![]() There is a degree to which I felt I might be missing something, which feels odd to say given that the source is an English book. Here the emphasis is on a more contemplative and cyclical story-telling. I refer to not only the fact that the film version has relocated the slightly otherworldly interactions of Anna and her new friend Marnie to Japan, but that this does not have the drive towards elaboration and resolution so common in the western tradition. I bring this up because structurally, the film is an intimately Japanese experience. I wonder if the manner of its telling would be more lucid to a Japanese viewer Whereas Princess Mononoke, Pom Poko and Spirited Away are steeped in Japanese culture and Shinto lore, When Marnie Was There joins Tales from Earthsea and Howl’s Moving Castle as an adaptation of an English language book – in this case, the novel of the same name by Joan G Robinson. The film is interesting for being yet another occasion when Ghibli has delved into western literature to find inspiration for a film. When Marnie Was There is the wistful swansong to the lengthy and acclaimed era from some of the masters of animation, storytelling, and world cinema. ![]() ![]() Now on limited release in the UK, it has been a full year since the film reached the USA and 2 years since it premiered in Japan. It is here: the final film from Studio Ghibli prior to their hiatus in the wake studio founder Hayao Miyazaki’s retirement. ![]()
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