Hayao Miyazaki’s masterful SPIRITED AWAY will be screening as part of Sunshine at Midnight series this weekend
SPIRITED AWAY (SEN TO CHIHIRO NO KAMIKAKUSHI) (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001)
Landmark Sunshine Cinema
143 East Houston St. between First & Second Aves.
Friday, March 7, and Saturday, March 8, 12 midnight
212-330-8182
www.landmarktheatres.com
www.nausicaa.net
Prepare to have your spirits lifted up and away in this sensational animated feature from Japanese master Hayao Miyazaki. Ten-year-old Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi) is unhappy about moving to a new home despite her parents’ best efforts to convince her otherwise. When her father (Takashi Naito) takes a wrong turn on the road, the family ends up in an oddly deserted village that Chihiro soon finds out is a lot more than it seems. Chihiro’s adventures through this dreamlike, surreal, magical place filled with bizarre characters and evil beings are unforgettable, with nuances and references from such diverse works as The Wizard Of Oz and The Seventh Seal. The sheer visual beauty of the animation is staggering; many of the backgrounds are reminiscent of Impressionism. Joe Hisaishi’s maudlin music is way overpraised, as usual, but this Japanese box-office champ deservedly won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival and was named Best Asian Film at the Hong Kong Film Awards. As with the best animated films, you don’t have to be a kid to fall in love with Spirited Away, which explains why the Landmark Sunshine is screening the Japanese-language version, with English subtitles, on March 7-8 as part of its ongoing Sunshine at Midnight series, held in conjunction with the theatrical release of what might be Miyazaki’s swan song, The Wind Rises.