The Sky Crawlers
by Mamoru Oshii
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Chiaki Kuriyama, Megumi Yamaguchi, Rinko Kikuchi, Ryo Kase, Shôsuke TaniharaDirector: Mamoru Oshii
Brand: Sony
Cinematographer: Hisashi Ezura
Producer: Mitsuhisa Ishikawa
Producer: Seiji Okuda
Producer: Tomohiko Ishii
Producer: Toru Kawaguchi
Writer: Chihiro Itô
Writer: Hiroshi Mori
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Japanese (Original Language); English (Original Language); English (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Animated, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.78:1
Running Time: 122 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-05-26
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of The Sky Crawlers
Movie Review: A Slow and Dreamy Walk Through the Clouds
Summary: 5 Stars
I went and saw The Sky Crawlers at Toronto's 08 Film Festival, and wasn't surprised when most of the audience seemed to walk away feeling a bit unaffected by the movie. The film's director Mamoru Oshii has a cinematic style that is nothing if not an acquired taste -- one that domestic theaters are reticent to acquire.
Any person who has addicted themselves to the traditional Aristotelian story structure will find themselves feeling lost and aimless by the middle of Act 2 in Sky Crawlers and most of Oshii's films. If there even is an Act 2 in the first place. The big bang opening action sequence between the fighter pilots in Sky Crawlers is about as formulaic as Oshii is willing to get with any of his movies. After that, he transitions from speed-of-light action to speed-of-life storytelling where his characters and their dialoug all have the same pacing and meandering of real life. That means, if you're used to Hollywood's colorful characters bloated with one-liners and a plot that runs straight for the end-zone, than you'll probably find Oshii's films to be slow. Maybe even boring.
It also means that you're probably not his audience.
Oshii's primary audience seems to be himself, as most of his characters seem to be alter-egos helping him resolve his own philosophical conflicts and questions about society. His secondary audience is anybody trying to do the same for themselves. I don't mind watching Oshii talk to himself in his movies since the dialog is so intelligent and unpretentious. For the most part the characters say what they mean, and mean what they say. They can't afford to do otherwise, because we are finding them at dark, introspective moments in their lives which is usually when a person is pruned of all pretense. This is precisely why I find Oshii's cinematic language so refreshing. Despite his graphically lush visuals, his movies manage to have a closer kinship to literature than cinema. Listening may be more important than looking in his films. For example, the characters in Sky Crawlers speak Japanese on the ground, but switch to English when at war. This effect seems to be commentary on how American occupation has shifted the habits of Japan's youth, which according to Oshii, has become more violent.
There are times when I fount myself worried about the fate of this film. Oshii offered a very sincere "message to the youth" before the release of this film, indicating that he does want young people to appreciate the movie. And yet the sobering nature of the film may struggle in penetrating the narcissistic shell of the people he hoped to reach. Oshii's work is smart and the crowd that he hopes to touch is usually smart-a**. Two different things.
If nothing else, this movie will find a home with an intelligent crowd that is already familiar with his approach to film. I'm glad that this movie was picked up for DVD release by Sony. Oshii's discipline and intelligence is a prize import for American film viewers.
Summary of The Sky Crawlers
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