Mary and the Witch's Flower Review 2017 Japan メアリと魔女の花

Mary and the Witch's Flower メアリと魔女の花
Year: 2017
Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Writer: Riko Sakaguchi and Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Based On: The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart
Running Time: 103 mins
Country: Japan

The debut film from Japanese animation company Studio Ponoc screened at the Glasgow Film Festival 2018 in both original Japanese language with English subtitles and the newly produced English dub.

The director of When Marnie Was There returns with a thrilling animated adventure based on the Mary Stewart classic The Little Broomstick. Mary is sent to live with her great aunt in the countryside. Venturing into the woods, she discovers a mysterious blue flower that only appears once every seven years, and an old broomstick. Soon she is soaring beyond the clouds to a city in the sky where Madam Mumblechook presides over the Endor College of Magic. An absolute charmer that young and old alike will love. (Glasgow Film Festival)

Back in 2014 Studio Ghibli announced that it would stop making films after Hayao Miyazaki decided to retire and the company came under financial hardship. There was a missing void in high-quality hand-drawn animation that many feared wouldn't be replaced. But several of the most talented alumni behind Studio Ghibli decided to join forces, start their own production company Studio Ponoc and create animated films in the same traditional fashion. The name Ponoc comes from the Serbo-Croation word for 'midnight' which is meant to signal the beginning of a new day.

Hiromasa Yonebayashi has the all-important job of directing their first feature film. After his successful and highly acclaimed 'Arrietty' and 'When Marnie Was There', Yonebayashi once again returns to the tried-and-tested formula of adapting a British novel to Japanese animation.

On the surface, the film appears to combine elements from classics Kiki's Delivery Service and Castle In The Sky mixed with the wizardry of Harry Potter. Die-hard Ghibli fans will be keen to notice moments or visuals which are lifted from films like Spirited Away, The Cat Returns and Princess Mononoke, almost like they are paying homage. There is also a scene featuring a kid with glasses trying to fly a broom who shares a striking resemblance with Harry Potter, this has to be completely intentional!

As you would expect, Mary and the Witch's Flower is full of vibrant, bright and stunning animation. The backdrops and scenery are beautiful and lifelike. The style and technique looks very Ghibli-esque but it still has some of its own unique flavour. The soundtrack is handled by composer Muramatsu Takatsugu, who also scored Yonebayashi's last film When Marnie Was There, and it is a real highlight of the film. The soundtrack fits the world wonderfully, bringing the drama and action to life with its magical sound. The music also really helps build up the suspense and action towards the climax.

The humour and jokes are handled extremely well with some genuinely great laughs throughout. The cat duo of Tib and Gib are excellent comic relief. Their mannerisms and movements are used to add some real comical humour and the animators managed to capture exactly how cats act and move in real life. Like a Disney film, there are plenty of jokes for adults and children, there were many children in attendance during this screening and they were laughing loudly at many of the gags.

One of the main issues with the film is that the world they have created and its lore is just too large to develop over one movie. It would have ideally worked better over two or three films or maybe even an anime series. The introduction to Endor College for Witches is fascinating and there is some time spent there, but you end up craving more before it's quickly abandoned to further the story. Mary's dilemma and intentions are also never really fully explored or realised, she doesn't have enough drama or consequences in her life, it almost just seems like another day to the protagonist as she never really learns or develops as a character.

The screening I attended was the original Japanese language, which was handled extremely well. But I believe Mary and the Witch's Flower could be seen in either the original Japanese language or the English dub. The film is based on an English book, it's set in England and the characters have English names. I haven't watched the English dub but judging from the trailer the new English voice cast seems to suit the film very well. It could be one of those rare animes which can be enjoyed fully either way.

An excellent stepping point for Studio Ponoc which will draw in the fans of Studio Ghibli while hopefully creating some new fans of their very own. The film isn't ambitious as it could have been but maybe playing it safe was the best option for the beginning of this new company. If their future films are as good as or can improve on Mary and the Witch's Flower then their new work could be truly spellbinding.

7/10

Screened and reviewed at The Glasgow Film Festival 2018

City of Glass Review 1998 Hong Kong 玻璃之城

City of Glass 玻璃之城
Year: 1998
Director: Mabel Cheung
Writer: Mabel Cheung, Alex Law
Starring: Shu Qi, Leon Lai, Daniel Wu, Nicola Cheung
Running Time: 110 mins
Country: Hong Kong

City of Glass was another commercial success for the tried and tested team-up of director Mabel Cheung and writer Alex Law. But can it match up to their other hits such as An Autumn's Tale, Eight Taels of Gold and The Soong Sisters?

Raphael (Leon Lai) and Vivien (Shu Qi) tragically died in a car accident on their way to a New Year's celebration in London, England. They met and fell in love during their days at the University of Hong Kong in the 1970s, but many challenges and obstacles would often come between them. In the present day, after their funeral, Raphael's son, David (Daniel Wu) and Vivien's daughter, Susie (Nicola Cheung) met for the first time and go on a journey together to discover more about their parent's secret lives.

Following two extremely different love stories, a nostalgic romance in the past and a fresh romance in the present. One story is about destiny and tragedy while the other is more uplifting and positive. Although the film is well written and the characters are extremely likeable, the shifting between stories and time affects the overall drama and impact that the film could have had. It also somewhat hinders the authenticity of the story as Shu Qi and Leon Lai's characters appear to age extremely well. With that being said, Shu Qi is thoroughly engaging and possibly one of the most beautiful screen actresses of all time.

The film is full of stunning still moments with excellent cinematography, dazzling art direction and gorgeous locations, especially capturing the nostalgia of the seventies. Mabel Cheung manages to brilliantly take this period of energetic youth and excitement and frame it all beautifully. The musical soundtrack fits the film perfectly, the choices of songs really set the mood and feelings of the scenes. Leon Lai's rendition of Try to Remember will be lodged in your brain after watching and no doubt you will be humming it for days.



David and Susie are played very well by Daniel Wu and Nicola Cheung. Both are fun characters with a story which unfortunately doesn't receive as much time to blossom. With more development, their romance and side story could have really felt more important. Even with less screen time, the young actors manage to showcase and capture the self-doubt of the Hong Kong youth, some of which is still prevalent to this day.

City of Glass has a lot going on, some of the side-stories and plot devices add to the story, like the Diaoyu Islands dispute, but you are left wondering if it was really needed for the overall story. But in contrast, the Hong Kong handover is used during the story with Wu and Cheung's characters and it embodies the feeling of the whole film. Both sets of love stories can be used as a metaphor for the end of British rule in Hong Kong and the handover to China with an uncertain future ahead.

Overall, it's a flawed film but definitely worth watching. The story, romance and light melodrama are commendable but it's more of a stunning cinematic showpiece with exquisite performances from Shu Qi and Leon Lai that really makes the film feel significant.

6.5/10