Night on the Galactic Railroad

Rating:
Summary: A film with all the beauty and pace of a painting
Review: The animation in Night on the Galactic Railroad is good, in some places quite beautiful, with images reminiscent of those Miyazaki will later use in Spirited Away to much better effect. This is a poignant film and the sentiment is clearly heartfelt. The main problem is the movie just crawls. At one point the character says he's in a hurry and then proceeds to shuffle across the screen for about 70 seconds, perhaps pondering Zeno's paradox. The heavy breathing and ubiquitous "Uhhh" in the dialogue would be a distraction except that often that's the only thing going on, so there's nothing to take your attention away from. I watched this film with my seven-year old daughter and after a while we were making jokes just to pass the time. There were several sequences both of us watched with interest. I also found the metaphorical meditation on death intriguing. But this movie could have done all it was intended to in about half the time.

Rating:
Summary: A film with all the beauty and pace of a painting
Review: The animation in Night on the Galactic Railroad is good, in some places quite beautiful, with images reminiscent of those Miyazaki will later use in Spirited Away to much better effect. This is a poignant film and the sentiment is clearly heartfelt. The main problem is the movie just crawls. At one point the character says he's in a hurry and then proceeds to shuffle across the screen for about 70 seconds, perhaps pondering Zeno's paradox. The heavy breathing and ubiquitous "Uhhh" in the dialogue would be a distraction except that often that's the only thing going on, so there's nothing to take your attention away from. I watched this film with my seven-year old daughter and after a while we were making jokes just to pass the time. There were several sequences both of us watched with interest. I also found the metaphorical meditation on death intriguing. But this movie could have done all it was intended to in about half the time.

Rating:
Summary: Filled with significance missed by most
Review: The vow taken by Giovanni in the end of the film is the same as the vow of the Boddhisattva. I think most people who watch this film miss this point. This vow is not the result of martyrdom or of a Fruedian desire for self-torture, but rather the result of a sort of enlightenment, brought on by a mystical experience or a crisis. Think about what it would take to make you vow to sacrifice your own personal happiness and even to accept suffering for the good of everybody else. The symbollism is the same as that of Christ being crucified, or of Osiris willfully getting into the coffin presented by Apophis. The scorpion is not only a symbol of death, but also of spiritual rebirth.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best animated films ever made
Review: This film is based on the story "Ginka Tetsudo no Yoru" by Miyazawa Kenji. This film was originally released as a major motion picture in Japan where the complete works of Miyazawa Kenji were reissued and sold in theatre lobbies. By comparison, Tonari no Totoro was a double bill with Graves of the Fireflies and passed with comparatively little notice.

Miyazawa Kenji was a significant poet and author of children's literature in the early twentieth century. As noted by others, death is a major theme in this film as are issues of friendship and family responsibility. The film is rather weighty and seriously beautiful.

Although the characters are human beings in the original Japanese story, they are primarily represented by cats in the film. This choice was a bit controversial when the film was originally released. The characters in the original story are clearly human beings and Japan does not have a strong tradition of anthropomorphic animals in either manga or anime. Further, anthropomorphic animals in folklore such as the badger and the fox are often dangerous and not sympathetic at all. Those who have read published mistranslations of the original story may be surprised to learn that the main characters have Italian names. Regardless, the characters and story are quite compelling. I was deeply moved by the film when I first saw it and subsequently read the original story in Japanese.

The artwork and animation for this film are both excellent. However, those who are fond of the cut-still approach to animation often found in Japanese animation for television may be disappointed by this film. Rather, the drawing and animation style of this film reminds me of a dark version of Disney's Fantasia of sixty years ago. Some of the images in the film remind me of impressionist or post-impressionist paintings. Film music and film sound are also quite pronounced in this film. Both the recurring theme first heard in the opening credits and the sound of the train on the tracks provide a recurring leit motif for what is an episodic film structured around various locations which often have symbolic importance. This recurrent symbolism reflects the Miyazawa Kenji who is noted as an important Japanese Christian poet who wrote European style poetry.

My copy of the DVD for this movie has a few technical flaws which suggest that it was not made from an original negative.

Rating:
Summary: Sad, slow and solemn.
Review: This movie sort of takes you off-guard if you don't know what it's about; and it definitely has a point to make. Recognised by the Ministry of Education in Japan, it deals with the subject of death and does so in a sensitive manner which *shouldn't* give kids nightmares, but will have them in tears. Indeed adults will have a tough time keeping a dry eye assuming that both can get through the movie that is. The main drawback to this movie is the sheer length of the production. It's extremely demanding on one's ability to maintain their interest, and would be even more difficult for kids to watch; either in North America or Japan. The animation is okay although nothing particularly special, but the music is very nice. The voice acting is nothing particularly special in this show either, and really both Giovanni and Campanella are very quiet throughout the movie and the train ride. The *lack* of action more than anything makes things even more demanding, it's very much as though you were taking a ride on a train, people come and go, sometimes it's interesting to look out the window sometimes not, sometimes you take a nap... It's very slow paced and it becomes very tempting to take a nap as things go on.

The main thing to note however, is that the whole topic of death doesn't *really* show up until at least half-way if not later in the show. There is a bit of foreshadowing of what the story is about when Campanella and Giovanni first meet on the train, but this is very easy to miss. Beyond that however, the first adventure the boys go on looks like lots of fun; seeing people working on an archaeological dig of some sort. However, as the movie (slowly!) progresses you start to get an idea about who is really getting on the train, and when the ticket master goes by, you know something is very strange with Giovanni's ticket compared to Campanella's. By the time you meet the threesome from the shipwreck, you know very well what's happening and you also know how the story will end. It's a nice and sensitive way of looking at death, but truth to be told, very few kids will have the staying power to watch the whole show, and indeed many adults will have a tough time about it.

Rating:
Summary: Don't let the talking cats fool you, This is great!
Review: What a great film! I have to admit I like movies that make you think, and this one does just that. When compared to other main stream anime films which either center on nudity or violence to further the plot this one would seem incredibly slow and dull. But if you are in the mood to think I recommend to buy this film. And the price cannot be beat! Usually tapes of this caliber cost at least 24.00. Consider yourself lucky and buy this tape. And parents...don't worry about violence or anything of the like. It is great for all ages. But afterward be prepared to talk with your children. They will have questions. I can almost guarantee because I had quite a few myself.