“#Our opinion on «Millennium Actress» ” After participation in the KAZÉ Anime Nights was on the brink of corona, “Millennium Actress” has now made it into German cinemas. Could the meanwhile 20-year-old classic film convince us? We’ll tell you in this article.
This is what the film is about:
At the turn of the millennium, the legendary Ginei film studio had its aging backdrops torn down. Former employee Genya Tachibana decides to use this opportunity to shoot a documentary about the great star of the studio Chiyoko Fujiwara. Together with the cameraman Kyōji Ida, he makes his way to the remote house of the now over 70-year-old actress. A golden key, which the two of them give her as a gift, brings back memories of their first love, who disappeared in the turmoil of World War II and which she was looking for all her life. In Chiyoko’s story, the history of Japanese film relaxes so vividly that the past and the present become indistinguishable …
The shuffling Kogoro
“Millennium Actress” impresses with its classic animation with cels. The colors are deliberately kept rather pale, while the film leads in a steady flow through the past of the former film star Chiyoko Fujiwara and the search for her first love.
I particularly liked the fact that the documentary filmmaker Tachibana and his cameraman found themselves right in the middle of the action when they looked back. Thus, they stumble from one scene to the next together with the viewer. And every time the question arises: Is this a memory, a movie scene or maybe just a dream?
And that is what is wanted. Because all scenarios share the same leitmotif – run after them, fall down, get up. As a result, the film also runs the risk of appearing repetitive, but conceals this with the variety of depicted epochs in Japanese history.
I also appreciate the fact that the film doesn’t lose its wit despite the rather sad underlying theme. The scenes are loosened up immensely by the comments of the cameraman Kyōji and the active involvement of Genya. Nevertheless, the film remains true to its philosophical nature, especially towards the end – and comes to an end with a thought-provoking thought.
Rating: 8/10
Phonix
“Millennium Actress” is a classic anime film from 2001 that has now been reissued in 4k. Even if the animations no longer correspond to the state of the art, they appear handmade and the new edition now also has a very good edge sharpness. The film is intentionally a bit paler than current offshoots in order to emphasize the historical context and the rather dark war period.
The content is about the actress Chiyoko Fujiwara and the search for her childhood sweetheart, whose paths have separated very quickly. The film is drawn up more artistically than the typical love films because here reality, fiction (film) and the past merge seamlessly and change over and over again in the course of the film, but still maintain a clear connection.
The film is not always easy to understand, but the content is very high-quality and cleverly combines historical scenarios with modernity without losing focus. “Millennium Actress” is primarily about the love story and regardless of whether you are moving in the past or seeing the cinematic implementation, the red thread is always recognizable.
Rating: 8/10
karvulf
I didn’t know the film before, but I’m very interested in older anime films. So I really wanted to see this film to form my own opinion.
In “Millennium Actress” the viewer relives the story of the little girl Chiyoko, who chases after her great love. The almost inaccessible person drives you forward in your job as well as in your private life. This story is accompanied by two producers who are making a documentary about the meanwhile old Chiyoko. By constantly changing their film career and the desire to find their great love again, the producers are allowed to follow the story on location and support them on their way. While not that much time goes by in their real life, the films show a whole millennium of Japanese history.
I liked the film very much. Although the film initially surprised me with erratic periods of time, at some point the whole thing merged into one another. This made it possible to have the story presented in its time and to glimpse insights from the past. With the new edition, the quality could be increased significantly. The animation was also very varied and lavishly designed. Another plus point that I particularly like is the German dubbing at the time. I like the way dialogue is built up and how the characters’ voices sound. That inevitably gives you a very nostalgic feeling. For me, the film has been implemented very well and, above all, has a unique structure.
We would like to thank the entire KAZÉ team for providing the screener.
The article Our opinion on “Millennium Actress” first appeared on BuradaBiliyorum.Com.
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