Update on Miyazaki's version of "Tales of Earthsea"

[gategrrl]

Here's the link to Ursula Le Guin's site, which has an English synopsis of Miyazaki's version of the last two books "The Farthest Shore" and "Tehanu" -- anyway -
http://www.ursulakleguin.com/GedoSenkiSynopsis.html

It's interesting to see how Miyazaki adapts Le Guin's story (as he did Wynne Davies' "Howl's Moving Castle") to the screen. I don't know how fans of the books feel about the new movie versions (I never got into the books when I was a kid).

**edited to correct the book title the movie is derived from)

Comments

[graculus.livejournal.com]

It's not 'Tehanu' this mostly comes from, it's 'The Farthest Shore', though in that book Arren isn't pursued by a shadow, he comes to Gont to tell Ged that the magic is apparently dying.

Still, I'll be intrigued to see how it works out on film but don't expect it to stay too close to the books (at least not after 'Howl's Moving Castle', anyway...). Any news on how the author herself feels?

[graculus.livejournal.com]

Ignore my last question - I see the author herself is choosing not to comment till she's seen it. Next time I promise to actually look at where links go to... ;)

[gategrrl.livejournal.com]

Oops! That's what I get for doing book titles from memory! I'll edit the above. :-D

probably will at least be watchable, unlike the last adaptation.

[(Anonymous)]

Can't possibly be worse than the Sci-Fi Channel's horrible "reimagination" of Le Guin's stories. I want those 4 hours of my life back. Actually, I didn't really keep the tv on for the whole thing; when I realized it wasn't going to get better, I just switched back and forth to see how low they could go. Kind of like rubbernecking at a 10 car pileup on a major freeway...

What a dreadful wasteland the Sci-Fi Channel has become over the last 10 years.

I'm usually impressed with Miyazaki's anime movies, although I think a few of them tended to be a wee bit preachy. So far I've liked Spirited Away the best.

-jae

Re: probably will at least be watchable, unlike the last adaptation.

[gategrrl.livejournal.com]

I did with Earthsea what I do with less-than-compelling Stargate episodes (and Atlantis eps) - I wander off, do chores, dishes, wander back in the room, etc. It was a piss-poor adaptation of Le Guin's books. I guess expecting the same level of thoughtfulness as PBS's 1972/3 version of "Lathe of Heaven" was to much to ask for: and they had a smaller budget, not to mention fewer special effects to afford.

I think my least favorite of Miyazaki's films so far is "Whisper of the Heart". There were elements I loved, such as the girl's family; they were very progressive, really, and *real*. But fortunately, I think his "messaging" tends to have a much lighter hand than say, Disney or Pixar. Animators tend to seem obligated to have a "message" in their stories, buried in there, or out in plain view.

And oh my: I already have the original translated version of Totoro - I'm wondering if the new Disney version is worth getting. I wonder if the dialogue is a copy of the earlier version, like much of the Disney's translated Kiki's Delivery Service was.