The Rialto Channel season of Anime continues throughout August, with more wonderful Japanese animations on show. This month, catch the Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind as well as the coming of age comedy/drama The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (winner of the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year 2006), and the 1999 classic Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. But first, we’re off to Scandinavia this week.
The Rialto Channel season of Anime continues throughout August, with more wonderful Japanese animations on show. This month, catch the Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind as well as the coming of age comedy/drama The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (winner of the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year 2006), and the 1999 classic Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. But first, we’re off to Scandinavia this week.
Tuesday 4th August, 8.30pm … The Bridge
Have you switched on to The Bridge yet? It’s a Danish Swedish crime thriller that stars Sofia Helin and Kim Bodnia as a couple of cops brought together in series 1 by a grisly murder on the border of the Øresund Bridge that connects Sweden and Denmark. Swedish Saga Norén and Danish Martin Rohde team up again in series 2 to fight a group of eco terrorists, and the format is similar and the content just as good. This co-production is shot in both languages - although to a novice, they kind of sound the same, and series 3 is already underway. The cinematography is stunning, the scale of the crimes epic and the suspense is nicely restrained. Scandinavia might be know for it’s design, culture, scenery and Ikea, but if it’s literature, and television and film industry is anything to go by, underneath that love of blonde wood, is a darkness and bleakness. Maybe it’s something us moody New Zealander’s can relate to, or maybe the appeal of The Bridge comes down to Saga and Martin, one of the most charismatic and odd couples you’ll see on television today.
Friday 7th August, 8.30pm… Nausicaä Of the Valley of the Wind
Nausicaä Of the Valley of the Wind is a 1984 Japanese animation written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Isao Takahata. The film is a post-apocalyptic fantasy adventure based on Miyazaki’s manga that was published in 1982, and tells the story of a Princess who must fight back against a poisonous jungle that is spreading across earth. Like many of Miyazaki’s stories, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind has strong environmentalists undertones, and looks at the bond between humanity and earth. Even thought Miyazaki and Takahata created this film before Studio Ghibli was founded, it’s often thought of as the first unofficial Ghibli film, and is a must see for fans of the genre.
Saturday 8th August … Miss Julie
Lovers of the theatre will enjoy this cinematic remake of August Strindberg’s 1888 saga of class struggle, sexual politics, money, power and lust. The setting moves from Sweden to Ireland, and stars Colin Farrell as a worldly valet who is torn between two women, his fiancée the cook (Morton), and Miss Julie (Chastain) his mistress. The film is directed by Norwegian filmmaker Liv Ullmann and the intense close ups and thoughtful framing of her shots is clearly influenced by her own favourite director Ingmar Bergman. As luscious and well acted as Miss Julie is, it’s a rather lengthy affair that struggles to break free of its theatrical origins.