Hayao Miyazaki is undoubtedly one of the greatest living artists today, known for his seminal masterpieces such as princess mononoke Y made to disappear Among many others. His contributions to the art of animation have inspired artists from various domains, including live-action filmmakers who have praised Miyazaki’s understanding of movement.
Although the elderly author had announced his retirement to the world, Miyazaki decided to make one last addition to his illustrious filmography before bidding farewell to the world of cinema. He is currently doing an adaptation of his favorite children’s novel: How do you live? by Yoshino Genzaburo, and has dedicated the next project to his grandson.
Over the years, Miyazaki’s political stance on America’s involvement in global conflicts, as well as the country’s contribution to the globalization of American culture, has been unwavering. “Anti-jeans, Anti-bourbon, Anti-hamburgers, Anti-fried chicken, Anti-cola, Anti-American coffee, Anti-New York, Anti-West Coast,” Miyazaki once said in describing his beliefs.
According to excerpts from multiple interviews, Miyazaki’s dislike for all things American extends to the realm of film as well. Although the Japanese author named John Ford as one of his main visual influences and even named his 1946 film my dear clementine among his personal favorites, he doesn’t feel the same way about other popular American movies.
“Americans film things and they blow up and things like that, so, unsurprisingly, they make movies like that,” Miyazaki said. “If someone is the enemy, it’s fine to kill countless of them. Lord of the Rings it is so If it is the enemy, there is slaughter without separation between civilians and soldiers. That falls under collateral damage.”
Miyazaki compared the visual politics of large-scale Hollywood productions like the Lord of the Rings to the country’s international policies. Attacking US actions in Afghanistan, Miyazaki asserted that such projects are a dangerous addition to public discourse because they diminish the value of human life by weaponizing the audience through cinematic violence.
Miyazaki continued: “How many people are killed in the attacks in Afghanistan? The Lord of the rings It’s a movie that has no problem doing that [not separating civilians from enemies, apparently]. If you read the original work, you will understand, but in reality, those who were being killed were Asians and Africans. Those who don’t know that but say they love fantasy are idiots.”
Throughout his bodywork, Miyazaki has had ongoing conversations about anti-war pacifism, an ethical belief that has been deeply influenced by his own experiences. Miyazaki has often explored the paradoxes of pacifism in a world that embraces violence through his art, which is why these cinematic spectacles fail to amuse him.
when his magnum opus made to disappear became the first anime to win the Best Animated Feature Award at the Oscars, Miyazaki refused to attend the ceremony because he did not want to support America’s actions in the Iraq War. Even though his producer asked him not to talk about it, he later came clean and revealed that his producer had felt the same way.
Miyazaki was also highly critical of Steven Spielberg’s iconic film series. Indiana Jones. Addressing many of the problems caused by capitalism in postcolonial nations, Miyazaki admonished those who failed to recognize the political and racial allegories embedded in the subtexts of supposedly innocent and purely entertaining action films.
“Even in the Indiana Jones movies, there’s a white guy who, ‘bang’, shoots people, right? The Japanese who agree and enjoy it are incredibly embarrassing,” he explained. “You are the ones who, ‘bang’, get shot. Looking at [those movies] without any self-awareness is unbelievable. There is no pride, there is no historical perspective. You don’t know how a country like the United States sees you.”
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