Millennium Actress [Blu-ray]

And I do not use that comparison lightly. Just as "Inceptions" was a trip through reality, so is this film...but much more romantic. But don't let the "romance" fool you...FOR PARENTS AND OTHER CONCERNED PEOPLE:There is nothing to fear. The film is very engaging and immersive...but doing all that without having to stoop to using provocative material, fan service, nor coarse language. This is not a film for children, though, because it's a very mature and complicated film.MOVING ON:This is the first animated art film to truly draw me in. I will tell you, this film is a real trip. So what exactly is this film? It's a documentary, biography, Godzilla, mystery, drama, stage play, samurai flick, sci-fi...yes...it's that hard to explain. One thing that can be said for sure is that this is a wonderful psychological romance that will really test your mind...think "Inception" but ten times more trippy. It is also a story about love and identity...and the chase (which you can discover the meaning of if you watch). The plot is fairly simple...but the execution is very very artistic, engaging, and complexed. I can't describe it, it's just something to experience. And your emotions will fly at times. What I will say, pay attention to the dialogue, it's very purposed. Also pay attention to repetitions, they are clues. The 3 main characters (Chiyoko, the Interviewer, and the Cameraman) are also very charming, but more importantly they serve as anchors to each other - and in some cases a mirror. Also, you get to see the growth and development of people over time in a very unique way...as well as this strange phenomena of choice and retrospect. Simply put, I can't stress how beautiful this film really is. And it will take much more than one viewing to even begin to grasp a small portion of it. The ending is epic btw.Just to let you know, the film is Japanese dubbed with English subtitles. This is one of the few times that I will say with definite affirmation that this was a wise choice. Though i'm no purist, I do think in this case a dub would have lost something...not because it would have been bad...but because there's a magical and surreal aspect that the Japanese helps to bring in this film.SPECIAL FEATURES:Well there isn't really any special features except for a "making of..." feature which is an interview/commentary by Satoshi Kon.ALL IN ALL:This film will twist your mind in so many fun and meaningful ways. It's beautifully pieced together and lovingly crafted. It is both uplifting, yet sad. It is so simple and yet so complexed. You'll need multiple watches...but each watch reveals a new layer of depth and meaning. All in all, it is a treasured part of my collection. This is not a film for children. It is far too complexed and many of the themes will just fly over their heads on top of the complexity. One cannot watch this passively...but, if you are willing to focus, it can be a rewarding experience. This film may be difficult for some to follow, but then again...the chase can be quite fun.

Seriously, one of my all time favorite films. Roughly 18 years ago i first watch this film after renting it from my local library at the tender age of 13, the film brought me to tears, still does, and is a defining film that made me love anime as much as i do. Before then, animation was mostly stuff just for kids that I didn't think too deeply about, but this film showed me the raw potential of how animation can tell mature stories that doesn't talk down to its audience. I don't think very many 13 year olds would appreciate the film as much as I did at that time, it can be hard to follow at times. Personally, I think this film should be mandatory screening for anyone looking to into animation, as this film is a celebration of Japanese golden age cinema. I feel incredibly blessed to have seen this film in theaters in 2019, and i hope that one day i can make the pilgrimage to Kon's grave to give an offering. I greatly miss him.

As I’ve gotten older, Millennium Actress has slowly become my favorite Satoshi Kon movie. It’s a vibrant, dreamlike portrait of an artist’s life. Though fictional, the character of Chiyoko takes inspiration from the lives of early Japanese actresses, and the movie does an incredible job of showing how she changed through time. The animation is top-notch and adds depth to the story in the way only animation can.

I didn't have too high of expectations going into this movie -- as the subject matter was a little softer than the typical action-packed anime I enjoy (think Ghost in the Shell or Redline). But wow! This movie was incredible! It's just a reminder of how each of us live such storied and intrinsic lives full of hope and sadness. I found myself totally emotionally captured.

Maybe the greatest movie actress of Japan - some considered her the Century Actress - born at the beginning at the twenties, starting to play in her teens, spanning a prodigious career over three decades of movie history, to vanish at her peak! She gave weak reasons (or no reasons at all) for her decision to leave the public life; her anonymity has been total ever since.Decades have passed, new generations of public came and little by little the great actress was forgotten. Of course, film critics are still mentioning her name when analyzing the movies of the forties and fifties; but they are talking at the past, as of a person who lived in a bygone era.Has everybody forgotten her? No, of course not, there will be always people passionate for her movies and fascinated by her personality: people dreaming to find her and to tell her their fascination.And here is the place where Sennen joyû (Millennium Actress) starts: a devoted fan succeeds to find her and she accepts to be interviewed by him. As they start talking, the past comes back in force and overwhelms the present. Scenes from all her movies, and what happened behind the scenes: she was playing the lead role, he was just a young assistant by then. The present is no more, their memories join in a unique flow. The old star and her fan live again the past, this time the meaning of those moments comes enriched: she is now aware of his presence on the plateau. Actually the past is not repeated: the force of their memories makes the past a continuous moment, time looses any significance. There is no more a succession of moments; there are only moments charged with emotional value, that remain forever.Kon Satoshi is an Animé film director,which was fortunate for this movie, as he kept this way total control over the story and was able to blur past and present, life on the plateau and life outside it; more than that, he was able this way to change completely the image style of each reenacted scene in accordance to the specific period; Jidaigeki movies from the twenties and early thirties, propaganda movies from the period of Manchurian occupation, dramas from late forties and fifties, Sci-Fi movies from the sixties on. What resulted was a fascinating history of Japanese cinema in its most significant moments!Is the feminine personage in the movie an allusion to Setusko Hara? The director did not confirm this suggestion. Nevertheless I would say yes, for many reasons, the main reason being that for me it is only Setsuko Hara who deserves to be named the Millennium Actress.