Hi its me again. Good to be back. Finally got my computer working again (about time) and also have a...
Hi its me again. Good to be back. Finally got my computer working again (about time) and also have a new job!!!
Thanks for your patience as I have been sporadic but i'm here for the long run now...hopefully.
Member since:20.04.2004
Reviews:41
Members who trust:6
Princess
From the Scandinavia region, Denmark, to the average person is not really recognised as a film-making country. The Danes are most famous for exports such as Brian and Michael Laudrup, one of which used to play for Chelsea, the Great Dane himself Peter Schmeichel and probably the most famous export of all…Carlsberg. However to those who do not know, Lars Von Trier, director of The Idiots, Dogville and Manderlay, hails from Copenhagen and is partly responsible for increasing Denmark's profile as a film-making country. Now Anders Morgenthaler, also from Copenhagen will certainly help to raise that profile and put them on the map with this revenge movie Princess.
August, a 32 year old missionary returns home due to the death of his Porn Star Sister, Christina who goes by the name of "The Princess", by drug abuse leaving behind a 5 year old daughter, Mia. August decides to take care of Mia by removing her from the brothel where Christina's prostitute friend is looking after her,
(which of course, is not the ideal environment to raise a child) and look after her himself and provide her with nice stable surroundings. However this stability offered to Mia is shattered when August, racked with guilt and anger takes it upon himself to avenge his sister's death by punishing all in the Porn Industry that was involved in her rise and ultimately in her fall. August sets out on a Beatrix Kiddo/Paul Kersey style one man mission to exact revenge on these people complete with merciless, ruthless and sadistic violence.
The animation in Princess may not be to everyone's cup of tea. Some will say it is fantastically drawn, others will say it's on the substandard side. However none of these factors really matter because the animation is clearly just one piece of the jigsaw to compliment the rest, namely the characters and the storyline. In fact it seems to be secondary to these factors but when put together we have a picture of immense quality with superb direction and direct storytelling. Sure, the revenge story has been told many times before but it's been a while since it has been told in this cold hearted unattractive way. The animated action used to do this is both brutal and disturbing to rival any Manga/Anime Japan has to offer.
Director Anders Morgenthaler has to be commended by trying something a little different in the art of story telling, 80% animation and 20% live action which, maybe will be a little to arthouse for many, but it sure as hell works and keeps the audience's interest in the movie. The story is also told at a nice steady pace. It does not overwhelm us with too much violence or too much sentiment but the equilibrium of these dynamics achieved are just right and are executed in a manner for us to get to know the characters so that we care and sympathise with them. However, as an animated subtitled movie, it is slightly more difficult to completely grasp to the full extent the emotions the characters are feeling and this can and does take away from the experience but thankfully not too much because tone and intensity of the voices ensure that the non Danish-speaking audience loss of this is a minimum.
Do not be fooled by this title because for those expecting a happy fluffy Spirited Away fairy tale with magical creatures and a happily ever after ending … well forget it!!! This is a dark, hard and rough edgy movie that at times makes for uncomfortable watching. At times this feels like a fusion of Death Wish, Kill Bill and Japanese Anime but combined with multidimensional characters we care about this culminates in one of the most surprisingly effective movies around. Princess is not for the faint of heart or for anyone who was part of The Mary Whitehouse Group/Committee… (even though they may like the fact that it is the Porn Industry that is being attacked), the blood and violence however may turn them off!!!
Unfortunately, Princess may not be mainstream enough to continue to raise the profile of Danish film-making, which is unfortunate, but there's no denying that this is a picture of pure quality.
If Tarantino did animation, this is probably what it would be like.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
exceptional by (3%):
very helpful by (97%):
