Howl's Moving CastleOne of the most stunning thing about Miyazaki's latest film is how every room that we enter is its own complete universe. Even the dirty bathroom is unique and colorful and amazing. This matches perfectly Diana Wynne Jones' idea of multiple universes, some magical, some not. And it matches the castle doorway, which can exit to multiple locations. It's all about alternative universes.
Scene: Kimes family homeThis is the Kimes family doing their usual chores-- sorting food donations. After they are done with this, they will be watching Kiki's Delivery Service on the wall behind Steve. Unfortunately, the DVD was extremely glitchy. It's a good thing they had another movie as back up. Howl's Moving Castle it is!
Scene: Diana Wynne Jones' BookBefore we had seen the movie, Howl's Moving Castle was a favorite book in the Kimes' household. This, of course, spells disaster, for a beloved book cannot make an equitable transition to film. The book and the film has much of the same plot, but that only makes the differences stand out-- and the differences are many. The first time I saw the film I couldn't get the book out of my mind, and it truly ruined the movie experience for me. This time, in watching the film, I determined NOT to see this as a Diana Wynne Jones vehicle, but as a Miyazaki film. So every time I began thinking, "But in the book it was this way..." I pushed such unworthy thoughts aside.
Scene: Mid 1800s in another universeThe setting for this film is an alternative world, somewhat like either France or Britain in the mid 1800s. However, there are remarkable differences. For one, flying machines abound (and for this reason alone we know we are in Miyazaki's universe). For another, there are a number of wizards who are powerful and politically involved. And another reason we know that we can't be in our universe is because the nations involved begin a war on the flimsiest of reasons.
One nation's prince has come up missing and they assume that the other nation has kidnapped him. So a terrible war filled with bombs and evil-looking hawks and flying fortresses abound.
Scene: Russian Folk Literature
Throughout Miyazaki's movies, a common character is Baba Yaga, a witch from Russian folk literature. In some stories Baba Yaga is a kindly, helpful old woman, while in others she is a mean, spiteful witch. But she always has a house with chicken legs. There are Baba Yaga characters all the way from Nausicaa, where the blind woman is BY. In Spirited Away, BY is represented by the two sisters, one mean and cold and the other kindly. In Howl's, Miyazaki is, in a sense, presenting an origin story for the kind Baba Yaga. Howl's castle already has chicken legs, and when Sophie comes in as her old woman persona, she takes charge of it. Howl soon gives her run of the hut and she is called a witch. Thus is the folk heroine/villain born.
Scene: Diana Wynne Jones' Moral MindIf there were any theme that ties all of Diana Wynne Jones' books together, it is that conflict is caused by misunderstanding. People assume what other's are thinking or intending with their actions and so a small conflict becomes a large one. Miyazaki has taken this theme to be the focus of his vice in this film: judgement. Right from the beginning, the women's gossip is that Howl is a womanizer and the war begins because of an assumption that the prince was kidnapped. Everyone thinks they know who Sophie is, but no one is correct. But these judgments even cloud one's perception of oneself. Howl claims to be a coward, yet right from the beginning we see him willingly head into the most dangerous of circumstances. Sophie accepts the persona of an old woman, although the power to overcome that persona is within herself. Although she doesn't know it, she uses the persona of the old woman as a measure of protection, so she can seem to be frail and grouchy and pushy, although as a young woman, she was none of these things.
Scene: Behind The MaskStudies have been done that when people put on a new mask or a uniform that they feel free to create a new persona for themselves, acting in ways that they otherwise wouldn't. A criminal can put on a ski mask and so be able to act like a criminal, although they wouldn't do so in normal life. A police officer or soldier could act a certain way or be a certain person when wearing a uniform that otherwise they couldn't be. (What do you think of that, Colleen?) And, in a sense, self-judgment is a mask. We determine who we are, which allows us to act in a certain way. Howl can claim to be cowardly, and so step out of a morally reprehensible situation. Sophie can claim to be an old woman, and so do things she wouldn't otherwise do. But these self-judgments can also limit us from doing what we should, or give us excuses to do what we ought. If we do not see ourselves and others as they really are, then love cannot exist, says Miyazaki.
Scene: Howl's Moving CastleUltimately, Howl's Moving Castle is about Miyazaki's perpetual theme: love. Not romantic love, although that comes into play, here. Rather, the kind of love that creates community, a family, a home. While Sophie cleans the castle, it is her care for all, even the fire-demon, that makes the true change. Howl recognizes this and tries to make a claim that the castle is really Sophie's now, which is why he re-created it to be like her mother's hat shop. But, in the end, Sophie's achievement was not to claim the castle for her own, but to make it a place for all of them. A place where others want to stay in and live in. And this only happens when the masks are stripped away, the misunderstandings set aside. The best community is the one that welcomes everyone in as they truly are.
Scene: The ReviewNeedless to say, I truly loved this movie this time. This is possibly the most complex of Miyazaki films, there is certainly a lot to chew on. It is also the most visually complex. It seems as if it was Miyazaki himself, not Sophie, speaking the line, "When you're old, all you want to do is stare at the scenery" He gives us so MUCH scenery to look at, as well as a plot that is rich with both character and plot and philosophy. Honestly, although it still is not my favorite Miyazaki, it is a perfect film. 5/5