of Isao Takahata with Studio Ghibli super producer Toshio Suzuki. It seems like Suzuki did most of the talking though because he let slip that Takahata’s next film will be based on a Japanese lullaby, but not one to sooth baby to sleep. Suzuki mentioned that there was another kind of lullaby in Japan, one written for the babysitters themselves. “Back in the old days, babysitters were indentured servants and they were from impoverished villages,” he explained, “In the cradle songs, they sang about their sad circumstances, melancholy or nostalgia for their village.” While the lullaby Itsuki no Komori-uta was mentioned specifically it was not indicated as the inspiration for this new project.

I’ll be keeping my ear to the ground for more news on this one. While not as consistent a filmmaker as his Studio Ghibli counterpart Hayao Miyazaki I have to count Takahata’s utterly heartbreaking “Grave of the Fireflies” and the severely under-appreciated “Pom Poko” as two of my favorite anime films.

No comments: