A humble bamboo cutter stumbles upon a glowing bamboo stalk. On investigation he finds a tiny baby nestled within the stalk. Accepting it as a gift from God, he takes the adorable little girl home much to the happiness of his wife who too is magically able to feed the baby. Abnormally, the child grows up very fast and this surprises her parents as well her new-found young friends in the village. When the bamboo cutter is further bestowed with gold, he assumes that it is God’s will to turn his little girl into a noble princess and moves away from the village to the capital much to the inherent displeasure of the girl herself.
Language:
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Japanese
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Running Time:
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137 min
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Rating:
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PG-13
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Release date:
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23 November 2013
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Directed by:
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Isao Takahata
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Produced by:
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Yoshiaki Nishimura
Toshio Suzuki
Seiichiro Ujiie
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Written by:
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Isao Takahata
Riko Sakaguchi
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Based on:
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The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter
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Starring:
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Aki Asakura
Kengo Kora
Takeo Chii
Nobuko Miyamoto
Atsuko Takahata
Tomoko Tabata
Tatekawa Shinosuke
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Music by:
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Joe Hisaishi
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Art Direction by:
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Kazuo Oga
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Distributed by:
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Toho
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What’s Hot
- While the original folktale, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, belongs to 10th-century, Studio Ghibli once again prove that it is all in the making & storytelling by delivering astonishingly beautiful charcoal-and-watercolor designs which seduce the viewers into submission.
- The set-pieces showing the baby growing up are breathtakingly heart-warming with the scenes of the cute baby moving being among the most charming moments ever seen on screen. In addition, the visuals when the Princess runs towards the forest from the capital and her aerial sojourn with Sulemaru are magical on screen.
- Joe Hisaishi, the regular collaborator of Studio Ghibli delights once again with a moving score. His music plays a vital part in elevating the simple yet beautiful visuals remain etched in our memory for long.
- The script from the Takahata deals with multifarious issues which have a deeper meaning than the obvious one on the surface. The patriarchal society in Japan is brought out fabulously on screen with some ingenious writing and clever replies by Japanese women in the film.
What’s Not
- The film does leave the audience craving for more of the serene country-side scenes, once it moves to the capital to highlight the dismal patriarchy. The scenes involving the suitors infuriate a great deal & so does the jarring ending.
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