escaflowne ( japanese : エスカフローネ hepburn : esukafurōne ) , also released under the title escaflowne : a girl in gaea , is a 2000 anime fantasy film produced by sunrise and animated by studio bones .

directed by kazuki akane , the film is a re-telling of the 26-episode anime television series the vision of escaflowne .

while the plot of the film has some similar elements to the original television series , the characters differ in varying degrees from the television counterparts , with many completely redesigned and bearing little resemblance to the originals .

the world of gaea has a more asian design than the heavily european influenced television series .

a soundtrack and two drama cds have also been released in japan by victor entertainment in relation to the series .

escaflowne ( film )

escaflowne and cowboy bebop film producer , minoru takanashi passes away at 54 - ani . me
the film was licensed for region 1 release by bandai entertainment , which gave the film a theatrical release on january 25 , 2002 .
, is an anime fantasy film produced by sunrise and animated by studio bones . directed by kazuki akane , the film is a re - telling of the 26 - episode anime television series the vision of escaflowne .
@ digikerot escaflowne was shot on 35mm film . not particularly common for tv anime , but sunrise was pretty generous back then with big shows !
bones ' sword of the stranger film opens in u . s . today ( feb 5 , 2009 )
duckroll on twitter :
@ digikerot escaflowne was shot on 35mm film . not particularly common for tv anime , but sunrise was pretty generous back then with big shows !
get ready for more feels as kyoto animation announced that violet evergarden will have an anime film slated to premiere on january 2020 . in a tweet which featured the announcement video on friday reveals that the film will premiere in a “same time period” worldwide .
the chariot you are a true escaflowne fan . receive everything in the $ 15 tier , plus a pre - order of the escaflowne movie .
escaflowne [ la pelicula ] [ dvdrip ] [ 3 - 8 ] . rmvb
escaflowne [ la pelicula ] [ dvdrip ] [ 1 - 8 ] . rmvb
escaflowne : the movie asks the question , what if escaflowne were the same… but completely different ? what if it were darker and more violent ? a horse straight up explodes halfway through the film , but the very first frame is enough to let you know you’re in for an all - new trip to gaea .
escaflowne theatre date changed . free screening on march 7 . ( feb 25 , 2002 )
the vision of escaflowne allen schezar anime production cel 5 - $ 74 . 99 | picclick
it has been 20 years since the vision of escaflowne first launched , yet fans overseas are still so excited about this series . why do you feel that escaflowne still remains so popular ?
escaflowne ( エスカフローネ ) is a 2000 anime movie which appears to be set in an alternate universe to the events of the anime television series the vision of escaflowne . animated by sunrise and studio bones , the movie was developed under the pre - production title escaflowne : a girl in gaea , but it was retitled simply as escaflowne before its theatrical premiere . [ citation needed ]
* added bonus : the world tier also includes a theatrical - sized poster of escaflowne art .
the sun you are a true escaflowne fan . receive everything in the $ 15 tier , plus a pre - order of the escaflowne movie . ( early bird tier , limited to 500 units )
escaflowne : the movie is to the the vision of escaflowne as the last airbender is to avatar . the movie shatters all preconceptions , themes , and atmosphere that made the television series so amazing .
@ digikerot i don ' t think so , but there really isn ' t a need to . it wasn ' t digitally composited , the cg was baked into the film iirc .
escaflowne audio drama cd part 2 of 2 . the show was previously aired on bunka hoso radio wave .
escaflowne movie gets u . s . blu - ray disc on september 1 ( jul 8 , 2009 )
the vision of escaflowne also features several on - disc extras , including the club escaflowne series of features with the original creators and japanese voice actors ! more details on the full list of extras will be available soon .
several things bothered me while watching this film . one of the first thing i noticed was the animation - the faces on the characters were horridly drawn , making it hard for facial expressions to appear believable . the animation in itself was fine , however the way the people were drawn was distracting . secondly , the plot was disorganized and scattered ; making the film hard to follow for even fans of the escaflowne tv series . the closing doesn ' t redeem much of the films ' weak points - i wouldn ' t recommend this for those new to escaflowne or those who are fans . it would be disappointing either way .
i ' ll say this . . . . . yoko kanno ' s score for the film is beautiful . if you can find it at a good price , i highly recommend that people should buy the soundtrack .
vision of escaflowne - past and present ( dvd 4 ) 2004 - 04 - 27 ( from $ 8 . 99 )
the trailer for the upcoming anime film of the seven deadly sins titled gekijōban nanatsu no taizai : tenkū no torawarebito ( the seven deadly sins the movie : prisoners of the sky ) was uploaded on its official website on thursday .
the hermit you’re helping make this a reality ! enjoy a one - of - a - kind digital wallpaper featuring escaflowne art .
original production douga from escaflowne . 9
x12
approximate . these are rare so don ' t miss out . hand drawn .
original production genga from escaflowne . 9
x12
approximate . these are rare so don ' t miss out . hand drawn .
in the new issue of anime usa —on newsstands and available to order now ! —we dig into a real anime classic : the vision of escaflowne . by today’s standards escaflowne is downright ancient , but its magical tale of fate , mechs , and a far - flung world at war still holds up nicely . and then we have escaflowne : the movie , which is an entirely different , absolutely gorgeous beast .
* added bonus : the lovers tier also includes a theatrical - sized poster of escaflowne art . quantity has also been increased to 500 !
in one of the tv series’ extras , mastermind shoji kawamori mentions that there are typically two options available when developing an anime film based on an existing series . you can either create a digest , or compilation film , or you can tell an entirely new story . escaflowne : the movie opts for a third option , retelling the original story in the context of an alternate universe . most all of the characters we know and love are present and accounted for , but they’re not exactly the same as we left them . it’s kind of like having a dream about all your friends but there’s something off about each and every one of them .
the star for continental u . s . only – a one - of - a - kind escaflowne experience . we’ll fly you out to the funimation office where you’ll get a tour , a bag of funimation goodies , and you’ll even get to do voice work that will appear in the new escaflowne dub ! and of course , you’ll also receive the escaflowne collector’s edition box set and everything else in the $ 400 tier .
our favorite heroes from my hero academia get classy as official party dress designs were unveiled in the official website of the my hero academia : two heroes anime film on monday . aside from that , the official visual of the young all might was also released .
take vision of escaflowne , remove all the character development , writing , humor , romance , and action that made the series the classic 90s anime people treat it as , and throw it out the window . then replace all that with angst and blood . that ' s the escaflowne movie .
fred patten reviews the latest anime releases inbluding : outlaw star , cardcaptors , cardcaptor sakura , the vision of escaflowne , cowboy bebop and generator gawl .
boxed escaflowne the movie ultimate edition dvd set . 2001 bandai . set is complete in box . discs are in very good to near mint condition .
booklet tenku no escaflowne art material limited edition - the vision of escaflowne . book title . book - b / c . used book x 1 . condition - - - - - good ( a - b - c - d - e ) bad . 24 pages ( no missing page ) .
the big battle between dilandau’s guymelef and the van - piloted escaflowne is worth the wait . escaflowne is much more intimidating and mysterious in the movie , and its connection to van is violent and painful . where the tv series inflicted pain on van for every wound escaflowne received , the movie makes the entire piloting experience one blood - spurting exercise in agony . escaflowne : the movie is a counterpoint for anyone who thought piloting a giant , knight - like mech might even be a little bit fun . it’s beautiful and savage , which is a decent way to sum up the movie as a whole .
check out the list of rewards for supporting this campaign , including several tiers with actual pre - orders for new releases of the vision of escaflowne dub .
novel the vision of escaflowne vol . book title . book - b . used book x 1 . more than 220 pages ( no missing page ) .
“yuri . . on ice . ” will be making its return to the screen next year as the
yuri . . . on concert
event revealed in osaka details for the upcoming film work . titled as yuri . . . on ice the movie : ice adolescence ( yuri .
nobuteru yūki did many character re - designs . the soundtrack was , as with the escaflowne series , composed mostly by yoko kanno in collaboration with hajime mizoguchi .
gaia is a mythical realm ruled by sword and sorcery and immersed in blood and violence . thrust into a conflict she doesn ' t quite understand , hitomi helps aid the young prince van as they embark upon their journey of discovery . the battle over a legendary suit of dragon armor , escaflowne , has begun . escaflowne : the movie
in terms of new details on existing anime limited products , andrew partridge has unveiled the final product for the long - awaited release for the vision of escaflowne ultimate edition .
the moon we can see you are just as excited as we are . please enjoy everything in the $ 125 tier , plus a pre - order of the escaflowne movie .
▼ minami takayama , the voice of sweet , innocent kiki , would go on to play such violent psychopaths as the vision of escaflowne’s dilandau and fullmetal alchemist : brotherhood’s envy .
the high priestess good things are coming your way ! for $ 125 , receive everything in the $ 15 tier , a pre - order of escaflowne tv series part 1 kickstarter edition and part 2 ( which completes the rest of the series and fits in snugly in the part 1 kickstarter edition box ) , plus a theatrical - sized poster of escaflowne art .
the empress you get everything in the $ 200 tier and a theatrical - sized poster of escaflowne art , signed by the u . s . principal cast of the new dub .
as we were . vision of escaflowne remains , in my mind , a exciting , well - thought - out , and wonderful television adventure classic that soars among the best of anime . escaflowne : the movie is a bad
what if
that simply doesn ' t translate into theatrical success . in fact , despite the oodles of visual effects , i don ' t consider it to be escaflowne at all . fans of mecha shows will be let down by the fact that there ' s only one ( count ' em , one ) mecha action scene where there ' s actual combat . loyal fans of escaflowne might not forgive the utter waste of the characters . ( i sure didn ' t . ) and though casual fans of anime might find this enjoyable without the pretext of the escaflowne background , the plot and characterization still leave a lot to be desired as a standalone movie . which is precisely the problem - escaflowne : the movie tries too hard to be unlike the original but with the same background , that it can ' t stand alone properly as a serious movie . unless you ' re willing to forgive a lot of liberties taken with the franchise , or simply have a morbid sense of curiosity , stay well away from escaflowne : the movie .
long story short . . . if you ' ve waited to get into escaflowne because you ' ve heard misgivings about the movie , wait no longer and pick this up . i found it a solid 90 + minutes of entertainment that is in many ways better than some of the disappointing anime feature films that western audiences have seen recently . although 2005 seems a little tardy to be talking about a film from 2000 , when you ' ve got a strong title to talk about , better late than never !
― i didn ' t go to see fireworks on the 4th last week , but i did go to see fireworks the anime movie on the 3rd . that ' s some clever timing on the part of whoever ' s in charge of promoting the film . the movie itself is alright , and it ' s cert . . .
how do you score a film that makes little sense without the context of the original show ? for fans of the show this is a fabulous movie - 4 . 5 stars for a right recasting of the original ' s lore . coming in with no history it does little to distinguish itself from other generic anime / fantasy / mech ova .
escaflowne has a brash , manly hero ( van ) and action - packed mecha battles , but it also includes many shoujo romance elements . was the series created with female audiences in mind as well ?
there is an endless amount of anime series that have accompanying film - length features . in some cases , they offer alternative subplots . traditionally , many are in fact condensed versions of the series as a whole , with very little to no nuance . don ' t want to sit through all four segments of macross plus ? watch
the movie
. don ' t want to watch all twenty - six episodes of the vision of escaflowne ? um , excuse you , no . you need to watch all twenty - six episodes . then sure , if you want to watch escaflowne : the movie , knock yourself out . it ' s rushed , but not necessarily a mess . the animation is stunning and the soundtrack i cannot possibly gush over enough ; it truly rivals the beauty and brilliance of the original , but…
you know what ' s sad ? the ocean voice cast feels more refined in their roles than in the dub for the television series . . . . . . . . buuuuuuuut the majority of the show ' s cast are either pointless to the film ' s plot ( e . g . allen , dryden and millerna ) or outright ruined by shallow reinterpretation ( especially bad in the case of hitomi and folken )
hear from the director of a classic anime ! for escaflowne’s 20th anniversary , director kazuki akane answered some questions at a special panel at otakon . learn about the director’s opinion on the english dub—and yes , the story behind those noses !
so is there anything i liked about this movie ? well , it ' s pretty , with slightly improved character designs and a good sounstrack by the great yoko kanno . annnnnd that ' s about it . escaflowne : a girl in gaea is a pointless retread of something that was good enough the first time around , and it won ' t win over any new fans in its wake . and escaflowne fans themselves should stay as far away from this turkey as possible .
mamoru hosoda doesn’t have a new film coming out this summer , but the famed anime director is still very much in the spotlight . hosoda’s 2015 feature , the boy and the beast , is getting international attention for its recent north american theatrical run and english - language home video release , his adaptation of the girl who leapt through time is celebrating its 10th anniversary , and there’s even a themed cafe in tokyo celebrating his works .
the lovers this tier is for fans of the gorgeous escaflowne music , from legendary composers yoko kanno and hajime mizoguchi . contribute $ 200 and you’ll get everything in the $ 175 tier plus the imported soundtrack from japan ( lovers only ) .
the first european presentation was on january 19 , 2001 , during the future film festival in bologna ( italy ) . the north american theatrical premiere was on january 25 , 2002 , in select cities , including los angeles , new york , san francisco , chicago , and vancouver . the north american television premiere was september 10 , 2005 , on the cartoon network programming block adult swim , after airing on [ adult swim ] on demand .
for starters , hitomi is terribly depressed at the beginning of the film , even going so far as to draft a suicide note of sorts for her friend yukari . missing , or at least kept off - screen , is her pining for fellow track team member amano susumu . despite yukari’s ribbing—which either makes hitomi’s depression seem less serious or the butt of a drawn - out joke—hitomi’s mental state is presented as rather bleak , to say the least .
the other new announcements are a bunch of production i . g . shorts . the main one in particular that was focused the most was the 2015 film pigtails ( mitsuami no kamisama ) , based on the 2011 tohoku earthquake . the film is directed by itazu yoshimi who was also chief animation director for miss hokusai ( another production i . g . title and anime limited license ) . in addition to pigtails , andrew partridge announced they are planning to release a collection of production i . g . shorts in one set . these include the mind game and ping pong director masaaki yuasa’s successful kickstarter title kick heart , the anime mirai shorts ( so far it seems to be tansuwarashi and wasurenagumo ) , as well as oval x over which has yet to be shown outside japan . no release date details as of late but andrew is working on including some of these for scotland loves anime 2016 .
transitioning a much - loved television show to the big screen is a huge task . sometimes the hop works really well and revives a franchise ( i . e . star trek ) . sometimes the effort just stalls out from lack of interest ( i . e . serenity / firefly ) . and sometimes you wonder what crack the producers were smoking to create a film so unlike the original ( i . e . bewitched ) . in the anime world , this isn ' t all that different . . . except that most anime tells a complete story with about 10 hours of screen time ( assuming a 26 - episode series ) rather than being individually episodic . this leaves film producers in a lurch . they can either tell a story that ' s related to and expands upon the original , possibly losing new viewers , or they can retell the tv story and potentially alienate the fan base . which do you choose ?
if the project meets the goal of $ 150 , 000 , we’ll be releasing the vision of escaflowne television series on blu - ray and dvd with both the original uncut japanese hd with english subtitles , and a brand - new english dub matching those materials . this release will also include an exclusive interview with kazuki akane and shoji kawamori specifically recorded for english - speaking fans , and the escaflowne movie will receive a new matching dub . certain tiers of this kickstarter include escaflowne blu - ray / dvd releases as rewards , including a special pre - order of a one - of - a - kind version of part 1 that includes a beautiful chipboard housing box and art cards featuring illustrations from the series . this kickstarter edition of part 1 is only available to kickstarter backers .
novel the vision of escaflowne vol . book title . book - b . used book x 1 . condition - - - - - good ( a - b - c - d - e ) bad . more than 220 pages ( no missing page ) .
though the animation is technically stunning , especially in the opening fight sequence where van beheads or bisects a good two dozen enemy soldiers with his sword , it ' s far too dark and murky ( a problem last seen in the red - paint spectacular , spriggan ) , and the action in quite a few scenes actually suffers for it . the music , though appropriate and beautiful , is more of a recap of the tv series than anything truly original , though to kanno yoko ' s credit , she doesn ' t repeat the escaflowne chanting track more than necessary . literally the only thing i can rave about here is the ending song , maaya sakamoto ' s
yubiwa
, which frankly belongs in a far better film .
the movie ' s not perfect and these flaws do irk , but they do not make the movie unwatchable , they simply prevent it from getting a high score . escaflowne remains a memorable experience and worth a watch because it’s not long enough to overstay its welcome .
more announcements from anime expo ! at their panel , sunrise , the creators of cowboy bebop and code geass , helped us to reveal the cover art and official home video release date for the vision of escaflowne , the classic mecha fantasy anime , for its 20th anniversary .
and she winds up in the middle of a vast war for the planet of gaia . she meets van , a warrior who by all rights should be king . however , his brother falcon is a usurper who has a gigantic fleet of warships at his command . the hope both have is in dragon armor known as escaflowne . however , one would use escaflowne to save the world , the other to destroy it utterly . hitomi , the legendary wind princess , may have finally found her home , but it may disappear from under her wings .
( it is the vision of escaflowne setting picture book . it is the highest book in the collector . out of print rare book ! there are a lot of books of other kendo and samurai - ) . ( brazil , chile , and peru , etc . ) .
[ … ] funimation’s kickstarter for the vision of escaflowne bluray with new english dub comes out next month . here’s the trailer featuring the new dub cast . also , the super swag collector’s edition , which zen has pre - ordered , is still available at rightstuf . [ … ]
all of the character designs are much more realistic in escaflowne : the movie . i mean , at least as realistic as lion - headed dudes and cat girls can possibly be . gone are the zaibach empire’s invisible - cloak - wearing guymelef mechs . as imposing as they were in the series , the condensed running time of the movie makes a more intimate showdown necessary . while we wait most of the running time for escaflowne to take center stage , director kazuki akane and co - writer ryota yamaguchi opt to leave zaibach’s sole giant robot in the hands of resident wild card dilandau .
escaflowne the movie uses the same characters , mecha and world as the well - loved tv series – but to tell a more direct , fantasy - by - the - numbers story . redeemed by a wonderful soundtrack and impressive visuals , it still manages to cast a distinctive spell of its own .
the escaflowne tv series collector’s edition , standard editions , and movie will all hit shelves on october 18 , 2016 ! all releases with have both the new 2016 english dub and the original broadcast english dub , as well as japanese audio . you’ll be able to pre - order on july 15 .
fox kids is getting on my nerves . they never seem to finish any of the shows that they are starting . let ' s see here . . . . there was escaflowne , then that other show cyber six , and there were others that i really liked but they all got cut off .
bandai visual producer takanashi minoru passed away . i think that the title escaflowne could not be realized without his planning power . it is like yesterday that 2199 was also highly appreciated , and various eyes of the goods such as deployment “let’s do it ! ” made eyes shimmer . i pray for your souls .
on the other hand , if you ' ve seen little to none of the television series , then you ' re in good shape . for all i ' ve said so far , i ' ve barely scratched the surface of how exciting this film is . it ' s carefully plotted so that the action sequences come often , but not at an overwhelming pace . it ' s also nice that there ' s little repetition ; each set piece has its own feel and timing . it moves quickly enough that i was truly surprised when it was over .
plot hitomi , a depressed high school student , finds herself being called to the mysterious world of gaia - - a fantastic place embroiled in a bloody war and hanging on the brink of destruction . waking up inside the dragon armor escaflowne she meets van , the young prince of adom who is embroiled in the conflicting war . van seeks the escaflowne to destroy all his enemies , hitomi confused of her role and misunderstanding the entire situation causes the armor to disappear , turning it into a small pink stone which is later turned into a necklace by the mole man . with their friends the abaharaki both hitomi and van are pulled into the center of the war with hitomi ' s wish of destruction or salvation setting the fate of gaia . setting unlike in the series , gymelefs are virtually non - existent , only existing in myth . the only two shown are the escaflowne and alseides ( name is not mentioned in the film ) , both of which run on blood / impure blood from those decedents of the dragon clan . it has also a number of differences with its many asian elements in contrast to the european elements in the series . the only countries named through the movie are torishina , freid and adom ( fanelia ) . all other countries have been assumedly taken over by the black dragon clan . it is safe to say that the setting of the movie is much more darker and has a brooding feel to the entire ordeal with its frequency in switching between hitomi and van ' s personal problems .
does that matter in the longrun ? not really . escaflowne : the movie is a 95 - minute visual spectacle that carries just the right amount of the original series’ essence along with it . if you plan on watching both , do yourself a favor and watch the tv series first . it’s the best way to appreciate all the changes made for the theatrical version , and it gives you a chance to just sit back and stare at the fantastic animation . speaking of which , escaflowne : the movie looks great on blu - ray . funimation’s release lacks notable extras , but it’s good to have it back on home video .
i had never seen or even heard of the show when i picked this movie up as a child , so as a stand - alone , i really , really enjoyed this film . the music , the art , the voice acting , it ' s all done very well . the fantasy is top notch and i really loved it . i ' m watching the show now and i can see why , as a comparison , it doesn ' t stand up . but for a stand - alone , and nostalgia , yep . i almost gave it a 5 .
hitomi kanzaki is depressed and considering killing herself . one day , a man appears before her and calls her the wing goddess , summoning her to gaea , a world at war , where she is the ultimate arbiter of the god of the heavens and war , escaflowne , and , accordingly , gaea ' s destiny .
$ 500 , 000 – you ' re invited to a vip backer - only escaflowne party ! we’ll arrange a u . s . visit for original director kazuki akane at a major u . s . anime convention , and provide an exclusive vip party for kickstarter backers only . ( transport and lodging are not provided . )
remember those great mecha battle scenes with van on the escaflowne ? they ' re gone now , as van spends most of the movie slashing at things and watching them bleed . there is a robot battle , but only one worth mention , and it doesn ' t come until pretty far in to be of much notice .
escaflowne : a girl in gaea was produced by sunrise and bandai visual , and was directed by kazuki amane , same as in the series . it was released in theatres in japan on june 24th , 2000 , was licensed stateside by bandai entertainment and had a limited run in theatres stateside starting on january 25th , 2002 .
you know something is wrong with this movie the moment hitomi reveals herself to be a suicidal teen on the brink of self - destruction . this is not the vision of escaflowne we ' ve grown to enjoy , that people are currently watching on north american television . no , this is some other sort of beast entirely .
in this retelling of the story from the tv series vision of escaflowne , we follow a jaded , lonely high school girl named hitomi whose wish for the ending of her sorrow draws the attentions of forces from a mysterious world , the world of gaea . drawn into this strange new world , she encounters a land at war , and empire of floating castles at one end , and a ragtag group of rebels in search a giant organic robot known as escaflowne - a name which in the world evokes the very essence of war and destruction . can she , the
goddess of wings
, save this world , and herself , from utter destruction ?
below are comments about this cartoon submitted by people who have seen this show . take a look and see what others have said about escaflowne . we want to know what you think , too ! ! feel free to share your own opinion - we do want to hear from you ! you can add your own comments here .
that explanation gels with the more reserved , natural dialogue readings that are often present in hosoda’s films . many fans have noticed , though , that there’s something else that differentiates his movies’ vocal casts , in that established anime voice actors almost never play the lead roles in the director’s movies . the core vocal cast for the boy and the beast , for example , is made up of koji yakusho , shota sometani , and suzu hirose , all of whom work almost exclusively in live - action film and television . previous hosoda hits wolf children and summer wars are similarly light on big - name anime voice actors .
gaea is a mythical realm ruled by sword and sorcery and immersed in blood and violence . thrust into a conflict she doesn ' t quite understand , hitomi kanzaki helps aid the young prince van as they embark upon a journey to fight the black dragon clan . the battle over a legendary suit of dragon armor , escaflowne , has begun .
la primera vez que vi escaflowne the movie fue en el 2000 durante una special screening en la animexpo . 18 años después , ahora con otra percepción puedo ver que es una película menospreciada ya que su animación y diseño de personajes están increíbles . las escenas de acción no se sienten tan viejas y podrían rivalizar con algunos animes más nuevos .
hitomi kanzaki is in a very depressed mood . she only wants to sleep and fade away . her misery summons lord folken who sends her to gaea . the people of gaea think she is the wing goddess , who can call upon the legendary dragon armor called escaflowne . on gaea , king van , the sole survior of the white dragon clan , is also in a depressed state . swearing an oath to get his revenge on the black dragon clan that oblierated van ' s kingdom , he lives by the sword . now that the wing goddess has finally appeared , she posseses gaea ' s world fate in her heart . escaflowne will either lead gaea to peace or total ruin .
do you have anything to add to this page ? have we made any mistakes . . . or do you have any additional information about escaflowne ? if so , we would love to hear from you . please send us a quick note with your additions or corrections to this page , and we will make the corrections as soon as possible !
hitomi kanzaki is in a very depressed mood . she only wants to sleep and fade away . her misery summons lord folken who sends her to gaea . the people of gaea think she is the wing goddess , who can call upon the legendary dragon armor called escaflowne . on gaea , king van , the sole survior of the white dragon clan , is also in a depressed state . swearing an oath to get his revenge on the black dragon clan that obliterated van ' s kingdom , he lives by the sword . now that the wing goddess has finally appeared , she posseses gaea ' s world fate in her heart . escaflowne will either lead gaea to peace or total ruin . ( source : ann )
funimation ' s kickstarter campaign for the vision of escaflowne anime series ' new english dub posted an update on tuesday . the update revealed that aaron dismuke ( fullmetal alchemist ' s alphonse elric , blood blockade battlefront ' s leonardo watch , the heroic legend of arslan ' s arslan ) will voice main character van fanel . sonny strait will direct the english dub .
the vision of escaflowne is one of the most prolific classic anime to date—and a pivotal title in opening the door to anime fandom in north america . from its riveting fantasy storyline , gorgeous visuals , a stirring score , romance , and of course , awesome gigantic robots , it ' s clear that this is a series that has stood the test of time .
so far takanashi’s more popular production works have been recognized to be for the films of the space western series , “cowboy bebop” and the fantasy series “escaflowne . ” as for tv series , his most recognized works consist of the space musical series macross’ 7 , the action series “gate keepers” , the oavs for the mecha series gundam’s 0080 , and char’s counter attack .
the vision of escaflowne . v . 1 , dragons and destiny . v . 2 , betrayal and trust . v . 3 , angels and demons . v . 4 , past and present . v . 5 , paradise and pain . v . 6 , fate and fortune . v . 7 , light and shadow . v . 8 , forever and ever .
the ultimate edition will include the complete series and the movie on blu - ray . the tv series was known to feature extended footage for the earlier episodes but thanks to the support of justin sevakis they have created an authoring that will allow fans to watch the series with both broadcast style for the bandai entertainment english dub and the original for the japanese audio and funimation’s new english dub . that way fans of the old dub and those who want the new footage can experience both without any issues . the on - disc extras share the same as funimation’s upcoming release with textless opening & endings , music videos , video game cutscenes , club escaflowne interviews as well as trailers , anime expo 2000 and a special program for the escaflowne movie .
the characters themselves don ' t stand out quite as much as the action does . hitomi , van , and falcon are the center of the show , and they are fully fleshed out . however , the movie introduces many of the characters from the series briefly and without too much effort to explain their presence . thankfully , these cameos are few and far between . the plot works within what ' s explained , but there are times when a little more exposition would have been helpful . though i really liked the film , the grade for the show reflects that the story has a few gaps that a newcomer might find . . . well , not confusing so much as annoying .
high school student hitomi is transported from earth to the magical world of gaea , where she meets boy prince van fanel , and is caught up in his quest to unite the countries of gaea against the ominous zaibach empire . on the way , she discovers an hidden ability and strives to unravel layers of mystery surrounding van , his past , and the giant machine known as escaflowne .
escaflowne itself is one of the best mecha designs i ' ve seen in anime , truly a beast of a ' machine ' , literally taking the flesh and blood of whoever the poor user of it is , a real tool of war , one that is a double - edged sword , quite literally . and when kanno ' s amazing music is playing it’s a sight to behold .
$ 200 , 000 ( unlocked ! ) – in addition to the series ' new dub , the vision of escaflowne part 1 will be upgraded to include a special feature of the new english cast , including behind - the - scenes footage and interviews . this will be added to the kickstarter edition of part 1 , the standard edition available outside of this kickstarter , and the collector ' s edition .
the tower for supporting this endeavor , you get : everything in the $ 15 tier , plus a pre - order of the escaflowne tv series part 1 kickstarter edition , featuring episodes 1 - 13 of the hd complete uncut version of the series in japanese with english subtitles and the brand new english dub , all housed with exclusive art cards in a handsome chipboard box not available outside of this kickstarter .
however , as striking as all his production works were , this all comes to an end this year . on april 12 , artist and colleague takanashi , nobuteru yuuki , who worked on the character design of the fantasy series “escaflowne” and animated for supernatural martial arts series “battle royal high school” , reports on his twitter that at the age of 54 , the veteran producer that is minoru takanashi has passed away .
then there ' s the writing . i suspect sunrise hired escaflowne fans in middle school to write this , as the plot and its constant mention of the same things over and over again makes doraemon look like it was written by charles dickens . not to mention how boring of a formula the movie follows : if you ' ve watched anime for a few years now , you can guess what will happen before it happens .
even die - hard fans of japanese animation—with its pixie - faced characters , primitive movement , brilliant colors , and pseudo - mystical gobbledegook plots—will find this one a challenge . the plot ( as incomprehensible as the four - syllable title ) has something to do with a schoolgirl named hitomi transported to an alternate world called gaia , where she is hailed as the “wing goddess” who will help the oppressed people fight the evil black dragon clan . perhaps the problem is that the film is edited down from a 26 - part tv series , but it doesn’t help that the english soundtrack is so cheap , with bland , characterless voices and long stretches of dead silence . the images of battle and destruction , though jerky and unconvincingly animated , are vividly colorful—the most reliable trait of anime .
escaflowne concerns itself with fate , space and time , so its skilful editing in the movie can be understood as part of the theme , whereas in the tv series the editing was conventional yet the story made no sense . this is the key difference between tv series and movie . one is dressed up in conventional tones yet is weak narratively , while the other is an abstract enigma that makes somewhat logical sense underneath the mystery .
i actually want to know myself why this is still so popular because honestly , back then , in japan while we made escaflowne , we definitely put a lot of effort into it , but we didn’t really make it thinking that we were going to market it abroad . so we had no idea it would end up like this and i’m actually really shocked myself , in a good way , how many more fans there are .
character designs are more ' realistic ' than the tv series as expected , but what stands out the most is the world design which feels mystical and dreamlike , very memorable and unique , it feels like escaflowne and not a random generic fantasy - land . the music by yoko kanno recycles some motifs from the tv series but includes a few new compositions and songs , all of the standard you ' d expect from the master composer .
so what ' s all the fuss about ? well , if you enjoyed and remember the vision of escaflowne as a light and flowery fantasy / action entertainment , this may not be your thing . the tone of the film is not quite as dark as molasses , but it ' s quite close . even from the episodes i saw many years ago now , there ' s a significant difference . will you mind ? if these characters are sacrosanct , then yeah , i understand the problem . unlike the similar filmic
reversioning
of , say , macross , not only do the timelines change but the players do as well . lynn minmei may have been a singing star at the beginning of the macross movie rather than halfway through the tv series , but her personality didn ' t change from optimistically immature to suicidal loner - - that ' s the kind of transformation hitomi fans face . if you ' re a big fan of the show , this review is not for you . i can ' t tell you how you ' ll feel because i ' ve just not seen enough of the program . ( i should also warn you that it ' s far more violent than the tv series could ever get away with ; though it ' s not excessive , the blood flows freely . )
i think the ending was done well , exept it was kinda sad : ( the only thing i don ' t like about it is that hitomi and van have to split appart after all they ' ve been through together . . . . . . the fight was cool : ) . . . . . . . van beat allan . . . . . . . . but i wonder how van can stick his hand into that ruby type thing on escaflowne ?
now tarzan with a sword . allen is now a clone of sephiroth , and so forth ; every character you knew from escaflowne is ruined , and these character would still suck even to those not very familiar with the franchise ( such as myself ) . the only improved character is merle , who ' s a good deal less annoying than she was in the tv series . in fact , she ' s the best character in the whole movie ! unfortunately , that ' s not a compliment .
this is the writer doing what he should have done the first time round , this is taking the core premise of escaflowne and fulfilling its potential by working with the rest of the cast rather than doodling random crap together by himself and worming his way out with deus ex machinas every five minutes . this is a near - perfect melding of all departments of the production team gelling together to bring to the viewer a unique vision of another world and its impact on a teenager at the end of her tether .
funimation will also make a new matching dub for escaflowne : the movie . funimation will release both a standard edition and a collector ' s edition for the series . the standard edition will be a blu - ray disc / dvd combo pack , and both discs will have the director ' s cut with the new dub . the collector ' s edition will have the new dub on blu - ray disc and the old dub on dvd . the release will also include an exclusive interview with director kazuki akane and creator shoji kawamori .
actually , no , i must say i think this is pretty much the first time i’ve seen an english dub of my work and in fact , it’s about 10 years since i got to watch escaflowne in japanese . the american staff and cast are so incredibly good that honestly , i was thinking , “wow , when did hitomi and van learn english ? ” it didn’t feel strange at all to be listening to them in english , so i’m really grateful to the cast and to sonny [ strait , adr director ] . thank you .
the rewards for the campaign include pre - orders of exclusive kickstarter editions of both parts of the release , featuring 13 episodes each of the hd complete uncut version of the series in japanese with english subtitles as well as the new english dub . the kickstarter edition also includes exclusive art cards . other rewards include digital wallpapers , on - disc credit listings , pre - orders of escaflowne : the movie , theatrical - sized posters , the series ' soundtrack , and collector ' s edition box sets that feature an art book and an unannounced exclusive item , among others .
warning : this section contains spoilers ! hitomi kanzaki hitomi is a depressed schoolgirl , suffering from self - induced feelings of loneliness and alienation . she is not a clairvoyant , but frequently has dreams of a
boy in strange cloths
she had seen in the train station as a young girl . once on gaia she is often referred to as wing goddess and soon her outlook changes by finding a somewhat kindred spirit in van . she states in the movie that she
wants to stay with him
and when called to battle doesn ' t want the escaflowne to descend and van to pilot it due to the tale of escaflowne ' s previous destruction of gaia . van fanel of adom van is the young king of the destroyed kingdom of adom . he is lonely and very emotionally distant from those around him , aggressive in combat and showing a willingness to slay any enemy in combat ; he seeks the leader of the black dragon clan for revenge on his people and family . after meeting hitomi and a near death experience his attitude has changed as seen by merle and at the end he even mentions that he
doesn ' t want to fight anymore .
warning there will be some spoiles for both the movie and the show escaflowne in the brief review that follows . before i get to that , i ' ll give a capsule review : this is a very nice movie that takes the characters and basic plot structure of the tv show and crafts them in a way to talk about an entirely different set of themes . to get the most out of the movie some familiarity with the characters will be helpful , however being too tied to characters behaving and doing the same things as they did in the show will invariably lead to disappointment .
the world this is the true collector tier . for your generosity , you’ll receive a pre - order of the escaflowne complete series + movie collector’s edition box set , the ultimate collection . this includes the complete series and movie with japanese audio and english subtitles plus the new dub , as well as : - a chipboard box ( different from the kickstarter edition ) featuring new art from the japanese release - a perfect - bound art book - a special exclusive item - - to be announced ! - and bonus dvds of the original dub version - - the only release that includes this version !
1 . yubiwa 2 . first vision 3 . colors 4 . into gaea 5 . appearance of the dragon armor 6 . horse ride 7 . gaia sheep 8 . regret 9 . bird song 10 . sora 11 . alseides 12 . the hurt 13 . take my hands 14 . organ pub 15 . what ' cha gonna do ? ? ? 16 . sora ' s folktale 17 . torushina 18 . dance of the curse ii 19 . black escaflowne 20 . tree of hearts 21 . we ' re flying 22 . who will save 23 . final vision 24 . nomitori song 25 . your not alone 26 . untitled
even the movie ' s detractors admit that this is a wonderful looking production . it isn ' t quite as shiny as modern wonders like ghost in the shell 2 or appleseed , but it doesn ' t need the extra gloss . the score by yoko kanno is highly symphonic , which is appropriate for the movie ' s tone and shows the diversity of her work ( for those just familiar with her work on cowboy bebop ) . it ' s not a faultless production , but it is quite lovely overall . the character designs are , admittedly , different , but they make escaflowne stand out against some of the other shows on the market .


child 's pose ( romanian : poziția copilului ) is a 2013 romanian drama film directed by călin peter netzer .

the film premiered in competition at the 63rd berlin international film festival where it won the golden bear .

it was screened in the contemporary world cinema section at the 2013 toronto international film festival .

luminita gheorghiu was nominated as the best actress at the 26th european film awards and the film won the telia film award at the stockholm international film festival 2013 .

the film was selected as the romanian entry for the best foreign language film at the 86th academy awards , but it was not nominated .

child ' s pose ( film )

berlin winner ‘child’s pose’ gets u . s . distribution ( exclusive ) – variety
the romanian film child ' s pose has picked up the coveted golden bear prize for best film at the 63rd berlin film festival .
“child’s pose” will open at film forum on feb . 19 with a national rollout to follow . the film had its north american debut last month at the toronto film festival .
rn film critic jason di rosso joins ellen fanning to discuss the belgium film the broken circle breakdown and child ' s pose , a portrayal of class division in romania .
zeitgeist films has acquired all u . s . rights to calin peter netzer’s “child’s pose , ” winner of the golden bear at berlin and the romanian entry for best foreign language film at the academy awards . “child’s pose” will open at film forum on feb . 19 with a national rollout to follow . the film had its north american [ … ]
an unflinching look at life among the country’s entitled and connected upper class , “child’s pose” follows a controlling mother’s attempt to bribe freedom for her ungrateful son after he kills a child from a poor family in a traffic accident .
zeitgeist films has acquired all u . s . rights to calin peter netzer ’s “child’s pose , ” winner of the golden bear at berlin and the romanian entry for best foreign language film at the academy awards .
one piece of advice : see “child’s pose” in time for dinner or a long cup of coffee afterwards . this is a film meant for spirited discussion , and even argument .
cornelia ( luminita gheorghiu ) is an overbearing , oppressive mother seeking to keep her son , barbu , out of trouble in the romanian film “child’s pose . ” ( zeitgeist films )
winner – best film – 2013 berlin film festival winner – 9 romanian film awards incl best film , director , actress , screenplay , supp . actor & supp . actress
correction , feb . 21 , 2014 : this article previously misstated when child ' s pose won at the berlin film festival . it was last year , not this year . ( return . )
gravity director alfonso cuarón and the film’s visual effects supervisor tim webber , of london’s framestore , explain the unique challenges of realising the film’s zero - gravity setting .
berlin - - the 63rd berlin international film festival handed out its awards saturday , with the top prize , the golden bear for best film , going to the romanian family drama and corruption tale “child’s pose , ” directed by calin peter netzer .
a gripping and thought - provoking drama that touches on the nature of grief and class corruption in the new romania , the heart of child ' s pose is nevertheless its convincing study of a power struggle between mother and adult child .
the winner of the golden bear at the 2013 berlinale , calin peter netzer‘s riveting child’s pose centres on a mother’s twisted affection for her son , and the repercussions of her actions when his wellbeing is placed in jeopardy . .
‘child’s pose’ , a romanian movie by director calin peter netzer about a domineering mother using her social position to try to save her son from jail , won the golden bear for best picture at the berlin film festival on saturday .
berlin ( reuters ) - “child’s pose” , a romanian drama about a domineering mother using her social position to try to save her son from jail , won the golden bear for best picture at the berlin film festival on saturday .
a romanian political allegory - in romanian - might sound like tough sledding , but thanks to a searing performance by luminita gheorghiu ,
child ' s pose
is anything but .
child’s pose presents in a thrilling , emotional , yet humorous way , the relationship between a ruling mother and her grown - up child . child’s pose is a touching film on traumatizing children while suffocating them with love and on the marks that parents leave on their children’s personalities . the movie is also a depiction of the romanian contemporary high - class , speaking about low - level corruption and trading of influence in the midst of the core social institutions and their extensions over the whole socio - economic system in romania nowadays . urltoken
venue : berlin film festival ( competition ) , feb . 11 , 2012 . production company : parada film
london — the european co - production award , the prix eurimages , which acknowledges the role of co - productions in the european film industry , has gone to ada solomon , the producer of calin peter netzer’s “child’s pose , ” which won the top prize at the berlin film festival , and is the romanian oscar entry .
calin peter netzer ' s powerful family drama child ' s pose - - which won this year ' s berlinale top prize , the golden bear , and the critics ' fipresci award - - was the unanimous choice of the national oscar nominating committee .
child ' s pose is the sort of film that foregrounds a major event rather than a plot per se , in the hope that the exploration of said event will allow character nuance and social significance to waft up from cracks in the façade .
more… “child’s pose sounds like something elementary and easy , but don’t be fooled . this stunning film from romania , a ferocious psychological drama with the pace of a thriller , is anything but simple” – kenneth turan reviews for npr ( audio ) .
she would go into
child ' s pose ,
a resting position , but the room ' s conditions made relaxing difficult . on four occasions , she left the 39 c room to recover . then she quit .
calin peter netzer ' s film is a tale of corruption and guilt in modern romania .
london — the european co - production award , the prix eurimages , which acknowledges the role of co - productions in the european film industry , has gone to ada solomon , the producer of calin peter netzer’s “child’s pose , ” which won the top prize at the berlin film festival , and is the romanian oscar entry . through her shingle hifilm , solomon has [ … ]
călin peter netzer ( b . 1975 , petroşani , romania ) studied directing at bucharest’s theatre and film academy . his feature - length debut maria ( 2003 ) premiered at locarno where it received the main jury prize and awards for the two main actors . his second feature medal of honor ( medalia de onoare , 2009 ) screened at more than thirty film festivals and was selected for the prestigious variety critics’ choice section at kviff 2010 . child’s pose is netzer’s third feature film .
produced by romania ' s parada film , the movie is represented internationally by germany ' s beta cinema , which is reportedly anticipating a u . s . sale soon .
alin peter netzer ' s child ' s pose is a gripping new drama from romania and another demonstration of how that country ' s new wave is developing a distinctive kind of real - time slice - of - life cinema with characterisation in extreme , pitiless closeup . it ' s able to open up brilliantly crafted incidental insights into post - ceaușescu society , and like corneliu porumboiu ' s
hailed internationally by both audiences and critics , and popular winner of the coveted golden bear at the 2013 berlinale , calin peter netzer‘s child’s pose is a riveting drama that centres on the vice - like grip of a mother’s affection for her son , and the repercussions of her actions when his wellbeing is placed in jeopardy .
surprisingly , though , after mostly ignoring the heart of the injustice it clinically examines , the mutually toxic mother and son of “child’s pose” do finally confront the family of the dead boy in an emotional third act in which barbu , in a moment of liberation and responsibility , successfully asks his mother to undo the child lock on his car door .
few viewers will come away from “child’s pose” without strong feelings about cornelia and her behavior — whether they see it as pathological or an example of political allegory at its most shrewd . but even the most passionate judgments might be chipped away after the film’s amazing final sequence , which the director begins in a cramped home kitchen and ends by masterfully framing a pivotal encounter in a car’s rearview mirror .
taking the golden bear in 2013 was romanian film “ child’s pose ” from director calin peter netzer . his third feature , netzer has been quietly making a name for himself on the festival circuit , but gets one of his biggest wins to date for his tale about a mother who tries to keep her son out of prison after he runs over and kills a child . the film currently has no u . s . distribution , but that situation will hopefully change , with the big prize win certain to put the picture on a few more radars .
festival director dieter kosslick ( l ) applauds as jury president wong kar wai ( r ) watches as director calin peter netzer and producer ada solomon recieve the golden bear award for best film for their movie
pozitia copilului
( child ' s pose ) during the awards ceremony at the 63rd berlinale international film festival in berlin february 16 , 2013 . reuters / fabrizio bensch ( germany - tags : entertainment )
luminita gheorghiu shines as a controlling mother who goes into overdrive when her adult son runs over a child .
a journalist’s conscience leads her to reveal her source to the fbi . here’s why .
all kinds of monstrous mothers rage and rail in the movies , including those who love too little or too much . in douglas sirk’s 1959 melodrama , “imitation of life , ” lana turner plays one type , a selfish white woman who’s blissfully indifferent to her child’s needs . yet the more disturbing mother is played by juanita moore as a black domestic who smothers her own daughter in so much goodness that it’s no surprise that the girl flees . at the end , the saint’s daughter throws herself on her mother’s coffin ; it’s a wonder she doesn’t leap in front of a train . in “child’s pose , ” a drama with a story as cold , merciless and inevitable as a tomb , escape proves every bit as futile .
solomon is also head of distribution at parada film and executive director of the next intl . film festival in bucharest . she teaches at the national film school in bucharest and , together with tudor giurgiu , manages three mini - plex cinemas in romania .
cornelia talks a great deal in “child’s pose , ” a film in which every conversation reverberates with hidden meanings , veiled threats and the lingering history of a nation that’s traded one master for another . written by razvan radulescu and directed by calin peter netzer , the film is at once an allegory about the new romania and a slice of naturalism that turns on a traffic accident that has left a boy dead and barbu’s future in jeopardy . it’s a ghastly scene made worse when cornelia , who has raced to the police station where barbu is being held , announces that she’s the “mother of the boy” who caused the accident before she rushes to clean up his mess .
child’s pose is a film about a pretty pathological mother - and - son relationship , about the children’s position relative to their parents and vice versa , about parents losing their children one way or another . a camera dependent film i might say , that will attempt to convey states of mind , feelings , smouldering conflicts , desperate outbursts , i . e . a slice of life with an almost documentary authenticity . the characters are analysed or rather psychoanalyzed , trying to get a feeling of understanding or even compassion towards this weird family .
future learning and skills – giving everyone the opportunity to build a lifelong relationship with film .
there’s broad agreement that supporting family films is a good thing : not so much about what counts as a family film . by ben roberts .
the film was produced by parada film and hai - hui entertainment , with backing from hbo romania . netzer and razvan radulescu ( “the death of mr . lazarescu” ) wrote the script .
. . . transmits the nervousness present in the tortuous relationship between mother and child and social tensions . [ full review in spanish ]
mothers are blamed for a lot , in cinema and in life . their love is essential to a child ' s development , but too much of that same love is damaging . wanting a close relationship with your adult child is healthy , but how close is too close ? one of the greatest strengths of
child ' s pose
, romania ' s 2014 oscar - entry and winner of the golden bear this year in berlin , is that these questions are presented , but no real answers are provided . the answers we get are murky , ambiguous , disturbing . the truth is there , somewhere , but lost in an abyss of recriminations , resentment , and things too dark to discuss . it ' s an extremely strong and upsetting film , yet another example of the fascinating things going on in romania ' s new wave , with a breathtaking lead performance by luminita gheorghiu as cornelia , the competent career - woman in bucharest , determined to clear her adult son ' s name .
the new romanian film movement of the past decade has made such a strong showing in contemporary world cinema that the inevitable backlash has already begun . forget the backlash : calin peter netzer ' s child ' s pose joins the ranks of cristi puiu ' s the death of mr . lazarescu ( 2005 ) and cristian mungiu ' s 4 months , 3 weeks and 2 days ( 2007 ) as masterful works that transcend hype and bloated expectations . this is clearly a renaissance moment for romanian cinema that is too broad to be waylaid by either disappointing films from former bellwethers or contrarian views from cranky scribes courting controversy .
subscribe to trailers : urltoken subscribe to coming soon : urltoken subscribe to indie & film festivals : urltoken like us on facebook : urltoken follow us on twitter : urltoken child ' s pose official trailer 1 ( 2014 ) - romanian movie hd seeing a way to reassert control over her adult son ' s life when he faces manslaughter charges , an affluent romanian woman sets out on a campaign of emotional and social manipulation to keep him out of prison , navigating the waters of power , corruption and influence .
calin peter netzer’s film is the latest effort in the romanian new wave , a group whose debt to 1970s american cinema seems obvious . the impetus for romanian movies like “the death of mr . lazarescu , ” “4 months , 3 weeks and 2 days” and “child’s pose” ( in all of which gheorghiu appears ) is controlled fury at the injustice and tyranny of systems . ordinary innocent individuals are as flies in a spider web , and the directors of these films ruthlessly , morbidly and sometimes humorously diagram every entrapping filament .
they’ll debut alongside north american premieres of james franco’s “child of god , ” alex gibney’s “the armstrong lie , ” hayao miyazaki’s “the wind rises , ” clio barnard’s “the selfish giant , ” guillaume canet’s “blood ties” and alain guiraudie’s “stranger by the lake” ( which will have all premiered at either cannes or venice ) , as well as the international premiere of “martha marcy may marlene” director sean durkin’s “southcliffe , ” a british miniseries about a fictional market town inhabited by fictional characters , but with similarities to many actual people and places in britain today .
after the terrible news of a fatal car accident involving her son , a desperate mother will do anything in her powers to set her child free .
gravity captures the sensation of actually being in zero - gravity orbit around the earth with a verisimilitude like no film before it , largely due to the technical innovations developed during production . director alfonso cuarón and visual effects supervisor tim webber discuss the film’s production , and cinematographer emmanuel lubezki’s eureka ! moment at a peter gabriel concert .
motivation of the jury :
a uniquely complete film . shattering , to the point , poetic , believable , delicate , humorous . the sensitive interaction between the two main actors has resulted in the most touching portrayal of friendship we’ve seen in film . only someone hard - hearted could fail to love this film .
last year ' s romanian submission , cristian mungiu ' s beyond the hills , made it to the january shortlist before losing out to michael haneke ' s winning submission , amour .
speaking from the winner’s podium , the film’s producer ada solomon addressed the dwindling support for film in her country , declaring , “romanian politicians should pay much more attention to the kind of ambassador romanian cinema is for our country around the world . ” solomon also gave thanks to art house distributors and cinemas for their fight against “commercial censorship . ”
the psychological thriller “ child’s pose , ” the latest example of romania’s house style , stars luminita gheorghiu , a veteran of both “lazarescu” and “4 months , ” here taking a well - deserved pass at center stage . she plays cornelia keneres , a prosperous bucharest architect who , as the movie opens , is commiserating with her sister over drinks and cigarettes about her son , barbu ( bogdan dumitrache ) , who is living with a woman of whom cornelia doesn’t approve .
director calin peter netzer ' s golden bear - winning drama is the country ' s unanimous submission to the 86th academy awards .
this month’s issue boldly goes into outer space as our cover feature explores the immersive 3d technical marvel that is alfonso cuarón’s gravity .
this year’s silver bear for outstanding artistic contribution was awarded to cinematographer aziz zhambakiyev for his work on kazakh film “harmony lessons” from director emir baigazin . the film focuses on bullying in a school in rural kazakhstan , and makes the most of its spare landscapes and the faces of its intense young performers .
winner of the online short film competition ifestival , as voted by the audience :
swear
by lea becker .
the european co - production award will be presented during the european film awards ceremony in berlin on dec . 7 .
the first thing you should know about child’s pose is that , despite the unfortunate choice of english title , this wrenching romanian drama has nothing to do with yoga . the original title , pozitia copiluilui , refers to the literal physical position of a child—an image which might have several meanings in the movie’s context , none of them involving a relaxing forehead - to - floor asana . the central event of the film’s story is a tragedy ( and , possibly , a crime ) that the audience never witnesses : a thirtysomething man , barbu ( bogdan dumitrache ) hits a 14 - year - old boy with his car , killing him instantly . in the immediate aftermath of the accident , the driver’s mother , a wealthy , cultured architect named cornelia ( luminita gheorghiu ) rushes to her son’s side to do whatever she needs to do to protect him—up to and including bribing witnesses , falsifying police reports , and pressuring the family of the dead boy not to press charges .
ann hornaday is the washington post ' s chief film critic . she is the author of
talking pictures : how to watch movies .
she joined the post in 2002 . follow
motivation of the jury :
although it was the shortest film , as well as the only animated one in the competition , we found it to combine all the elements of cinema . it´s well executed , efficient and quietly moving . it uses a textual , three - dimensional teqnicue that we´ve never really seen before in this way . it´s beauty is in it´s simplicity , and the film feels mature and fully formed as a result .
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the 46 - year - old then went to explain the low - budget horror film — titled hollywood hills , 90028 .
if cornelia represents romania’s cold war past ( and bourgeois self - delusion ) , then by right barbu stands for the new romania , and the portrait he presents is far from an optimistic one . he’s clearly suffering from unspoken psychic wounds — which he angrily lays at his mother’s well - heeled feet — but he’s a petulant , unpleasant figure , nonetheless . as “child’s pose” proceeds , cornelia will not be deterred in her snooping and scheming , but her encounters along the way are open to interpretation . barbu’s girlfriend , carmen ( ilinca goia ) , insists he can’t ask for what he wants , an observation belied by his constant stream of curt demands to his mother ; barbu’s father ( florin zamfirescu ) is ineffectual at best ; and one crucial meeting at a shopping mall , with someone who witnessed the inciting event , is maddeningly inconclusive .
: other people my age have a normal relationship with their child . parents find their fulfillment in their children . everything they failed to accomplish , they achieve through their children .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
cornelia is a nosy mother . she is estranged from her son barbu ( bogdan dumitrache ) , and blames that estrangement on barbu ' s girlfriend , whom she can barely reference without a sneer . cornelia is a wealthy successful architect and gave her son all the privileges available to him in the chaotic post - ceaușescu era . and yet he drifts , he lacks focus , he wants nothing to do with his mother . when he hits and kills a peasant child while speeding and is arrested for drunk driving , cornelia , wrapped in furs , swoops in to the rescue .
child ' s pose
, like so many other current romanian films , is really about class . cornelia is part of the bucharest elite , and her friends are surgeons and famous opera singers . the family of the dead child are traditional peasants , described by one of the arresting officers as
very simple people
. when cornelia and the dead child ' s parents finally meet , in a scene almost absurd—cornelia chooses that moment to babble about her son ' s achievements and what a wonderful athlete he was as a teenager—the culture clash is so enormous that it is as though nobody speaks the same language .
memories , myths and radical politics all converge in a gloriously experimental film exploring the mystery of the sphinx . by charlie fox .
seeing a way to reassert control over her adult son ' s life when he faces manslaughter charges , an affluent romanian woman sets out on a campaign of emotional and social manipulation to keep him out of prison , navigating the waters of power , corruption and influence . child ' s pose is based on the sense of loss of parents who have to send their children away - physically and psychologically . the parent - child relationship is re - assessed through a son in his 30s that wants to escape from his mother , who in turn wants to keep her adult son by her side . the mother ' s character is quite familiar , but this film is unique in that the director delicately portrays how the controlling mother wants to deny that her son is destined to leave her by following the characters ' emotional flows and gazing at their twisted desires . luminita gheorghiu turns in an extraordinary performance in playing a mother struggling to
save
her son . heading to the conclusion , the film shows that the unhealthy mother - son . . .
the film was a favourite among the 19 contenders . mr netzer said he was
a little bit speechless
by the win .
motivation of the jury :
this award goes to a director who is in complete control of his chosen mode of expression . the film succeeds at being at the same time both epic and personal . all too often a director can overshadow their own film , but here is someone whose presence doesn’t force itself onto the film , but which still shines through in each editorial choice he has made . quite apart from the beautiful craftsmanship , this film is uniquely courageos . the unexpected duration of certain close - ups never feels self - serving , as each shot contributes to the film as a whole creating the unique feeling and aura of 12 years a slave .
overall , today’s lineup didn’t come with any significant surprises or hugely anticipated new titles , though there’s still one announcement left next week . until then , you can find this week’s batch of announced titles on the next page .
though the p . o . v . remains cornelia’s throughout the film , the viewer can’t help but sympathize with everyone else in her family . she pries info about barbu’s private life out of the maid , thus learning that his live - in girlfriend carmen is bringing her young daughter to live with them . “raising other people’s offspring” is how mamma puts it .
true to romanian form , director calin peter netzer ( who wrote the screenplay with razvan radulescu ) keeps his camera close to the women , swishing and swooping between them , often landing on one face while the other person is talking . it can be a maddening , too - obvious visual tic ; however , he eventually settles down , and “child’s pose” begins to cast its spell , drawing viewers into a fascinating , troubling and finally controversial portrait of maternal anxiety at its most smotheringly neurotic .
as subtle and careful and slyly disturbing as “child’s pose” is though , it and many others of its genus suffer from an airlessness , pacing like the growth of algae , a dishwater color palate and a dirge - like monotone . the drained , exhausted , stifling mood is a frequently punitive experience for the viewer . these films’ american ancestors ( movies like “one flew over the cuckoo’s nest , ” “dog day afternoon , ” “bonnie and clyde” ) were deeply sympathetic to their anti - heroes and delivered operatic ecstasy in each spectacular downfall . romanian cinema is all shrug and no crescendo .
a young woman , her shoulders shaking , breaks from the pose and lies down on the yoga mat under her feet . every inch of exposed skin is beaded with perspiration that won ' t evaporate . she looks overwhelmed .
special mention : “promised land” by gus van sant ( u . s . )
but netzer seems less at ease in the scenes between cornelia and her son , who , it’s implied in one queasy massage scene , have a seriously over - enmeshed oedipal relationship . the multiple intense standoffs between the two of them never quite add up to a satisfying dramatic arc , and barbu is depicted as so retiring and passive a character that his motives ( unlike his meddlesome , needy mother’s ) remain impalpable . in some scenes , andrei butica’s medium - shaky handheld camera does the ensemble cast a disservice by focusing a little too fixedly on gheorghiu’s admittedly fascinating face . the whole point of handheld is that it can dart around a scene with the quickness of the human eye , showing you whatever you need to see—which isn’t always the diva in the center of the room , but sometimes the people watching the aria . then again , child’s pose —whose title in romanian might be more accurately translated as “fetal position”—is in large part a film about the terrifying , potentially destructive force of maternal love , so maybe it’s fitting that the camera is powerless to look away .
“child’s pose” is a tale of two lost boys . one is dead , the other merely lifeless . barbu ( bogdan dumitrache ) is a worthless upper - class loser , the sickening and sickened product of lifelong spoiling by his wealthy mother cornelia ( luminita gheorghiu ) . speeding along in his audi at 90 miles per hour or so , he kills a lower - class boy trying to cross the road . cornelia calls in the fixers , looks for a way to make a deal with police and sets about buying off a witness .
motivation of the jury :
this film presents a captivating slice - of - life , or maybe rather a slice - of - death , portrayal of the taking of someone’s life . the abhorrent , meaningless murder is captured sensitively and sincerely in this energetic film . it’s both a brutal eye - opener and a masterful cinematic achievement . a harsh reminder of the impact slavery has left on our contemporary society . this impressive debut is a must for everyone to see !
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
rediscovered footage from an early welles film project , too much johnson , may not be revelatory , but the director always springs surprises . by richard deming .
the hand - held camerawork never stops nervously moving , giving the film more of a budget look than it perhaps needed . though the use of music is limited , gianna nannini ’s joyful song “meravigliosa creatura” is used twice to suggest a brighter future .
motivation of the jury :
the film’s photography lifts the story at the same time undermining both the landscape and the events taking place guiding the viewer along previously unexplored paths . the camera forces us to visit places we have never been , and which we maybe wish we had been spared . however provocative the images are they achieve an unexpected beauty , and come together to create a shattering and comprehensive film .
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the film , directed by calin peter netzer , tells the story of a wealthy mother who uses her connections to try and stop her son from going to jail .
françois ozon’s latest film , jeune & jolie , is a cool , provocative blend of teen coming - of - age drama and belle de jour , overlaid with a françoise hardy soundtrack . the director talks to nick roddick about sex , money and the modern teenager
we ' re an independent , family - owned australian film distribution company , representing films across australia and new zealand since 1965 , & the sister division of palace cinemas .
quirky canadian entry “vic + flo saw a bear , ” from dennis côte , received the alfred bauer prize , awarded to a feature film that “opens new perspectives . ”
ukrainian lyricism and satire and wellesian beginnings at pordenone’s giornate del cinema muto . by geoff brown .
the question of whether what we’re witnessing is masterful manipulation or genuine catharsis is just one more mystery to work out in the wake of a compelling , complex , confounding film .
after paulina garcia in the chilean film gloria , and waiting for catherine deneuve to appear in on my w ay , berlin competition serves up another fine tribute to a powerful actress , luminita gheorghiu , playing a middle - aged romanian woman and member of the ruling class . as watchable as daytime drama , child’s pose is an on - target , tragi - comic portrait of a domineering mother who sees a chance to regain control over her adult son when he faces manslaughter charges for reckless driving . though dramatically a little too pat for comfort , the screenplay by razvan radulescu and director calin peter netzer is admirably handled , with wicked moments of humor balancing out a truly dramatic finale . the beta cinema release should have little problem flowing into the niches carved out by quality romanian films in recent years .
“good friends should be able to ask each other questions without it going where bethenny’s trying to take it , ” she told viewers . “i’m not bringing this out of the blue . this was just in the papers . let’s be honest , she’s being a [ bitch ] … how ‘real’ can you be , bethenny , if you can’t talk about what’s going on in your life ? ”
in a very different vein is abdellatif kechiche’s palme d’or winner blue is the warmest colour , a three - hour long story about a love affair between two young french women which rests on the more traditional virtues of script and performances , but pushes both to great depths through long takes and a relentless search for realism . the film’s explicit sex scenes have been a particular cause for controversy , with some seeing a male perspective . but as kechiche tells jonathan romney : “i find [ that criticism ] really empty . we’re talking about love – it’s absolute , it’s cosmic . ”
on her way out , it was pointed out to frankel how she’s called d’agostino way worse things . but frankel’s real beef was with singer . and it appears they won’t be squashing it anytime soon .
among them are many world premieres , including fred schepisi’s “words and pictures” ( which stars clive owen and juliette binoche ) , arie posin’s “the face of love” ( which stars annette bening , robin williams and ed harris ) , john turturro’s “fading gigolo” ( which stars john turturro , woody allen , vanessa paradis , liev schreiber , sharon stone and sofia vergara ) richard glatzer and wash westmoreland’s “the last of robin hood” ( starring dakota fanning , susan sarandon and kevin kline ) , kevin macdonald’s “how i lie now” ( with saoirse ronan and tom holland ) , charlie stratton’s “therese” ( starring elizabeth olsen , tom felton , jessica lange and oscar isaac ) and megan griffiths’s “lucky them” ( with toni collette and thomas haden church ) .
across four different programs — galas , special presentations , contemporary world cinema and tiff kids — the festival brought its overall film count to just over 200 ( see the full list here ) .
★★★★ “one of cinema’s most domineering mothers . a powerhouse drama . ” garry maddox , the sydney morning herald
alfonso cuarón’s gravity tries to depict the dangers of spaceflight realistically . but the fantasies of science - fiction cinema and the realities of mankind’s ventures beyond the atmosphere have never been too far apart . by roger luckhurst .
she is watching a classy opera rehearsal when ruta informs her there’s been an accident . her son has run over a child and killed him . without a second’s thought the two women shift gears to crisis mode and take off for an outlying police station , where barbu ( bogdan dumitrache ) is waiting to sign a statement and be tested for alcohol . their mission is to do whatever it takes to keep him from being prosecuted and serving a three - to - 15 year sentence for manslaughter .
monstrous , but never simply villainous : gheorghiu’s cornelia is one of those maddening but unforgettable characters who , no matter how vile their behavior , you can’t bring yourself to hate . early on , there’s a tough - to - watch scene in the waiting room of the police station where cornelia’s son barbu is being questioned the night of the accident . cornelia and her officious sister - in - law ( natasa raab ) rush onto the scene in fur coats , ready to protest barbu’s unjust treatment at the hands of the law—only to discover that the only other occupants of the waiting room are the immediate relatives of the dead child . even as we’re disgusted by the women’s entitled behavior , we also perceive the black social comedy of the encounter : cornelia is desperate to pull whatever strings she can to keep her boy out of jail , but also keenly aware of the need to appeal to the victim’s family’s good side by observing the outward protocols of grief and reconciliation ( paying for the funeral , paying a condolence visit , etc . ) .
a dark piece of neorealism - and a searing indictment of eastern europe ' s newly moneyed classes . . .
best director went to u . s . filmmaker david gordon green for comic road movie “prince avalanche” , while chile’s paulina garcia was the popular winner of the best actress prize for her turn as a santiago divorcee in “gloria” .
just as gracefully as cornelia’s psyche is exposed through the dialogue , her glittering social world is neatly sketched in a high society party where the nomenclature celebrates her birthday . “i’m 30 but i look 60 – just kidding , ” as she likes to say . she’s also an inveterate liar , making excuses about barbu’s absence to keep up appearances .
starring luminita gheorghiu as an overbearing mother and bodgdan dumitrache as her mollycoddled adult son , the film has been a box office success in romania , where it was released in early march and is still showing .
systematically disturbing . in romanian , with english subtitles . running time : 112 minutes . not rated ( profanity , adult situations ) . at the film forum , houston street between sixth avenue and varick street .
technical innovations also made possible the remarkably immersive leviathan , an abstract nonfiction portrait of industrial fishing off the coast of new bedford , massachusetts . the film’s directors lucien castaing - taylor and verena paravel tell trevor johnston how their work attempts to avoid the point of view imposed by conventional documentary in favour of a more direct experience .
★★★★ “one to remember . netzer has taken compelling acting , psychological insight and an unerring sense of drama – even melodrama – to create a film with a deep sense of humanity . ” lynden barber , sbs films
the announcement - - possibly the first for the best foreign language category - - will pitch the film against scores of others from around the world that will compete at the awards , scheduled for march 2 , 2014 .
golden bear for the best short film went to “la fugue , ” ( the runaway ) from jean - bernard marlin , while stefan kriekhaus won the jury prize silver bear for “die ruhe bleibt” ( remains quiet ) .
fairfax media’s phillipa hawker interviewed director peter calin netzer about his sharp and sometimes harrowing story of class , power and control .
at moksha yoga uptown in toronto , manager jen blanko says variations in class size make it difficult to regulate humidity - which is supposed to be at 40 per cent .
if we have a class of 10 people , it ' s one thing . if it ' s 55 people , it ' s a totally different environment in there ,
she says .
australian kim mordaunt’s laos - based film “the rocket” received the prize for best first feature ; it had already picked up a crystal bear from the youth - centric generations section . crystal bears also went to kasia roslaniec for “baby blues , ” and to short films “rabbitland” from ana nedeljkovic and nikola majdak , and “the amber amulet” by matthew moore .
the motivation of the jury :
for evocative and compelling photographic portraits that move through time and space , combining the countryside’s innocence with the feeling of an ominous external world . with an enigmatic and highly personal narrative , the director recurs to the subjectivity of the memory in a society destined for change . 1 km film 2013 goes to john skoog .
, this film has some exquisitely horrible glimpses into bureaucracy and corruption . the story ' s premise is a noir standard : a wealthy and overbearing mother , cornelia ( luminița gheorghiu ) has a stormy relationship with her spoilt grownup son barbu ( bogdan dumitrache ) . when he gets into some serious trouble , his mum has to step in and square things with a word here and a payoff there . vlad ivanov – renowned for his chilling performance as the abortionist in cristian mungiu ' s
the silver bear for best script went to iran’s jafar panahi and kamboziya partovi for
pardé
( closed curtain ) . panahi is prohibited by iranian authorities from travelling or making movies due to his involvement in election protests in 2009 . “closed curtain” is a poetic documentation of his artistic isolation and desolation . speaking at the awards event , partovi , who co - directed with panahi and stars in the film , said “it’s never been possible to stop a thinker and a poet . ”
we watch as attitudes get warped , compassion removed , and grief ' s all - consuming power possess victim and perpetrator alike .
in 1947 ingrid bergman wrote a letter to roberto rossellini – and one of cinema’s great partnerships was born . by nick pinkerton .
sympathy struggles with mockery in the abrupt , defeated conclusion of horace ové’s drama about black power in britain . by ashley clark .
welcome to the globe and mail’s comment community . this is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and globe staff .
while frankel shot back at singer about her insinuation , singer insisted she was just trying to show interest in her friend’s life .
motivation of the jury :
bold , courageos , funny , provocative . återträffen ( the reunion ) is a well - crafted story , and navigates a mix of genres intelligently . we find ourselves in a labyrinth of mirrors where the viewer is confronted with questions about power , loneliness and bullying at every turn . the film does not present any answers , but but leaves one with a lot of rewarding questions . this is a film with strong artistic integrity .
propelled by gheorghiu’s towering , tour - de - force performance and a razor - sharp attention to class and generational resentments , netzer’s engrossing film lays bare the moral bankruptcy of upper class , post - ceaușescu romanian society and its institutions in expert fashion . disquieting but also compassionate , this examination of guilt and the crippling effects of loss became a national talking point upon release in romania last year ( breaking 20 year - old box office records ) and makes for a fascinating , unforgettable cinema experience .
that was the final straw for frankel . “i’ve just been called a witch and wicked . i’m going back to the house , ” she told radziwill , leaving . “no one’s going to call me a witch and wicked . that’s not going to happen . ”
60 - year - old cornelia ( the phenomenal luminita gheorghiu ) leads a life of privilege , social power and abundant material wealth in contemporary bucharest , but life is not perfect . more than anything in the world , she longs for her 34 year - old son barbu ( bogdan dumitrache ) to reciprocate her unreserved devotion . but the pair barely speak , something the domineering cornelia blames on barbu’s live - in girlfriend , who has a child from a previous relationship .
the industry : saving mr . banks ; the return of woody allen ; funding children’s films ; lars jönsson , producer of lukas moodysson
in italy the title was re - written with a typo in it ( ' il caso kerenes ' instead of the correct spelling of the family name keneres ) and the film was advertised on posters and published on dvd with this typo there .
directed by calin peter netzer ; written by razvan radulescu and mr . netzer ; director of photography , andrei butica ; edited by dana bunescu ; production design by malina ionescu ; costumes by irina marinescu ; produced by mr . netzer and ada solomon ; released by zeitgeist films . at film forum , 209 west houston street , west of avenue of the americas , south village . in romanian , with english subtitles . running time : 1 hour 52 minutes . this film is not rated .
abdellatif kechiche’s blue is the warmest colour has caused no small amount of controversy since winning the palme d’or in cannes – not least because of a perceived male slant to its depiction of a lesbian love affair . but , says the director , you might as well tell him he has no right to film the life of an airline pilot because he can’t fly . by jonathan romney .
“it’s almost as if we’re peering at those sacred moments which only take place inside the walls of the home”… blackbook interviews calin peter netzer .
smiling endings , cuts of the wicker man , archiving the silent era , eddie marsan’s tyrannosaur , fainting or dying in the great beauty .
roger luckhurst considers the film , and looks back at the ways in which earlier films have depicted the experience of being in space . “there has always been a strange interplay between the american military - industrial complex and science - fiction cinema” , he writes , drawing on movies from destination moon in 1950 through star wars , capricorn one , 2001 : a space odyssey , dark star and apollo 13 , and argues that the fantasies of science - fiction cinema and the realities of mankind’s ventures beyond the earth’s atmosphere have never been too far apart .
the 2013 toronto international film festival added over 75 titles to its lineup this morning , including new films from guillaume canet , hayao miyazaki , sean durkin , clio barnard , james franco , johnnie to , alex gibney , john turturro , kevin macdonald and fred schepisi .
winner : fia - stina sandlund . motivation :
a post - modern , metafictional , slightly absurd re - make of strindberg ' s miss julie ( fröken julie ) . the film takes place in a contemporary new york apartment in which the actors play heightened versions of themselves . alexandra dahlström ( as miss julie ) and jens lekman ( as jean ) meet to reenact the play to lekmans ' music .
basically the story of a man forced to finally see the injustice around him . riley’s movie is designed to do the same thing to you . …
when it comes to 1980s period authenticity , andrew bujalski’s computer chess has got it taped , thanks to the magic of old - fashioned video technology : and bujalski’s not alone . is this return to analogue a symptom of nostalgia , a protest against digital – or something more ? by calum marsh .
the extreme temperature and humidity in bikram yoga and its less regimented spinoff moksha yoga can be risky for those with heart conditions , as well as for those with low or high blood pressure in the normal range , says nieca goldberg , medical director of new york university ' s women ' s heart program .
when you first see cornelia — played by the astonishing romanian actress luminita gheorghiu — she’s seated on a sofa , a scowl creasing her face and a cigarette burning in her hand . her bleach job and fussy accouterments telegraph the kind of class privilege that’s grasped bauble by bauble or has come late in life , but these trappings are less showy than the complaints she bitterly recites about a man . while she makes him sound like a lover , he turns out to be her only child , barbu ( bogdan dumitrache ) , which suggests that something is rotten in bucharest , where much of the story unfolds . the more she talks , the more obvious it becomes that the hardness edging her mouth isn’t new .
motivation of the jury :
this year ' s rising star is an actor who has already made a lasting impression on screen despite his young age . with great precision and understanding of the craft he portrays a wide range of emotions , from playfulness and humor to vibrating love and deep pain . all these qualities were also present in his most recent film , the critically acclaimed
känn ingen sorg
. the winner is adam lundgren .
bethenny frankel is known for the self - deprecating and biting sense of humor she displays on the real housewives of new york city — often preaching the “zero f—” she has to give about the drama that comes her way . but on wednesday’s all - new episode , the skinnygirl mogul wasn’t laughing when a film from her past — in which she was nude — was brought up in the same context of her 6 - year - old daughter .