I don't think I can even begin to approach the level of
Robert Keser's review at Bright Lights Film Journal, so I encourage everyone to read it. I only wish he'd talked a bit more about the mythical and/or literary roots of the story. Is this based on a famous story or play? All Keser says is it's "the oft-filmed tale of a tanuki — a raccoon-like creature known for its shapeshifting — who assumes the human form of a beauteous princess who loves an exiled prince."
This is an amazing film. I finally got all the way through to the end last night after being interrupted in two previous viewings (once right before the end, as it turns out) and showing the first half hour to friends twice as well. I've seen two other Seijun Suzuki movies,
Tokyo Drifter and
Branded to Kill, and while I liked the candy-colored surrealism of the former, I found both of these gangster films a bit too abstract and frenetic to connect to.
Princess Raccoon is still fairly abstract, but somehow more generous of humanity -- even raccoon humanity. It goes even further than
Moulin Rouge down the road of the postmodern musical, although it skips insouciantly through the tragic heartbreak and into a calm, even comic, view of death. But it plays similarly with the artificiality of the stage/screen and with the pop music mash up.
There are levels other than story-origin that I think I'm missing, particularly the way it plays with kabuki forms. I don't know much about kabuki. But the thing is, it plays with
everything. The playfulness of the visuals, the music, the acting, the editing, the sound effects, the staging, the production design, etc., etc. is just delightful. It's all lighter than air. There is such a sense of joy that it gives me hope for my own old age. If Suzuki can make something like this at age 82, there is something right with the world.
Also, Zhang Ziyi is building a very strong case for being the biggest international star of the day. Nicole Kidman is the only other star I can think of offhand who is so determinedly working with every great director she can. Maybe Johnny Depp is another.
As a final note,
IMDb only has this under its Japanese title. Pretty sparse entry, with two out of three of the user comments being idiotic.
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