May 2018 film review part two

SPIRITED AWAY (2001) Studio Ghibli animation
A young girl goes out on a picnic with her parents, but when she wanders away finds herself in a parallel universe inhabited by dragons, witches and goblins. And that she must enlist the help of all these frightening entities in order to return to her own world.

An enthralling piece of cinema from one of the world’s most innovative animation studios. One is drawn in completely to the bizarre regions of the Japanese subconscious in a way that a European can still follow, even if they miss most of the cultural references that doubtless inhabit this movie.
Strange, but beautiful.

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (1993) D- Ang Lee
In 19th century England, a genteel family tries its best to find the ideal partners for its nubile daughters. And as so often in the stories of Jane Austen, those people thought initially to be paragons prove themselves to be anything but, while the unsung heroes come through to show their true worth by the end.

I so admire it when someone makes a film about a country they are strangers to, like Louis Malle with Atlantic City, or Wim Wenders with Paris Texas. And here, Ang Lee, a Taiwanese national, has tapped magnificently into an English preserve, namely the artificial landscape which is Jane Austen’s 19th century world. How do they do it? I couldn’t tell you. All I do know is, with sterling performances from Emma Thompson and Kate Winslett, and brilliantly conceived by Mr Lee, this film is a must.