tamerlane's 2001 post (which I wrote a huge response to and then the internet ate it when I hit post
) inspired me to revisit a film I last saw probably over ten years ago and has probably escaped most people's attention (unjustly, I should say) - Studio 4C's
Princess Arete.
In short, it's a medieval fantasy about a clever princess locked in her castle tower until she can be married off to her father's chosen suitor, and her eventual triumph over the fearsome immortal sorcerer who imprisons her in his own castle. More importantly, the film is about the power of human creativity and imagination.
My understanding is that the story is heavily changed from the original fairy tale (see
this paper, which I read a few years ago, for more detail, although be wary of spoilers) although that's hardly to its detriment as it treats all characters fairly and intriguingly. It's a fairly simple fairy tale but a pleasant and entertaining story nonetheless; the middle third drags a bit in my opinion as it's a little excessively reflective and docile in pacing, which is understandable given plot events but not as entertaining as the rest of the film.
The visual design of the film is true medieval European fantasy - monarchies, peasants in tunics etc. Much of the film takes place in castles and the sense of scale is conjured well - the film uses several "crane" shots to heighten the imprisonment and isolation of Arete in her various forms of captivity, and I've picked out two here in particular.
The animation is fluid and characterful, with character designs that look like an illustration. While the art and scale isn't as eye-popping as a Ghibli film it has a lovely storybook feel to it and there are some particularly impressive moments towards the end of the film in particular, I would also be remiss in leaving out the work on various items of "art" in the film - there are tapestries with each individual thread drawn in, and beautifully illuminated books that the characters read, for instance.
I liked the film when I first saw it but not as much as I did on revisiting it. I expected something different from it at the time - all I knew was it was a "feminist fairy tale" and having grown up on hand-me-down young adult fantasy novels by the likes of Tamora Pierce I expected some kind of ass kicking woman in a man's world type story, which is emphatically not the case here. I appreciate its quieter charms now, in particular how impressive the opening section of the film is - Arete barely speaks for the first 15 minutes and yet her character is established perfectly by her actions, only for it to be completely reinforced by the scene which follows in which she quietly deflates the braggadacio of a would-be suitor with earnestness and intelligence, rather than a quip or a kick.
I don't know if I'd agree with tamerlane that it's better than
Spirited Away, which I have also not seen for many years. I'm not an
enormous fan of Miyazaki's films but I did like that one, so I should probably revisit it.
Anyway, if you haven't seen it - you should! It's a good film!