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CINE 1007 Essay Two Coursework Header Sheet Course Coursework Tutor CINE1007: Global ID Second Essay CM Brown Course Assessment Weight Submission Deadline Coursework is receipted on the understanding that it is the own work and that it has not, in whole or part, been presented elsewhere for assessme...

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CINE 1007

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Coursework Header Sheet 203607-20

Course Coursework Tutor

CINE1007: Global Cinema/National ID Second Essay CM Brown

Course School/Level Assessment Weight Submission Deadline

HU/UG 50.00% 22/04/2013

Coursework is receipted on the understanding that it is the student's own work and that it has not, in whole or part, been presented elsewhere for assessment. Where material has been used from other sources it has been properly acknowledged in accordance with the University's Regulations regarding Cheating and Plagiarism.

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Essay Two

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5. “Princess Mononoke is ultimately a film without villains.” Discuss the presentation and resolution of conflict between humanity and the natural world in the film. To what extent does the film resolve these central conflicts, and with what effect?

In this essay I will look at how Princess Mononoke (Hiyao Miyazaki, 1997) is ultimately a film without villains through the presentation of the conflict between tradition and modernity, presented as nature and technology, as well as through the presentation of women. I will conclude by looking at the ways in which this conflict was resolved in the film through these elements, or if it was resolved at all.

Princess Mononoke appears to be a film lacking a truly ‘negative force’ that can solely be considered as villainous. Instead, all characters are fighting for what they believe to be a worthy cause, and doing what they believe is the right thing to do. It is in this way that both the animals and humans are considered as heroes as well as villains in their own right, neutralising any extremities of good or bad behaviour. ‘[T]he forest gods are not stainless heroes. Their long, losing conflict with humans has made them bitter and unforgiving toward their enemies, divided and contentious within their own ranks’ (Cavallaro 2006:124 citing Schilling 1997:4). It is in fact the coexistence of man and animal in a modern world that has turned the animals into the human hating beings that they appear to be, in addition to the

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civil conflicts shown in Princess Mononoke. This is a way in which this conflict is presented in the film: through the clash of tradition in an increasingly modern world.

This conflict is further enhanced by the juxtaposition between Ashitaka’s relationship with his elk, Yakul, and the relationship that the people of Tatara have with animals. Ashitaka, who is Prince of the traditional Emishi Tribe, is clearly capable of living in harmony with the wildlife surrounding him due to his tribe’s conservative attitude towards animals. Even when Ashitaka is unconscious and San removes Yakul’s reigns telling him: “Go where you will. You’re free”, Yakul remains by Ashitaka’s side waiting for him to recover. Yakul, willingly and relentlessly stays by his master, Ashitaka, throughout the film. Contrastingly, the Apes in the forest want to eat man to have his power in order to reclaim their land. They believe that this power is coming directly from humans, rather than from their weapons, ransacking their land, killing and cursing them: “Give us man and go… We eat man.” (00:55:58). Although it is not clear to the animals, Miyazaki is presenting technology to the audience as the cause of the conflict.

The only reason either side is seeking power is due to the fact that first and foremost, both sides want their way of life to triumph and prosper, not that they want their opposition to perish. An example of this can be shown by Lady Eboshi’s motives:

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Eboshi is in some ways a tragic figure, but her tragedy is that she is not actually evil. Instead, she is coerced into her destructive attack by her natural desire to protect a utopian collectivity. (Napier 2005:241).

Miyazaki has presented the conflict between man and nature as an unavoidable event considering the rise of technology: ‘like Thomas Hardy viewing the decline of traditional agriculture in the wake of the rise of industrialism, Miyazaki views the new age as inevitable whilst acknowledging tradition.’ (Cavallaro 2006:81). It is not man that is an evil force in this case, but rather the technology that man is developing that causes this conflict between nature and humanity. As we saw earlier, it is the conflict with humans that has made the animals bitter – that is to say, the weapons that the humans are using, and the damage that these weapons cause – not the humans themselves:

“When you talk about plants, or an ecological system or forest, things are very easy if you decide that bad people ruined it… It’s not bad people who are destroying forests… Hard-working people have been doing it. …This is the complexity in the relationship between humans and nature. And since this is a big theme of this film, I didn’t want it to be a story about a bad guy.” (Cavallaro 2006:124 citing Miyazaki 1997).

Miyazaki has presented this conflict between the animals and the humans as an indirect one: this is a war against developments that man has made, rather than a hatred of man himself. ‘[T]he women who work in Lady Eboshi’s factory are… good community workers; it is what they are producing – weapons and iron – that places them in conflict with nature’ (Le Blanc and Odell 2009:21). These technological advancements are clearly causing the conflict; it is a bullet from Lady Eboshi’s gun 4

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that curses the boar leading to his attempted attack on Ashitaka’s village, which concludes with him in turn being cursed by the boar. However, it is only through Eboshi’s desire to provide for her community that she injures the boar, again, we see how this conflict stems not from hate or villainous qualities, but merely from the fact that each species is defending their way of life, and what they believe to be right.

This conflict between the humans and animals has resulted in civil conflict present in many instances in Princess Mononoke. Although both San and Ashitaka are human, they fight with the animals, as San identifies herself as being a wolf, and Ashitaka is from a traditional background used to living in harmony with animals. If we do in fact see San as a representative of the animal camp she epitomizes the union of nature and war: ‘[h]er blood-smeared face, fierce demeanor, and fur clothing obviously connect San with both violence and nature’ (Napier 2005:238). However, her duty to the animal world is somewhat undermined by the fact that she is ultimately human.

Ashitaka also aligns himself with the animals in many instances in the film, only associating himself with the humans when he needs help or when he can help them. This is shown when Moro is trapped beneath numerous dead boars and Ashitaka cannot lift him alone, in this instance men from Tatara come to his aid. Ashitaka assists the people on many occasions throughout the film, such as when he carries two of the unconscious Tatara citizens out of the river and delivers them home safely, in addition to many other examples he also transports the message to Lady Eboshi, nearing the end of the film, that the Ironworks are under attack. However,

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unlike San, Ashitaka is aware that despite his allegiance to the animals, he is and can only ever be human, creating conflict within the realm of man, as Ashitaka and San do not agree with what the people of Tatara are doing.

Another civil conflict within the human camp is presented by the change in arms due to the advancement in technology. Rather than solely being used for protection, with the aim of steering foes away, these new weapons are now much stronger, with an aim of wounding and killing by attacking in order to ascertain the expansion of their territory. There is no longer an art to weaponry, but instead anyone can become a dangerous character when holding a gun: ‘an untrained hand can become as deadly as that of a skilled warrior. Ashitaka’s skilful way with a bow and arrow becomes increasingly obsolete in the shadow of progress.’ (Le Blanc and Odell 2009:109).

On the other side of this conflict, nature has altered in response to these technological developments, as the animals have to defend themselves and protect what they deem to be rightfully theirs; ‘[i]n the film nature is beautiful, sacred, and awesome, but it is also vengeful and brutally frightening.’ (Napier 2005:244). An example of an individual fighting on the side of nature is Moro, San’s wolf mother. Despite being an animal that would normally be seen as sweet and endearing, she is portrayed as an individual in her own right. Presenting the beauty of nature she swiftly and elegantly swoops across the screen numerous times throughout the film. Yet, she is consistently presented as a fighter, in the foreground of the conflict with the humans. She is not displayed as a villain, but rather as a protector of the natural world, however, her method of doing this causes internal disagreement.

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The civil conflict extends itself to the side of the animals, with the varying species differing opinions on how to tackle the problem of the humans encroaching on their territory.

The animals in Princess Mononoke are ‘a far cry from the cuddly anthropomorphic creations that viewers… have traditionally come to expect.’ (Napier 2005:239). The way the animals are presented in this film could be seen as Miyazaki offering some form of a resolution to this conflict. This issue is not a fictional one, however, in the real world we lack sympathy for the animals when messages of this kind are delivered to us. By using the animals to present the damage and hurt that we are inflicting on them this film proves to be:

[A] wake up call to human beings in a time of environmental and spiritual crisis that attempts to provoke its audience into realizing how much they have already lost and how much more they stand to lose. (Napier 2005:236).

Princess Mononoke’s animals are obviously not villains, they are merely preserving the traditional and natural Japanese way of life by protecting their kami, yōkai and animal filled forest.

Princess Mononoke confronts the conflict between nature and technology in another unexpected way, by revolutionising the traditional female role. Instead of being shown as honourable, Miyazaki presents almost all of the women as exprostitutes; or in positions of power. Rather than a male at the top of the hierarchy,

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it is San (representing nature and tradition), against Eboshi (presenting modernity and technology):

The film defamiliarizes two important icons in Japanese culture, the myth of the feminine as long-suffering and supportive and the myth of the Japanese as living in harmony with nature, often expressed through a union of the feminine with the natural. (Napier 2005:233).

By changing the normally conventional topic of gender, Miyazaki again avoids showing any definitive villains in this film. Instead, he uses the viewer’s knowledge of the feminine role to distort the usually evilly deemed topic of industrialism: ‘Eboshi’s femininity, especially her nurturing capacity, ensures that the viewer cannot slip so easily into a simplistic moral equation of industrial equals evil.’ (Napier 2005:246). Miyazaki cleverly twists the negative elements in Princess Mononoke by presenting them using positive methods, thus bringing them into non-villainous territory.

Moro’s femininity is presented by the fact that she is a mother, and as a result of this, the way in which she cares for her children, including San. As she fights for her own life she races through the forest in search of San who is in danger after having helped Okkoto, who is now cursed. In addition to this, Moro is aware that San is putting herself at risk and tells her that she could have a life with Ashitaka, as she knows that they are both human. Moro presents the conflict between the natural world and humanity by drawing reference to the differences between them, at the same time as treating San as her daughter, she is conscious of the fact that San is

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biologically and physically very different from her. Despite the presentation of this conflict through female characters such as Moro, the fact that San is a human does not deter Moro from loving her, again eradicating any traces of wholly villainous characters in Princess Mononoke.

San also portrays nurturing traits, she brings Ashitaka to the pond where the shishigami heals him, and is often seen stroking her wolf siblings and mother. Nevertheless, San and Moro both have fierce qualities, and are ruthless in saving their forest when the humans are concerned, killing and wounding many throughout the film. Yet, it is Lady Eboshi who embodies this union of conventional femininity and aggressiveness:

[S]he is characterized by an odd amalgamation of the nurturing and the ferociousness. She is clearly protective of her diseased and outcast citizens, but at the same time she is fanatically determined to destroy the shishigami and, by extension, the natural world of the forest. (Napier 2005:239).

Lady Eboshi clearly has her citizens’ best interests at heart; she has created the village of Tatara as a place of refuge for the women who were once prostitutes, and for the outcasts of society, the lepers. Eboshi not only helps these people but also treats them with respect, when she shows Ashitaka around the Ironworks, she tells the lepers “I’ll send saké later”, displaying her maternal side. When one of the more unwell lepers, Osa, voices his opinion, the room is silenced as he praises Eboshi: “She is the only one who looked upon us as human. Without fear of our disease… she washed our rotting flesh, bandaged us…” The way that Eboshi is presented in

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Princess Mononoke shows the contrast between a conventional female’s allegiance with nature and Eboshi’s alternative relationship with nature. Along with the other female protagonists, Eboshi undoubtedly displays the conflict between man and nature, but by presenting this character in the feminine form, Miyazaki avoids the presence of a villain in Princess Mononoke.

Although the film has a seemingly happy ending, any resolution of this kind would be difficult to comprehend considering the fact that there is no villain to defeat, and no way of life that is definitively ‘better’ than the other:

[A]ll the parties fervently believe in the spirit world – it is visible all around them; it is their attitudes that separate them – revering it, hating it, or viewing it as a commodity. (Le Blanc and Odell 2009:110).

This conflict seems to be based, not on the fight between hero and villain – as this film does not clearly define either – but rather, as two sides of an opinion, both fighting for their beliefs.

Having looked at the presentation of the conflict between humanity and the natural world in Princess Mononoke, the question still remains as to whether it was resolved. The climax of the film consists of Lady Eboshi attempting to decapitate the shishigami:

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Princess Mononoke… culminates in the sacrilegious beheading of God, avenged by the head of a divine dog biting off the offender’s arm. … Decapitation means the truncation of head and body, the seats of reason and heart. (Ma 2008:247).

When it seems that there may in fact be the presence of a villain in the film, Eboshi, the balance of the conflict is restored as the deceased Moro’s head comes to life and rebukes her by biting her arm off. A balance is needed between the head and the heart: humanity being ‘the head’, as modernity dictates they have power over the animals; whereas the animals denote ‘the heart’, living in a natural world, searching for harmony.

This decapitation, however, outlines Eboshi’s ruthlessness. Jigo, the monk, captures the essence of humanity: “Wanting all between heaven and hell is the human condition”. The head might therefore be seen to be ‘the seat of reason’ seeing as reason dictates, especially in the case of Eboshi, that you should never settle and always strive for more. There is a continual pursuit of advancing technology, whereas the natural world is more content with what they already have. Decapitation refers to the separation of the head and the heart; these elements of a being are both needed in every situation. In this case, Miyazaki is presenting the resolution as Japan needing the animals, representing the heart, as well as the humans, representing the head, both of these are needed to work together.

It is in fact the shishigami, the creature generally accepted as a god, that brings about the closest thing to a resolution regarding the conflict that is presented in Princess Mononoke:

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[W]ith its double countenance, human eyes in an animal muzzle, and the ineffable and mysterious smile of Greek kuroi, the Forest God appears to represent the supreme balance of Yin and Yang, death and rebirth, disrupted by men’s blindness (Cavallaro 2006:123 citing Bencivenni 2003:129).

It is the shishigami that captures the essence and unifies the negative and positive components of both the natural world and humanity. The shishigami is the only one that is powerful enough to bring both sides of the conflict together.

When the Didarabocchi is searching for its head, Ashitaka states that “Human hands must return it!” Miyazaki presents the resolution as the natural world and humanity working together to restore the serenity and cohesion in their land. As the world turns green again, we see the power of tradition and the natural world return. The equilibrium of Japan has been restored; Miyazaki presents this environment as if the natural world and humanity are no longer at war. However, as we have already seen, the human condition is to naturally want more; Miyazaki may have presented a resolution in Princess Mononoke, but whether it resolves everything permanently is another matter.

As the shishigami lifts San’s and Ashitaka’s curses, we can see that the shishigami has reconciled with humanity on behalf of nature. The effects of this reconciliation are somewhat one-sided, hinting to the fact that this is not a permanently resolved conflict. Despite Lady Eboshi having converted for the better, San is adamant that she can never forgive humans for what they have done. Although there is clearly no 12

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villain defeated, no triumphant hero; there is the debris of a conflict that will be ever-present in all of their minds, until a time when it becomes relevant again.

In conclusion, Princess Mononoke is a film without villains due to the fact that the presentation of traditional elements of film is turned on its head, neutralising any villainous or heroic characters. Inst...