Audience Rating: Unrated Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 9781562190514 Format: Animated ISBN: 1562190512 Label: Central Park Media Corporation (I) (II) Manufacturer: Central Park Media Corporation (I) (II) Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Central Park Media Corporation (I) (II) Release Date: 1993-11-01 Running Time: 88 Studio: Central Park Media Corporation (I) (II) Theatrical Release Date: 1988
Isao Takahata's powerful antiwar film has been praised by critics wherever it has been screened around the world. When their mother is killed in the firebombing of Tokyo near the end of World War II, teenage Seita and his little sister Setsuko are left on their own: their father is away, serving in the Imperial Navy. The two children initially stay with an aunt, but she has little affection for them and resents the time and money they require. The two children set up housekeeping in a cave by a stream, but their meager resources are quickly exhausted, and Seita is reduced to stealing to feed his sister. Despite his efforts, she succumbs to malnutrition. Seita painfully makes his way back to the devastated city where he quietly dies in a crowded railway station.
The strength of the film lies in Takahata's evenhanded portrayal of the characters. A sympathetic doctor, the greedy aunt, the disinterested cousins all know there is little they can do for Seita and Setsuko. Their resources, like their country's, are already overtaxed: anything they spare endangers their own survival. As in the Barefoot Gen films, no mention is made of Japan's role in the war as an aggressor; but the depiction of the needless suffering endured by its victims transcends national and ideological boundaries. --Charles Solomon
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: An anime classic Comment: Grave of the Fireflies is an adaptation of a semi-autobiographical novel written by Akiyuki Nosaka. The novel and film are set near the end of World War II in Japan. The bulk of the story is told through flashbacks, and it is a story about two children trying to survive after the bombing of Kobe.
On the first disc of this set, you can watch a storyboard version of the film, in addition to the regular version. The second disc includes: an interview with Roger Ebert, interview with Isao Takahata, text-only biographies of Akiyuki Nosaka and Isa Takahata, a "Japanese Release Promo," a documentary about how Central Park Media restored the film, an art gallery, and the U.S. and Japanese trailers for the film.
The back of the DVD box may say that the film is for ages "3 and up," but I believe this is a typo. Between some of the shots included in the film, as well as the subject matter and the historical knowledge needed, this film is more appropriate for viewers 13 and up. If you think your child is too young for a film like Schindler's List, but you want to start exposing your child to these kind of historical events, then Grave of the Fireflies would be a good place to start. It should be noted that while the ideas presented in both films are similar, they are polar opposites of each other. Schindler's List is about hope, while Grave of the Fireflies is more about despair.
Grave of the Fireflies is a very well-made anime film, and after viewing it, I can see why it's considered such an anime classic. However, if you decide to watch this film, be sure to have some tissues nearby. By the end of the film, you're going to need them. Customer Rating: Summary: Incredible film, a must see Comment: I rarely take the time to review movies or any other products that I order online, even if I really like them. But this is a true standout.
This is a tremendous film. It's focus is an aspect of WWII and the use of the atomic bomb that westerners, including myself, have managed to ignore. It concerns the lives of Japanese commoners during and after the war.
Anyway, I am a big tough guy, not prone to emotional displays of any type, but I really cried after this movie. I mean that I cried hard. Blubbered.
The director develops these characters amazingly well. I felt like I knew them and loved them. I felt such pain for them. The idea that kids in Japan really did suffer like that was driven into me. I haven't yet been able to bring myself to watch it again, but everyone should see it once.
Incidentally, Roger Ebert said that this was one of the top 5 war films he's ever seen. Pretty amazing that an animated film makes his list, especially considering the huge number of war films out there. Customer Rating: Summary: Wonderful tear jerker Comment: I bought this after seeing it on Funination. It is a very sad tale, a 10 Kleenix at least but has much to offer in the way of art, Japanese culture and will show anyone interested that soldiers aren't the only ones who suffer in war! Customer Rating: Summary: My favorite movie of all time Comment: Hands down. Powerful. My desert island movie even with nothing to play it on, just in case aliens with DVD players arrive to save me.
In my book, no movie ever made comes close to the brilliance that is this movie. Your life is not complete until you've seen it. Customer Rating: Summary: An experience like no other. Comment: I had to pay a hefty price for this movie used from an Amazon vendor, but I found a like new copy and was glad I did as this is one of most emotionally driven anime... no, one of the most emotionally driven movies I've ever seen. The dark and depp colors used during the landscape and battle scenes will look beautiful, but it is eerie when combined with the sad, dark and sometimes macabre storyline. Everyone needs to see this movie at least once.
