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POM POKO Region 2 (UK) Edition - Reviewed by Andy Davidson Director: Isao TakahataFeaturing the voices of Clancy Brown, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Olivia D’Abo
THE FILM Studio Ghibli’s reputation for producing high quality films with a unique appeal to the whole family is well deserved. Originally known as Heisei Tanuki Gassen PomPoko in its native Japan, 1994’s Pom Poko is the latest masterpiece from Studio Ghibli to be shared with British audiences. The Tanuki have, since ancient times, lived happily in rural Japan. Mischievous and playful, they are creatures of legend in their home country – blessed with magical powers and depicted on statues throughout Japan. But their way of life is being threatened by ever-increasing urban sprawl. The film opens with a group of Tanuki playing in an abandoned house, when suddenly a digger comes crashing through the building, demolishing it. It is clear to the Tanuki that they are running out of places to live and soon rival factions begin fighting amongst themselves, before eventually realising that only by fighting the humans together can they hope to regain their ancient territory. So begins a war between Tanuki and mankind. It’s not quite as one-sided a battle as it might at first seem. The Tanukis’ ancient powers include the ability to magically transform themselves to resemble humans. Doing so enables them to infiltrate the construction, but it is an exhausting process. Later, the Tanuki turn to violence to try and win back their land, resulting in a number of workmen being killed. When violence fails, the Tanuki try to scare the humans away in a series of amusing and surreal stunts before the inevitable realisation that mankind simply cannot be stopped. The only way for the Tanuki to survive is to find a way of co-existing with man. Written and directed by Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies, My Neighbours the Yamadas), Pom Poko is at once typical of Ghibli’s other works but boasts more adult-oriented themes, presented in such a sensitive way as to be appealing to all. Pom Poko is of course an environmental film; but one that deals with xenophobia, murder and death in several forms but without ever resorting to sensationalism. The tone of the film, while overtly humorous, is at the same time meditative and philosophical. We know from the outset that the Tanuki are destined to fail but there is a joy and strange humanity in their struggle. Their spirit is never diminished and their antics are consistently amusing. One element of the film which may seem strange to Western audiences is the seat of the Tanukis’ power: magic testicles. While such a conceit may be difficult for those of us not familiar with Japanese mythology, the Tanuki (who are, in fact, real creatures) do indeed possess such powers according to legend.
The sexual potency, then, combined with the
oddly high (for a Ghibli film) body count make this a film which I
wouldn’t show to younger audiences. However, for those of us who are young
at heart it is a truly wonderful film – funny yet deeply melancholy and
while the pace is somewhat slow and the running time rather long at a
shade under two hours, it is a thoroughly absorbing tale of man, beast and
unfeasibly large testicles. Pom Poko is presented as a single disc release. Optimum appear to treat the film with the same reverence as those who know and love the work of Studio Ghibli. While the extras package isn’t exhaustive, the disc contains some extremely worthwhile treats for fans new and old.
Picture:
Sound: All audio presentations are in Dolby 2.0 The English subtitles and captions are not handled particularly well, appearing in garish yellow over the picture itself.
Menus: The opening menu screens feature a static image of the Tanuki, gazing down on the construction site below, accompanied by some of the extremely catchy and charming music from the film.
BONUS MATERIAL Extras: SUMMARY Pom Poko is not typical of Ghibli’s other output. While the ecological theme is a familiar one, seeing the action from the animals’ perspective makes for an interesting experience. The sexuality of the animals and their attitude to violence and death make the film unsuitable for very young audiences but as with all Takahata’s film, this is a touching and rewarding experience. Optimum have produced an excellent release of a classic Japanese Anime. The film looks wonderful and while the extras package may not look exhaustive, Optimum should be congratulated for including the complete storyboard of the film from the Japanese Region 2 release. Related reviews: The Studio Ghibli Collection DVD reviewed: February 2006 |
