the third miracle is a 1999 drama film directed by agnieszka holland starring ed harris and anne heche .

the film was shot in hamilton , ontario , canada .

the third miracle

the cast of miracle theatre ' s the third policeman . photo : kristin prisk
the third miracle by original soundtrack ( cd , dec - 1999 . . .
what ' s ultimately best about the third miracle is how small and quiet a film it is .
the third miracle ( original motion picture score ) by jan a . p . kaczmarek on apple music
the third miracle is a film rife with religious ideology but also steeped in the atmosphere of a classic detective novel .
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing the third miracle near you .
a miracle is by definition the most improbable of events ; the probability of a miracle is infinitesimally remote .
the principal argument against the rational credibility of miracle claims derives from hume . “a miracle , ” he writes ,
the argument for a miracle , from testimony , cannot even under the most favorable circumstances render belief in a miracle credible .
a third general argument is that miracle stories are most popular in backward cultures . as john toland ( 1702 : 148 ) puts it ,
“there are only two ways to live your life . one is as though nothing is a miracle . the other is as though everything is a miracle . ”albert einstein director agnieszka holland has produced a thoughtful and thought - provoking film in the third miracle . it centers on the complicated character , father frank moore .
swinburne , richard , 1970 , the concept of a miracle , london : macmillan and co .
agnieszka holland ' s the third miracle is an absorbing religious drama written by john romano based on the novel by richard vetere . it deals with the complex subject of miracles and also delves into questions about the meaning of christian faith , the value of saints , and the authority of rome in the catholic church .
a miracle is the violation of mathematical , divine , immutable , eternal laws . by the very exposition itself , a miracle is a contradiction in terms : a law cannot at the same time be immutable and violated .
general arguments against miracle claims fall into two broad classes : those designed to show that miracles are impossible , and those designed to show that miracle claims could never be believable .
the argument against a miracle , from the nature of the case , is as strong as any argument from experience could possibly be .
lee kuan yew performed a miracle transforming singapore from one of the poorest countries in the world in the 1960s to being among the most advanced today .
there is as compelling a ‘proof’ from experience as can possibly be imagined against a miracle .
mackie , j . l . , 1982 , the miracle of theism , oxford : oxford university press .
during the scenes of the first miracle , young helen has brown eyes . in the videos as an adult , she has blue eyes .
the first industrial revolution used water and steam power to mechanize production . the second used electric power to create mass production . the third used electronics and information technology to automate production . now a fourth industrial revolution is building on the third , the digital revolution that has been occurring since the middle of the last century . it is characterized by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical , digital , and biological spheres .
a third approach to arguing for a miracle claim is to argue that it is the best explanation for a small set of widely conceded facts . a typical “minimal facts” argument for the resurrection of jesus starts with a list of facts such as these ( habermas 1996 : 162 ) :
has to be defined in terms of practical impossibility the application of these criteria inevitably precludes proof of a miracle .
the argument for a miracle , from testimony , is at best a strong but somewhat weaker argument from experience .
mr lee was not one to shy away from his achievements for singapore . the second volume of his published memoirs carries the title , from third world to first : the singapore story : 1965 - 2000 .
with the notion of “natural law” thus redefined , the “violation” definition becomes virtually equivalent to the earlier definition of a miracle as an event that exceeds the productive power of nature . and in mackie ' s formulation it has the desirable feature that it makes evident the connection between a miracle and supernatural agency .
the philosophical discussion of miracles has focused principally on the credibility of certain claims in the jewish and christian scriptures . but inquiry into the credibility of specific miracle claims inevitably raises questions regarding the concept of a miracle , and arguments regarding particular claims cannot be evaluated until the nature of that concept has been at least reasonably clarified .
conclusion 1 . testimony to a miraculous event should never be believed—belief in a miracle report could never be justified .
the most obvious rejoinder here is that the believer in miracles does not generally believe that there are no dependable regularities in the physical world ; it is in the nature of a miracle to be an exception to the ordinary course of nature . the feared undermining of the principles of historical inquiry is therefore an illusion generated by exaggerating the scale on which the order of nature would be disrupted were a miracle actually to occur .
basinger , david , and basinger , randall , 1986 , philosophy and miracle : the contemporary debate , lewiston , id : edwin mellen press .
two months after fertilization , the embryo is now called a fetus . almost all its organs are in place though they ' re not working yet . the whole fetus is just over an inch long and weighs less than a third of an ounce .
arguments against miracle claims , like arguments in their favor , come in a variety of forms , invoke diverse premises , and have distinct aims . we may distinguish general arguments , designed to show that all miracle claims are subject in principle to certain failings , from particular arguments , designed to show that , whatever may be the case in principle , such miracle claims as have historically been offered are inadequately supported .
two dimensions of classification help to bring into focus the nature of the various arguments that have been advanced on behalf of miracle claims , one having to do with the aims of the arguments and the other having to do with their structure .
waiving the tendentious definition in premise 1 , the supposed contradiction involved in denying the conclusion—“that the most improbable event is the most probable” ( ehrman 2003 : 229 ) —is merely verbal , arising from a failure to distinguish between the probability of a miracle claim considered apart from the evidence and the probability of the claim given that evidence .
hájek , alan , 1995 , “in defense of hume ' s balancing of probabilities in the miracle argument , ” southwest philosophy review , 11 : 111–118 .
china’s growth miracle since the early 1980s has significantly raised the standards of living in china . it has also made china an increasingly important contributor to world economic growth and a large and growing market for u . s . exports . the rapid growth was driven primarily by productivity gains and capital investment . the recent growth slowdown has raised the concern that china’s growth miracle could be ending .
the implication is twofold : miracle stories are more likely than other falsehoods to be told , since they cater to a natural human desire to be amazed ; and they are more likely than other falsehoods to be believed , since the same passions conduce to their uncritical reception . hume , perhaps following morgan , makes much the same point in nearly the same words . but he goes beyond morgan in specifying a further exacerbating factor : the religious context of a miracle claim , he urges , makes the telling of a miracle story even more likely .
larmer , robert , 1988 , water into wine ? an investigation of the concept of miracle , montreal & kingston : mcgill - queen ' s university press .
as father shore and archbishop werner face each other across a table in a boardroom , they are like antagonists in any global corporation . they would like to introduce a miraculous new product , but must be sure it will not damage the stock of the company . by seeing the church as an earthly institution and its priests as men doing their best to remain logical in the face of popular ecstasy ,
the third miracle
puts hollywood ' s pop spirituality to shame .
overall , the inexorable shift from simple digitization ( the third industrial revolution ) to innovation based on combinations of technologies ( the fourth industrial revolution ) is forcing companies to reexamine the way they do business . the bottom line , however , is the same : business leaders and senior executives need to understand their changing environment , challenge the assumptions of their operating teams , and relentlessly and continuously innovate .
sobel , jordan howard , 1991 , “hume ' s theorem on testimony sufficient to establish a miracle , ” philosophical quarterly , 41 : 229–237 .
however , if the structural reform plans from china’s third plenum can be successfully implemented , then the recent slowdown could be a smooth transition rather than a hard landing . this gives a reason for optimism that china will avoid the middle - income trap and follow the paths of japan and south korea to achieve high - income status .
hume also , in one of his definitions of “miracle , ” speaks of an event brought about “by a particular volition of the deity , or by the interposition of some invisible agent . ” ( hume 1748 / 2000 : 87 ) since the paradigmatic cases under discussion are for the most part claims that , if true , would answer to the theological dimension of clarke ' s description , we may take a supernatural cause to be a necessary condition for an event ' s being a religiously significant miracle and use the word “miracle” in this sense where there is no danger of confusion .
it is , therefore , a debatable question whether the consideration of the passions evoked by tales of the miraculous works for or against the miracle claim in any given instance . this is not an issue that can be settled in advance of a detailed consideration of the facts .
beyond all of these considerations , one can make a case for the restriction of the term “miracle” to events that are supernaturally caused and have some palpable religious significance . an insignificant shift in a few grains of sand in the lonesome desert might , if it exceeded the productive powers of nature , qualify as a miracle in some thin sense , but it would manifestly lack religious significance and could not be used as the fulcrum for any interesting argument . considerations such as this have led many authors to build both the type of agency and some intimation of the purpose into the definition of a miracle . thus , samuel clarke ( 1719 : 311–12 ) writes that
overall ( 1985 ) argues for the more radical contention that a miracle would count as evidence against the existence of god , on three grounds : ( 1 ) if order and harmony are evidence for the existence of god , then a miracle , which entails a breach in the order and harmony of the universe , must count against the existence of god ; ( 2 ) the inevitable controversies over the identification and authentication of a miracle are an impediment to the growth of scientific knowledge and philosophical comprehension ; and ( 3 ) an omnipotent god who does intervene in his creation would be obliged , on pain of moral defect , to intervene more often and more evenhandedly than he is supposed to have done in the christian tradition .
continued robust growth in china would be beneficial for the global economy as well . china’s market for u . s . exports has grown steadily from 4 % in 2004 to over 7 % in 2014 . according to an imf estimate , china contributed about one - third of the world’s growth in 2013 .
the final hurdle passed , the sperm still does not thrust its way into the egg itself . rather , the membranes of the two cells fuse , and the egg draws the entire contents of the sperm inside .
preview the pdf version of this entry at the friends of the sep society .
a trained lawyer , this visionary leader was singapore ' s chief architect in harnessing social cohesion despite ethnic and religious diversity ; and in engineering an economic miracle .
david hume ( hume 1748 / 2000 ; cf . voltaire 1764 / 1901 : 272 ) famously defined a miracle as “a violation of the laws of nature , ” and this definition has been the focus of lively discussion ever since . hume evidently means to denote something beyond mere changes in the regular course of nature , raising the bar higher for something to qualify as a miracle but also raising the potential epistemic significance of such an event if it could be authenticated .
a sequel to one of the most popular novas of all time ,
miracle of life ,
this emmy award - winning program tracks human development from embryo to newborn using the extraordinary microimagery of swedish photographer lennart nilsson .
the laws of nature … describe the ways in which the world—including , of course , human beings—works when left to itself , when not interfered with . a miracle occurs when the world is not left to itself , when something distinct from the natural order as a whole intrudes into it . ( mackie 1982 : 19–20 )
nova chronicles the race to reach one of the greatest milestones in the history of science : decoding the human genome .
is a violation of the laws of nature ; and as a firm and unalterable experience has established these laws , the proof against a miracle , from the very nature of the fact , is as entire as any argument from experience can possibly be imagined . ( hume 1748 / 2000 : 86–87 )
the unstated moral to be drawn is that both the production and the reception of miracle stories are due to a failure to understand the secondary causes lying behind phenomena , while increasing knowledge and culture leaves no room for such stories . hume ( 2000 : 90–91 ) also borrowed this line of reasoning .
a miracle ( from the latin mirari , to wonder ) , at a first and very rough approximation , is an event that is not explicable by natural causes alone . a reported miracle excites wonder because it appears to require , as its cause , something beyond the reach of human action and natural causes . historically , the appeal to miracles has formed one of the primary lines of argument in favor of specific forms of theism , the argument typically being that the event in question can best ( or can only ) be explained as the act of a particular deity .
a common approach is to define a miracle as an interruption of the order or course of nature . ( sherlock 1843 : 57 ) some stable background is , in fact , presupposed by the use of the term , as william adams ( 1767 : 15 ) notes :
all attempts to draw an evidential parallel between the miracles of the new testament and the miracle stories of later ecclesiastical history are therefore dubious . there are simply more resources for explaining how the ecclesiastical stories , which were promoted to an established and favorably disposed audience , could have arisen and been believed without there being any truth to the reports .
all four cast members are cyclists of near - tour de france skill levels and miracle theatre stalwart hannah stephens brings some welcome discipline to the surreal action as the nameless storyteller . she’s helped no end by ciaran clarke ` s cranky musical sound track .
as it stands , however , this definition leaves us wanting a more precise conception of what is meant by the order or course of nature . we might therefore try to tighten the definition by saying that a miracle is an event that exceeds the productive power of nature ( st . thomas aquinas , scg 3 . 103 ; st 1 . 110 , art . 4 ) , where “nature” is construed broadly enough to include ourselves and any other creatures substantially like ourselves . variations on this include the idea that a miracle is an event that would have happened only given the intervention of an agent not wholly bound by nature ( larmer 1988 : 9 ) and that a miracle is an event that would have happened only if there were a violation of the causal closure of the physical world .
as the debate over helen & apos ; s eventual canonization intensifies , father shore , who argues in her behalf , goes up against archbishop werner ( armin mueller - stahl ) , an imperious european cleric , and the movie becomes bogged down in fussy theological arguments and an investigation into helen & apos ; s childhood in slovakia during world war ii . even given its rich , finely shaded performances and intellectual subtleties ,
the third miracle
ends up feeling more like an exercise , a carefully outlined set of variations on a challenging theme , than a movie that had to be made .
in the final analysis , the relevance of background beliefs looms large . to say this is not to endorse a lazy and unprincipled relativism ; rather , the point is that one ' s considered rational judgment regarding the existence and nature of god must take into account far more than the evidence for miracle claims . that is not to say that they could not be an important or even , under certain circumstances , a decisive piece of evidence ; it is simply that neither a positive nor a negative claim regarding the existence of god can be established on the basis of evidence for a miracle claim alone , without any consideration of other aspects of the question .
the views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the world economic forum .
narrator : because of the pain and danger of human labor , we regularly give birth in the presence of others . today , at 4 : 25 a . m . , melinda ' s parents , along with sergio , will have the privilege of witnessing firsthand this extraordinary event—life ' s greatest miracle .
there are three reasons why today’s transformations represent not merely a prolongation of the third industrial revolution but rather the arrival of a fourth and distinct one : velocity , scope , and systems impact . the speed of current breakthroughs has no historical precedent . when compared with previous industrial revolutions , the fourth is evolving at an exponential rather than a linear pace . moreover , it is disrupting almost every industry in every country . and the breadth and depth of these changes herald the transformation of entire systems of production , management , and governance .
today , we can look closer than ever before : into the womb , into a cell , into the essence of life itself . not only can we see what ' s happening , but now we ' re beginning to see how it happens—the forces that build the embryo , the molecules that drive this remarkable change . we ' re uncovering the most intimate details of how life is created , the secrets behind life ' s greatest miracle .
and the same for the ear . the outer ear quickly takes shape , but the fetus can ' t hear yet . sound conduction relies on the tiny bones of the inner ear , and most of the bones in the fetus start out as cartilage . by the fourth month , hard bone can be seen forming in the hand and the leg . finally , after five months , the process is complete in the inner ear . and then , the fetus begins to hear sound .
when anyone tells me , that he saw a dead man restored to life , i immediately consider with myself , whether it be more probable , that this person should either deceive or be deceived , or that the fact , which he relates , should really have happened . i weigh the one miracle against the other ; and according to the superiority , which i discover , i pronounce my decision , and always reject the greater miracle . if the falsehood of his testimony would be more miraculous , than the event which he relates ; then , and not till then , can he pretend to command my belief or opinion . ( hume 1748 / 2000 : 87–88 )
a favourite of james joyce and graham greene , the work of enigmatic irish satirist flann o’brien is a bold choice for an alfresco production . cornwall’s miracle theatre is no ordinary touring company though , having tackled waiting for godot four years ago in place of the traditional shakespearean summer offering .
a fourth method of arguing for a miracle claim is to employ the machinery of bayesian probability and argue that some fact or set of facts renders the conclusion probable ( for a categorical argument ) or significantly more probable than it was taken apart from those facts ( for a confirmatory one ) . the argument could be cast in categorical form using the odds form of bayes ' s theorem . it is a simple consequence of bayes ' s theorem that , where ‘ m ’ is the claim that a miracle has taken place and ‘ e ’ is some evidence bearing on that claim , and where all of the relevant terms are defined ,
the lower cells are destined to form structures like the lungs , liver , and the lining of the digestive tract . the middle layer will form the heart , muscles , bones and blood . and the top layer will create the nervous system , including the spinal cord and the brain , as well as an outer covering of skin , and eventually , hair .
what is the title of the track ( and composer ) of the piece that plays as the credits roll at the end of the film ? . . . from annmac in ireland ( answer annmac ' s question )
some proteins do work . actin and myosin move muscle fibers . hemoglobin in the blood carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body .
often dubbed as the
monaco of the east
, the red dot has beaten a path to steady economic progress and prosperity since the 1970s .
to address structural imbalances and thus achieve sustainable long - term growth , the chinese government announced a blueprint of economic reforms at the third plenum in november 2013 . the proposed reforms include ( 1 ) financial sector reforms—liberalizing interest rates , establishing deposit insurance , and strengthening financial supervision and regulation ; ( 2 ) fiscal reforms—strengthening social safety nets , introducing more efficient and redistributive taxes , and improving health insurance and pension coverage ; ( 3 ) structural reforms—reforming the soes and the hukou system and further opening up markets ; and ( 4 ) external sector reforms—liberalizing the exchange rate and capital account controls .
if p ( t 1 ( m ) | m ) / p ( t 1 ( m ) | ~ m ) > 1 , it follows at once that the claim , arguably attributable to hume , that the evidence of testimony can never overcome the antecedent presumption against a miracle , is false . as charles babbage puts it :
for the evidence for a miracle claim , being public and empirical , is never strictly demonstrative , either as to the fact of the event or as to the supernatural cause of the event . it remains possible , though the facts in the case may in principle render it wildly improbable , that the testifier is either a deceiver or himself deceived ; and so long as those possibilities exist , there will be logical space for other forms of evidence to bear on the conclusion . arguments about miracles therefore take their place as one piece—a fascinating piece—in a larger and more important puzzle .
in humans , gastrulation happens deep inside the mother ' s uterine lining , so it can ' t be photographed . but we think it works something like this : the blastocyst creates two oblong bubbles , one on top of the other . sandwiched between them is a thin layer of cells . these are the cells which one day may become a baby . at the beginning of gastrulation , some cells begin moving toward the center . then they dive downwards , creating a new , lower layer . more cells plunge through , squeezing in between , forming a third . the cells in the three layers may not look different , but for each layer , a very different future lies ahead .
the sperm ' s 23 chromosomes stretch out in the roomy , welcoming egg . the chromosomes of sperm and egg approach each other and then the cell divides .
the heart is one of the few organs that actually work during the earliest weeks of development . but with other organs , function comes later . with the eye , although the retina and lens are well - formed by the ninth week , the fetus doesn ' t respond to light until the fifth or sixth month .
the falsehood of the testimony to a miraculous event is always at least as probable as the event attested to ( however good the testimony seems to be ) .
add music info heard in the movie but not listed on the soundtrack cd .
as a fourth and final argument , hume sketches some accounts of purported miracles outside of the canonical christian scriptures—two cures ascribed to vespasian , one catholic miracle reported to have been worked at saragossa , and some cures ascribed to the influence of the tomb of the jansenist abbe paris in the early 1700s—and suggests that their affidavits are in various respects as good as one could wish for . hume clearly expects his protestant readers to reject these stories with disdain . he leaves unstated the obvious conclusion : by parity , his readers should also reject the miracles of the new testament .
since the moment the sperm entered the egg , 24 hours have passed . all this time the fertilized egg is moving down the fallopian tube toward the uterus . every few hours , the cells divide . four . . . eight . . . sixteen . . . gradually creating the building blocks needed to construct an embryo .
hume ' s balancing principle . the testimony should be believed if , and only if , the falsehood of the testimony is less probable than the event attested to .
director bill scott and his four - strong cast wisely concentrate on the zany wordplay , the physical comedy and the increasingly bizarre array of characters , while managing the shock twist at the end with considerable style .
in the future , technological innovation will also lead to a supply - side miracle , with long - term gains in efficiency and productivity . transportation and communication costs will drop , logistics and global supply chains will become more effective , and the cost of trade will diminish , all of which will open new markets and drive economic growth .
the trouble with this crude argument is once again in the definition of “miracle , ” which here goes beyond a mere violation concept in adding immutability , which generates the contradiction . one retort that historically proved attractive is to accept the violation concept but deny that the laws of nature are immutable ; instead the truly immutable laws are higher laws—laws that govern not only the behavior of physical entities but the interactions of physical and non - physical entities—and what appear to us to be violations of the laws of nature are really nothing less than instances of a higher law . ( trench 1847 : 14–17 ; cf . venn 1888 : 433 ff )
arriving inside the uterus , the sperm are still about six inches away from their goal—at least a two - day swim . but undulations of the uterine muscles propel the sperm into the fallopian tube within 30 minutes .
the pm says she was
surprised
by the foreign secretary ' s resignation after the cabinet had backed her brexit plan .
this argument , of course , proves at best only the sincerity of the witnesses . but in the present case , he goes on to argue , the nature of the facts attested precludes the possibility that the witnesses are themselves deceived ( adams 1767 : 37–38 ; cf . jenkin 1708 : 488–93 ) .
the placenta began to form as soon as the blastocyst burrowed into the mother ' s uterus , and in the early weeks it dwarfed the embryo . the underside of the placenta is covered with thousands of tiny projections , called
villi
which lie in pools of the mother ' s blood . without ever mixing the blood of mother and child , the villi grab oxygen and nutrients . the enriched blood flows about a foot and a half through the umbilical cord , back to the fetus , whose heart beats about twice as fast as an adult ' s .
the plain consequence is ( and it is a general maxim worthy of our attention ) , “that no testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle , unless the testimony be of such a kind , that its falsehood would be more miraculous , than the fact , which it endeavours to establish : and even in that case , there is a mutual destruction of arguments , and the superior only gives us an assurance suitable to that degree of force , which remains , after deducting the inferior . ”
powell is quite right to say that testimony is not the proper source for evidence of the supernatural nature of the event . but it does not follow that all opinions on the point are equally reasonable . the very description of the event—and even more , of the context in which it occurs—might render any naturalistic alternatives non - starters . whether this is the case will depend , not on general considerations , but on the details of the case in question .
deductive arguments for miracle claims are relatively rare in serious modern discussions , since they are subject to peculiar liabilities . here , for example , is a deductive reconstruction of an argument given by william paley ( 1859 ) , broadly modeled on the version given by richard whately ( 1870 : 254–258 ) and other victorian logicians :
an event that has no ready natural explanation is not necessarily an event that has no natural cause . to be a miracle , an event must be inexplicable not in terms of what appears to us to be the laws of nature but in terms of what laws of nature actually are… . [ o ] ne must ask if it is always more likely , i . e . , conformable to experience , that those claiming the event to be a miracle are mistaken rather than that the event is a genuine violation of a law of nature . counterinstances of what are taken to be natural laws are not by themselves evidence establishing that no natural law could possibly explain them : at most they provide grounds for revising our formulations of natural laws or seeking an improved understanding of the nature of the phenomena in question . at the very least they provide grounds for suspending judgments about the nature of their cause until more evidence is available . on the other hand , past experience shows that what are at one time considered violations of natural laws are frequently found at some later time not to be so . proportioning belief to evidence , therefore , it is more reasonable to believe that the claim that an event is a miracle is mistaken than it is that the event is a violation of natural law .
this is the power of genes , creating cascades of chemical reactions , defining the form and function of all the cells in your body .
the economic value of every person in singapore today is as high as that of the us .
one milestone event takes place just two weeks after conception , when the blastocyst is about the size of a poppy seed . this is the moment when the cells start to organize themselves into an embryo . the process is called
gastrulation .
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 . …
for every challenge the sperm face , success is , to a great extent , controlled by the woman ' s body and even the egg itself .
craig , william lane , 1985 , the historical argument for the resurrection of jesus during the deist controversy , lewiston , ny : edwin mellen press .
as the days pass , changes proceed at a rapid - fire pace throughout the embryo . everywhere , cells are multiplying . and they ' re on the move . some reach out to one another , forming blood vessels . a heart begins to beat . as the embryo lengthens the precursor to the backbone forms . groups of cells bulge out on the sides , the beginnings of arms and legs .
the brain ' s hunger for fat in the last trimester puts an enormous strain on the mother . over the course of the pregnancy , her body has increased its own blood supply by about 50 percent , all for the sake of the rapidly growing baby . but late in pregnancy , the baby ' s need for fat becomes so great the mother can ' t keep up . if it stays inside , the baby will begin to starve . somehow , it ' s got to get out .
review the stages of labor and delivery as well as some of the risks women face giving birth .
now it has taken aim at o’brien’s cult comic novel . there are hints of father ted here , but mainly we are in the realm of the irish theatre of the absurd , as a murder is committed right at the start to finance the search for the works of an eccentric scientist - philosopher .
sometimes genes send the message to multiply and grow , as with the arm and leg buds . sometimes the message is to die , as it is a few days later , to the cells between the fingers . as the weeks pass , the embryo ' s genes send billions of individual messages , constructing new kinds of cells and building organs and limbs .
narrator : inside melinda ' s belly , a remarkable transformation has taken place , starting with the moment egg and sperm met . inside the womb , the first few weeks are the most dramatic . later in pregnancy , when the mother ' s body seems to be changing the most , life in the womb can appear , well , a bit uneventful .
the recent slowdown in china’s growth has caused concern about its long - term growth prospects . evidence suggests that , before 2008 , china’s growth miracle was driven primarily by productivity improvement following economic policy reforms . since 2008 , however , growth has become more dependent on investment and overall growth has slowed . if the recent reform plans can successfully address the country’s structural imbalances , china could maintain a solid growth rate that might help smooth its transition to high - income status .
as an independent objection to belief in reported miracles , coleman ' s argument has limited force . on a ceteris paribus conception of natural laws , apparent counterevidence to a putative law may , depending on circumstances , reduce the probability of the law only slightly , the majority of the impact of the evidence going to raise the probability that all else is not , in the present case , equal . there is no general principle that would license the conclusion that it is more reasonable to accept the falsehood of the putative law than to suppose the causal closure of nature to be violated . everything depends on the details of specific cases .
allowing for the change in terminology over the centuries , butler ' s description can be read as a verbal explication of the categorical form of the bayesian argument . if the facts can be accounted for without difficulty on the supposition of m but not , without great implausibility , on the assumption of ~ m , then they provide significant evidence in favor of m . on this reading , butler is tacitly assuming that the prior probability of m is not so low as to overcome the cumulative force of the evidence in its favor .
aquinas , st . thomas , summa theologiae ( st ) , [ available online , translated by the fathers of the english , in the catholic encyclopedia ] .
buel , oliver price , 1894 , the abraham lincoln myth , new york : the mascot publishing co .
the man is father frank shore , and he is a postulator - - a priest assigned to investigate the possibility that someone was a saint . if he is convinced , he goes before a church tribunal and argues the case against another priest whose job is popularly known as
the devil ' s advocate .
ed harris plays frank shore as a man with many doubts of his own . after deflating one popular candidate for sainthood , he became known as
the miracle killer ,
and in his dark moments he broods that he
destroyed the faith of an entire community .
now perhaps he will have to do it again .
the boldest claim that could be made against reported miracles is that such events are impossible . insofar as the definition of “miracle” in question is one that involves divine agency , any argument that demonstrated the non - existence of god would be eo ipso a demonstration that miracles do not take place ; and an argument that demonstrated that the existence of god is impossible would demonstrate that miracles are likewise impossible . but the more common arguments for this conclusion are more modest ; rather than setting out to show the existence of god to be impossible , they typically invoke theological premises to show that if there were a god , then miracles would not occur .
those who make it will face yet another challenge . underneath the cloud of cells , the egg itself is encased in a thick protein shell , called the
zona .
to fertilize the egg , the sperm must break through the zona . but even the strongest can ' t do it by brute force alone . the egg demands a proper introduction . proteins protruding from the sperm ' s cap must hook up precisely with a set of proteins on the egg ' s surface . if they match , the sperm is held fast and undergoes a dramatic transformation . it sheds its outer coating , releasing powerful enzymes that dissolve a hole in the zona , allowing the sperm to push its way through .
in the sixth month , genes in the brain order the manufacture of a fatty substance called
myelin ,
which wraps around the long connections between brain cells . this fatty covering allows nerve impulses to travel up to 100 times faster , greatly enhancing brainpower . the process will continue for years after the baby is born .
speaking of miracles as violations of the laws of nature also raises questions about the nature of violation . richard swinburne ( 1970 ) has suggested that a miracle might be defined as a non - repeatable counter - instance to a law of nature . if a putative law has broad scope , great explanatory power , and appealing simplicity , it may be more reasonable , swinburne argues , to retain the law ( defined as a regularity that virtually invariably holds ) and to accept that the event in question is a non - repeatable counter - instance of that law than to throw out the law and create a vastly more complex law that accommodates the event .
then it is free to get to work . searching for food and oxygen , cells from the blastocyst reach down and burrow into the surrounding tissue . eventually , they pull the entire bundle down into the uterine lining . and sooner or later , the mother will notice .
in addition to being a key economic concern , inequality represents the greatest societal concern associated with the fourth industrial revolution . the largest beneficiaries of innovation tend to be the providers of intellectual and physical capital—the innovators , shareholders , and investors—which explains the rising gap in wealth between those dependent on capital versus labor . technology is therefore one of the main reasons why incomes have stagnated , or even decreased , for a majority of the population in high - income countries : the demand for highly skilled workers has increased while the demand for workers with less education and lower skills has decreased . the result is a job market with a strong demand at the high and low ends , but a hollowing out of the middle .
where e is the proposed evidence for a miracle , and make the simplifying approximation that p ( e | m ) ≈ p ( ~ m ) , since both terms are close to 1 . then the right side reduces to the ratio of the two remaining “small” terms , p ( m ) / p ( e | ~ m ) , which will be a fair approximation of the posterior odds . then the posterior probability of m will exceed 0 . 5 just in case p ( m ) > p ( e | ~ m ) . this interpretation is endorsed by holder ( 1998 ) but challenged by millican ( 2002 ) , who also surveys various other probabilistic interpretations of hume ' s maxim .
some key decisions were the development of changi airport as a regional transport hub after singapore outgrew the previous paya lebar airport , which was a state - of - the - art facility when it opened in the 1950s .
ah , but the infallible church is made of fallible men . frank can harbor doubts and lusts and nevertheless think his job is worth doing . up against him is the fleshy , contemptuous archbishop werner ( armin mueller - stahl ) , the devil ' s advocate , who thinks three saints are quite enough for america . and then there is the problem of maria witkowski ( caterina scorsone ) , who may have been cured of lupus but now is on life support after drug abuse and prostitution .
god wasted a miracle !
her mother cries .
waiting for them is the open end of the fallopian tube , which leads to the uterus . its tentacles capture the egg and pull it inside . the egg is swept along by muscular contractions of the tube , as well as the constant swaying of tiny cilia . the egg has everything it needs to start a new life , except for one thing : dna from a sperm . and it has to get it fast . if the egg is not fertilized within a few hours it will die .
the german expression
dummes zeug
, uttered by archbishop werner during the tribunal , means
rubbish
.
take the sperm ' s first obstacle , the cervix , passageway to the uterus . most of the time , it ' s locked shut , plugged with mucous that keeps bacteria and sperm out . but for just a few days a month , around ovulation , the mucous becomes watery and forms tiny channels that guide the sperm through .
if all goes well , then farther up the tube they ' ll find the egg . but it ' s heavily chaperoned by support cells . and the chaperones are picky . only some of the sperm are let through .
all the organ systems are in place , so during the last trimester the fetus ' s main job is to grow . but a few crucial events are unfolding beneath the skin . fat deposits are forming , building reserves the baby will rely on after birth . but even more importantly , fat is getting laid down in the brain .
morgan , thomas , 1739 , the moral philosopher , vol . 2 , london : printed for the author .
zheng liu is a senior research advisor in the economic research department of the federal reserve bank of san francisco .
this includes the rule of law ; efficient government structures ; the continuous fight against corruption ; and overall stability .
now called a
blastocyst ,
the bundle of cells must do two things to survive : break out of the zona and find a source of nourishment . at the beginning of the sixth day , it orchestrates an escape . it releases an enzyme that eats through the zona , and the ball of cells squeezes out . free at last , the blastocyst lands on the blood - rich lining of the mother ' s uterus . it has just passed one hurdle , but is immediately presented with another .
it ' s the slowpokes , caught up in the cilia lining the tube , who may have a better chance . it ' s probably here that chemicals in the woman ' s body alter the sperm ' s outer coating . only those sperm that are altered can get a date with the egg . the sperm are released gradually , over the course of a few days , so at any given time only a couple hundred sperm will move on .
sherlock , thomas , 1729 , the trial of the witnesses of the resurrection of jesus , philadelphia : presbyterian board of publication , n . d . [ 1843 ] .
open access to the sep is made possible by a world - wide funding initiative . the encyclopedia now needs your support please read how you can help keep the encyclopedia free
father frank shore ( ed harris ) is a professional postulator  a church official who investigates reported miracles . he is summoned by bishop cahill ( charles haid ) to look into the strange happenings in st . stanislaus , a chicago parish where a statue is weeping and a group is clamoring for rome to consider sainthood for the late helen o ' regan , an austrian immigrant who is said to have performed miracles . he is assisted by brother gregory ( james gallanders ) , his partner from a previous troubling case that earned him the epithet
the miracle killer .
narrator : again and again the uterus contracts as the cervix opens up . the tiny passageway that once allowed the entrance of a single file of sperm now must widen to about four inches to accommodate a baby ' s head .
ant - man and the wasp , starring paul rudd and evangeline lilly , took the top spot at . . .
cooper , thomas , 1876 , the verity and value of the miracles of christ , london : hodder and stoughton .
pacific basin notes are published occasionally by the center for pacific basin studies . opinions expressed in frbsf economic letter do not necessarily reflect the views of the management of the federal reserve bank of san francisco or of the board of governors of the federal reserve system . this publication is edited by anita todd . permission to reprint must be obtained in writing .
in chapter 6 of his tractatus theologico - politicus , baruch spinoza sets out to argue for the claim that nature cannot be contravened , but that she “preserves a fixed and immutable course , ” in consequence of which a miracle is “a sheer absurdity . ” ( spinoza 1670 / 1862 : 123 , 128 ) his argument for this claim is somewhat difficult to follow , but it appears to run approximately like this :
narrator : by the time most ultrasounds are done , around 18 weeks or so , doctors can sometimes make out the sex . but in the early weeks it ' s impossible .
the chief difficulty with criteriological arguments , whether bold or modest , is that they provide no means for taking into account any other considerations that might weigh against the historical claim in question . intuitively , extreme antecedent improbability ought to carry some weight in our evaluation of the credibility of a factual claim . a defender of a criteriological argument might respond that so long as the bar is set high enough , antecedent improbability will be overwhelmed by the fact that the event does indeed meet the stipulated criteria . but this is a claim that requires argument ; and the bolder the conclusion , the more argument it requires .


princess arete ( アリーテ姫 arīte hime ) ( also princess arite ) is a 2001 animated film released by japanese animation studio studio 4 °c based on diana coles 's 1983 story the clever princess .

the film is a non-traditional approach to the standard tales of fairy tale princesses , and it is known in japan as one of the most successful animated feminist works .

princess arete

fallen princess : goes from wealthy second princess to a destitute refugee when anankos destroys valla .
princess arete while has an interesting angle with what should be a refreshing princess story is buried in slow uninteresting - ness , watch it if you’re insomniac .
princess arete is a 2001 japanese animated movie done by studio 4c . it was based off an original story by diana coles , “the clever princess” or “the adventure of princess arite” in japan . the film is praised for subject matter but criticized for its pacing .
title : princess arete aka arite hime genre : drama company : studio 4°c format : movie ; 105 minutes . dates : 21 jul 2001
one day , a sorcerer named boax offers to marry arete and turn her into a real princess . will arete find another prison . . . or finally find the way to her own heart ' s desire ?
princess arete is an exceptionally empowering animated picture by studio 4°c , based on the book the clever princess by english author diana coles . while it was originally targeted towards children , the movie itself is a remarkably mature deconstruction of the
imprisoned by a sorcerer who fears she will rob him of eternal life , guileless young princess arete befriends a villager who helps her plan an escape .
the lost king , which follows garon between chapters 4 - 6 of the invisible princess .
notes : based on the children ' s novel
the clever princess
by diana coles .
the invisible princess is a completed multi - chapter fire emblem fates fanfic by the apocryphal one .
fallen princess : after fleeing her kingdom during anankos ' s invasion , arete ends up in nohr and is forced to scrape out a living on the streets as a performer .
the idea behind this movie / story is feminism through the male gaze . arete’s curse and what she have to inwardly fight against is being a default princess that literally waits to be saved .
arete is visited by two of her would be suitors and she is less than impress by there swaggering and boasting and decides to leave her tower for good however she caught . she taken to her father and an old sorcerer named boax who wants to marry the very young princess . boax then puts an enchantment on arete to make her a mindless traditional beautiful princess . before boax takes arete away , a witch gives her a magic ring that will grant her three wishes .
: arete loves studying magic , would happily have become a magic researcher had she not been a princess , and spends part of her off - screen time trying to create a barrier spell to repel anankos .
synopsis : after the death of her mother , the queen , princess arete has been confined to a tower in the castle to shelter her from the world . arete frequently manages to sneak out through hidden passageways in the castle to explore the town , but she laments her life , and how little she knows of the world . the kingdom’s knights are often sent out to find magical treasures created by a long extinct nation of sorcerers , believing that the finder of the most amazing treasure will win the princess’s hand in marriage , but this is in fact a scheme set up by the kingdom’s economists , as magical treasures are a lucrative trade . one day , an evil sorcerer flies into the kingdom and claims that the princess is cursed . he vows to lift the curse , making arete an “ideal” princess , in exchange for the princess’s hand in marriage .
garon is killed by anankos and replaced by his familiar sometime shortly after arete ' s death .
while it could use a bit more screen magic , princess arete is still a good film , if you don ' t mind that the plot is moving at half - speed at all times . — carlos ross
confined in the castle tower by her father , princess arete spends her days watching the world outside her window . sometimes she sneaks out . prospective suitors are sent on quests to collect . . . see more »
it ` s too bad that arete ` s character development didn ` t come with a richer plot , but at the very least , the focus she commands makes the blandness in the rest of the cast forgivable . arete is a completely fleshed out , admirable yet pitiable , and altogether believable character who also happens to be adorable . watching her adventure in princess arete is worth suffering the disjointed and hollow plot .
arete dies trying to warn garon about anankos , but it ' s only revealed after the fact .
confined in the castle tower by her father , princess arete spends her days watching the world outside her window . sometimes she sneaks out . prospective suitors are sent on quests to collect magic treasures to win her hand in marriage .
appreciating the work requires a good understanding of the plot structures of the princess fairy tales : the kingdom will be destroyed by an unknown monster , the king ( preferably fat and has a good sense of fashion ) says , “whoever kills sopa wins my princess ! ” , a charming prince ( ideally with good teeth ) kills the monster , the princess ( usually olive oil skinny ) falls in love , and they all live happily ever after . watching disney princess works and its kins may be enough ; i also recommend watching this after revolutionary girl utena and other feminist works for children . princess arete is like one of those hipsters and hippies in the countercultural movements in the 70s ; you need to get the context to understand their reasonings .
boax takes arete to his secret liar where it is reveal that boax was actually a servant of the real boax whose real motive was to imprison arete because their a prophesy that she will end his immortal life .
the story is very simple but very slow paces in presenting its wonderful message . the concept of the story is good for it promotes freedom by self - discovery and believing in one self to achieve its goal and wishes without relying to any superficial solution which are magic that bent reality . princess arete is a good deconstruction of princess stories for it teaches us that dreams can be
the plot is about a princess , arete , who is forced to live in a tower by her father till a man worthy of her appears . arete however knows how to get in and out of her tower and goes into the tower and would rather her life has substance . while she waits in the tower her suitors bring her father magical gifts .
the cameo : makes one in fire emblem fates aftermath , which is set in the same universe as invisible princess twenty - one years later .
on a related note , arete being a child and all the older guy vying to marry her made me very uncomfortable .
once upon a time , there was a princess named arete , sheltered from the world in a high tower of a castle . while knights vied for her hand , she wanted nothing more than to see the world with her own eyes , rather than just through books .
confined in the castle tower by her father , princess arete spends her days watching the world outside her window . sometimes she seeks out to watch the common people at work . the knights of the kingdom compete for the right to marry her and rule the land by competing to see who can find powerful magic objects made by a long dead race of sorcerers . arete wants none of this . she longs to meet the common people and travel to exotic lands she has only seen in the books she keeps hidden under her bed . one day the sorcerer boax arrives in a fantastic flying machine and offers to take arete as his wife and transform her into a proper princess .
plot concept : confined in the castle tower by her father , princess arete spends her days watching the world outside her window . sometimes she seeks out to watch the common people at work . the knights of the kingdom compete for the right to marry her and rule the land by competing to see who can find powerful magic objects made by a long dead race of sorcerers . arete wants none of this . she longs to meet the common people and travel to exotic lands she has only seen in the books she keeps hidden under her bed . one day the sorcerer boax arrives in a fantastic flying machine and offers to take arete as his wife and transform her into a proper princess .
confined in the castle tower by her father , princess arete spends her days watching the world outside her window . sometimes she seeks out to watch the common people at work . the knights of the kingdom compete for the right to marry her and rule the land by competing to see who can find powerful magic objects made by a long dead race of sorcerers . arete wants none of this . she longs to meet the common people and travel to exotic lands she has only seen in the books she keeps hidden under her bed . one day the sorcerer boax arrives in a fantastic flying machine and offers to take arete as his wife and transform her into a proper princess . ( source : ann )
arete hime comienza como cabe esperar . tenemos a la princesa arete , encerrada en la torre del castillo , esperando que sus pretendientes cumplan sus pruebas . ella , en tanto , pasa su vida leyendo , fugándose por un pasadizo secreto para conocer el lugar donde vive…
arete : i can ' t imagine what it must be like to live in a country going through a bout of economic trouble .
when a sorcerer called boax comes to the castle , he sets about persuading the king to let him marry the princess . but he secretly fears a prophecy which foretells arete ending his life – leading him to imprison her the minute she’s in his castle ! based on the 1983 story
the clever princess
by diana coles , this is a chance to see a story that fascinated japan on the big screen . language : japanese with english subtitles only .
arete hime initially seems like a typical modern iteration of a fairy tale , ala disney , with a captive princess who desires to see the world and empathize with its denizens . eventually , it shapes into a multi - segmented journey of self discovery more akin to
siddhartha
than
rapunzel .
every young girl should watch princess arete at least once . while it will hardly rank as any child ' s favorite , it is an important film that respects their cognitive skills and that they will certainly learn to appreciate in adulthood . more than an amazing role model , arete is a relatable character with whom girls will surely identify themselves with – and maybe , like she did , they will be able to find the magic inside too .
it ' s mentioned that royalty often have to marry for their countries over love , such as arete and sumeragi ' s first marriages .
arete is so strong . she told that i also can use that magic… and the pictures were sophisticated ! this is an underrated anime !
anime limited has picked up a new feature to add to their library with the acquisition of the princess arete work . the film saw distribution through netflix recently , though that ended earlier this year , alongside with several other studio 4°c projects . anime limited will be detailing their release plan in the coming weeks .
while not without merit , princess arete is slow - paced and feels about 20 minutes longer than it needs to be to tell the story . because of this , its themes of empathy and looking beyond outward appearances may get lost for younger kids . children who aren ' t anime fans already may feel bored .
synopsis : confined in the castle tower by her father , princess arete spends her days watching the world outside her window . while she looks out at the common people working , the knights of the kingdom compete for her hand in marriage by searching for powerful magical items from a race of long - dead sorcerers .
princess arete cares more for the goodness of a person rather than their appearances . she shows empathy and concern for everyone she observes from afar in her kingdom and wants nothing to do with the thieving and lying knights who pretend to be in love with her to win the throne and the riches that come with it .
uptown girl : a male version , for mikoto ; he ' s the king of hoshido , and she ' s a fallen princess masquerading as a commoner and his concubine .
princess arete ( houko kiwoshima ) lives a lonely life , made to live in a tower at the behest of her strict father . to win arete ' s hand in marriage , suitors compete to win treasure for the king . while this is happening , arete yearns to experience the outside world , to live as an ordinary person , and to travel the world . after getting caught trying to escape the kingdom , the king matches arete with the wizard boax ( tsuyoshi koyama ) , who enchants her and takes her to his faraway castle , where his only companion is a frog - turned - lackey named grovel ( minami takayama ) . as arete now lives a lonely life locked in the wizard ' s basement , her only friend is ample , who hails from a nearby village and cooks food for boax in exchange for the water he hordes . arete must find a way to break boax ' s spell , get all the water out of the castle and toward the village , and follow through on her desires to travel the world .
fairy - tales have been universally used as a way to educate children and pass forward values through the generations . by adopting a fairy - tale format , princess arete is making a point : there are certain traditional values that have no place in modern day society , and should be replaced at once . it wants to pass on its own values , but does it appeal to its target audience ? modern media geared towards younger viewers is often the polar opposite of what princess arete is . fast - paced , loud and brightly colored , it tends to reinforce the worrisome belief that children are not capable of introspection and should not be challenged intellectually and emotionally . arete ' s story does not need dragons and magic to be stimulating . all it needs is a relatable heroine facing a relatable conflict .
originally released in 2001 , the film was written and directed by sunao katabuchi with character designs from satoko morikawa . it’s based on the original work the clever princess from diana coles .
second princess of valla , and later queen of hoshido . she can be pretty manipulative when she wants something , but is ultimately a good person who just wants a happy ending .
outside context hero : subdued cases in mikoto and arete , in that they can only do so much to prepare either side for the true enemy .
by andrew osmond . the film princess arete is the tale of a little girl growing up in a castle , refusing to resign herself to being married to a hunky prince charming . then a sorcerer , frightened by a prophecy about the girl , effectively buys her from her father and imprisons her in his remote castle… but [ … ]
a pilot , despite being advised not to , bonds with a princess when he is tasked with escorting the royal subject overseas and across enemy territory to reunite her with her future husband .
it’s now the year 2016 , new challenges and obstacles awaits us in this following year and let me start the by introducing you guys the movie princess and what i think about it .
i cant believe a guy like you would notice me : due to their differing social backgrounds , he ' s absolutely shocked when he finds out princess mikoto reciprocates his feelings towards her .
the japanese cast includes houko kuwashima as arete , tsuyoshi koyama as boax , minami takayama as ample , satomi koorogi as witch and yûsuke numata as grovel .
doomed by canon : as a prequel fic to fates , the reader knows that mikoto , arete , sumeragi , and garon are all doomed to die .
boax has a deal worked out with a village that he will supply water if the village feeds him . the one who work for him is a lady named amble . amble tries to free arete but can’t seem to break her out . this sparks arete to break out of her enchantment and reverts to being a child . boax then gives arete a impossible task to free himself of her . however arete decides to go back to boax’s liar and learns that he has jewel that makes water . she steals the jewel and floods the barren land so it will be green again . boax then loses his magian crystal that makes so he can use magic thus ending his immortal life and fulling that pesky prophesy . arete then goes off on to see the world , the end .
in a magic fantasy setting , music and animation of the setting is very important in hooking the viewers to care . but for fairytale scenery princess arete loses for it doesn’t have any appealing atmosphere . the animation is just very gray and gloomy . as for the music it’s doesn’t have any good bgm and the other song are just plain forgettable .
russian - born origa - whose real name is olga vital ' evna yakoleva - was born on oct . 12 , 1970 . she is best known for her theme songs from
ghost in the shell
anime series , which made her famous outside japan . she also provided her vocals for theme songs from
fantastic children
and
princess arete .
what the hell , hero ? : arete is decidedly not happy with her sister manipulating her in chapter 2 , and gives her a good dressing down for it .
one would assume studio ghibli has an unspoken monopoly - at least in japan - on the plucky young heroine genre , with kiki , the girls from totoro , and san from princess mononoke being the standard bearers , but miyazaki & co . shouldn ' t rest on their laurels too placidly , as it ' s clear from princess arete that they ' re not the only ones that can do it right , and do it well . arete is by no means a perfect film , suffering from jarring act transitions and a dearth of much action in the first hour , but is animated crisply , provides a wonderful metatextual plot device to open the third act , and leaves the viewer with - if not a sense of wonder - at least…
hoist by his own petard : anankos ' decision to spare mikoto and arete comes back to bite him in the ass later on , as it gives them time to fight back . arete is able to create a special spell that keeps out hostiles , which mikoto uses very late into the story to ( temporarily ) prevent nohr from invading hoshido .
is it meandering and incoherent or did it just upset my expectations ? maybe a little bit of both . while studio 4°c might lack some of the richer cinematic instincts required to make a movie for children there ' s a discrete boldness to
princess arete
that ' s refreshing . a nice blend of folksy , raphaelite wonder paired with the smooth - bore charm of early 90s cg .
is at its best when its heroine is free to do as she pleases . she truly is a clever princess , and kuwashima houko does such an earnest job of it that you really have to root for her .
arete by creating and giving her sister the barricade staff , mikoto by using it to raise the barrier around hoshido , delaying the hoshidan - nohrian war until the time of fates .
when looking back at the entire journey our main character , arete undergoes , it ' s quite epic . this in no way changes the fact that some stretches are completely starved for plot development , using the time instead to flash some scenic shots and play with arete ' s diatribes on her predicaments . which brings me to one of the biggest problems with this film :
on the one hand i respect this angle but on the other it means that arete herself has no character development . she doesn’t grow , she reverts and then goes back to herself .
when anankos ' troops surround mikoto and arete , they both think they are about to be killed . one discussion with anankos later , the soldiers let them go , to their surprise .
arete opens with an act detailing young arete ' s rapunzel - like cloistering in preparation for marriage . establishing her necessary independent spirit , she frequently sneaks out of her castle to see how the commoners live , and is awestruck by the kind of magic we all can understand - those of artisans and skilled crafters . it ' s here that she starts to descend into a malaise that , as a noble princess , she ' ll never be able to perform that kind of everyday magic , and resolves to run away forever . enter a menacing sorcerer , boak , who essentially kidnaps arete through legal means and imprisons her in his castle . to do so , he casts a spell on her which transforms her physically into a more ' traditional ' princess ; older , more beautiful , and utterly without ambition . while imprisoned , arete ' s malaise ( assumedly exacerbated from her depression in the first act ) keeps her docile so she cannot fulfill the prophecy boak fears - that she will end his eternal life . it ' s here that the film starts to pick up , as a local villager incites arete to action - by telling her to imagine what she ' d like to be in a fairy tale of her own making . here , things get a bit metatextual , as arete imagines the life she previously lived , making the film self - aware that it is a fairy tale itself . it never becomes overtly or annoyingly so , but still : i loved the fact that it admits to using cliches because , well , that ' s what the audience wants .
arete ' s first husband , theophilus , is killed in the very first chapter after a failed attempt to talk down anankos . it ' s only made known after the murder has happened .
one would assume studio ghibli has an unspoken monopoly - at least in japan - on the plucky young heroine genre , with kiki , the girls from totoro , and san from princess mononoke being the standard bearers , but miyazaki & co . shouldn ' t rest on their laurels too placidly , as it ' s clear from princess arete that they ' re not the only ones that can do it right , and do it well . arete is by no means a perfect film , suffering from jarring act transitions and a dearth of much action in the first hour , but is animated crisply , provides a wonderful metatextual plot device to open the third act , and leaves the viewer with - if not a sense of wonder - at least a sense of satisfaction in a story of the death of supernatural magic and the quest for meaning and identity .
in conclusion princess arete is not a bad show for it has good message that can be thought provoking and inspiring but it will take a lot of patience and tolerance for one to get the message fully which is not very rewarding if you take account the time you invested on it . there are other good deconstruction of fairytale out there worth the check like the movies of studio ghibli made i highly recommend you check it out .
this is somewhat of a departure for animation house , studio 4℃ , who are better known for their bold , inventive and frenetic movies rather than this quiet and deliberately paced fairytale . based on a diana coles novel , princess arete , is about a young princess locked away in a tower by her father to protect and preserve her innocence . suitors visit her at night but she sees through their lies and simply dreams of experiencing the world outside her window . when a sorcerer tricks her into marrying him she substitutes one prison for another . the film is interesting for subverting traditional fairytale convention , there is no white knight or dashing prince to save our heroine instead she must find the strength from…
dramatic shattering : when using a crystal ball to see the truth behind hydra , mikoto drops and breaks it when she sees the image morph from hydra - her beloved husband - into anankos , the silent dragon himself . needless to say , neither mikoto nor arete , who saw this at the same time , take this well ( arete less than mikoto , as anankos had killed king theophilus in a fit of rage ) .
: mikoto has a moment of this at the end of chapter 2 , when she realizes that while her manipulations paid off and allowed her to marry hydra , they also hurt her sister , queen arete , deeply .
politically active princess : mikoto has been involved in the politics of valla ' s court since she was twelve , and is actually her sister ' s chief adviser . she keeps it up after she flees to hoshido , working her way onto sumeragi ' s council .
achieve by determination and prior knowledge than relying on fairy god mothers and epic level wizards to turn the tables . the show became anti - escapism for arete resolve her troubles by herself which is impressive for me because most princess stories i ever read or watch are mostly saved by the prince or by their magical spell caster guardians . but the biggest weak point of the story is the characters in general ; they are presented in a overly dry manner that it’s hard for me to take any care or sympathy for them . characters lack actual depth in the story . the interaction is unappealing and not interesting . the characters are not exciting or dynamic . arete should be dynamic given the role of a smart princess and the wizard boax is not very intimidating given he’s presented to be the antagonist of the story . sadly to say he is one the dries fearsome wizard i ever known even the wizard in the smurf looks more interesting . nice presentation of message but very shallow on character presentation .
nevertheless , fantasy stories about being a princess - like figure - - twilight’s bella is a more contemporary ( and stupider ) version of the generic princess archetype - - are still popular . us cool kids don’t like that kind of mainstream crap ; we want aversions , subversions , and different settings ( aka what made twilight oh - so popular ) . reinventions , especially the darker and edgier types , are fascinating to us . think revolutionary girl utena , a work that changed the shoujo demographic forever . grown - up people are like so mature ~
rebellious princess : mikoto , in her early years , would sneak around outside the palace to consort with
hydra
, volunteered to go on adventures , and manipulated or broke the rules to suit her own ends . she matures out of it as the fic goes on .
mikoto and arete decide to arrange for azura and kamui to get married as part of a deal to help hoshido and nohr to get along . although circumstances nix the idea , mikoto sees that it could have worked out regardless .
evil gloating : anankos likes to brag about his superiority and how doomed the human race is when he talks with mikoto and arete . garon also partakes in it in cheve , to further drive a wedge between hoshido and nohr .
mysterious past : since the vallite curses mean that a . ) no one remembers valla , and that b . ) arete and mikoto can ' t speak of their pasts there , they have to present themselves as having this .
making a splash : valla as a whole is associated with water , with natives possessing the ability to travel through it as a gift from anankos . naturally , this ability extends to mikoto and arete , which they use to escape .
meaningful name :
theophilus
, the chosen name for arete ' s husband and azura ' s father , means
friend of god
, referring to his close friendship to anankos before his death at anankos ' s hands .
i must admit that i have quite the soft spot for studio 4°c . they brought to life one of my favorite manga works , tekkon kinkreet , in 2006 . along with making other visually stunning and complex works such as their shorter films noiseman sound insect , sweat punch , and digital juice , they ' ve always been an anime studio i ' ve held in very high regards . on those notions alone i decided to finally check out some of their earlier theatrical works , starting with their 2001 release princess arete .
parents need to know that princess arete is a 2001 anime about a princess kept locked up in a tower who longingly observes the goings - on of the common people below as she avoids the overtures of marriage from unscrupulous knights and a wicked wizard . while the slow pace might pose the biggest challenge to younger viewers , there is also a scene in which rats attack a wizard ' s lackey and two instances of profanity (
s - - t
and
damn
) . while it isn ' t the best anime in terms of the quality of the animation and the story itself , tween fans of the genre - - as well as their parents - - will respond to the movie ' s themes of seeking the reality underneath the appearances , empathy for others , and yearning for travel to faraway lands .
i ' ll leave the third act alone , but , suffice to say , the action ramps up considerably here with arete ' s escape , and studio 4°c really saves the picture with its resolution - magic abounds , lessons are learned , redemption is tasted , and happily ever after is established . as for what it saves the picture from - the second act deals with the boredom of boak and arete ' s malaise . the film does a great job evoking these feelings in the audience , as it ' s pretty boring and slow . it does a not so great job mainly because it ' s pretty boring and slow . still , that ' s not enough to hinder the picture too much , and it makes up for that in the end . princess arete is a shot fired across ghibli ' s bow - though they don ' t have too much to worry about from this film alone , a few more of this quality from studio 4°c or anyone else ought to get them a little nervous .
is an interesting piece of work . beautiful in its simplicity , it tells a tale of a princess who doesn ' t want to be saved by a knight in shining armor , but rather to live life by her own terms . i wouldn ' t exactly call it an opus of girl power , seeing as arete never once runs into men who remotely equal her in intellect and wisdom , but on the other hand it ' s refreshing to see a film starring a girl who uses her brains instead of fan service to get herself out of tricky situations .
foregone conclusion : the fic is in - line with the canon of fates , so the reader knows that mikoto and arete ' s attempts to stop anankos and unite hoshido and nohr are ultimately doomed to failure . the best they do is stall for time .
overall , it ' s the titular character who manages to keep this movie interesting and somewhat engaging . her desire to see and experience the world , to live and work as those she observes while locked away in her tower , makes her a princess much different from the archetypal princesses seen in so many kids ' movies . for kids beginning to come of age and starting to see and imagine a larger world outside their usual surroundings , these qualities alone make arete a relatable character , one the viewer can ' t help but root for as she struggles against characters less interesting than she .
- long pans of the countryside , long journeys , this film is rife with scenes that simply take too damn long . one of the worst sequences involves the sorcerer and the princess almost competing to see who is more bored . i ' d have to call that one a truly inspired moment of animation , right there .
arete hime takes off from the heart of a medieval city depicted placing special attention on the trades , the clothing and the buildings , holding a closeness to the atmosphere of arthurian tales that was to me unseen in japanese animation . with that sober though colourful tone , the protagonist goes on to introduce her adventurous charms as a princess who prefers to risk her life by jumping the voids that separate her from the outside over choosing to stay in her tower and hear , unbelieving , the concoctions that suitors recite to her about either her beauty or their heroism , traits not present in either case .
russian - born origa first came to japan in 1991 on a home - stay program , and made her major debut in japan in 1995 under the emi music japan label . she performed theme songs for ghost in the shell : stand alone complex , ghost in the shell : stand alone complex 2nd gig , ghost in the shell : stand alone complex : solid state society , fantastic children , and princess arete . she also performed the hymn singing voice for the character kanon in gust and koei tecmo games ' ar nosurge playstation 3 and playstation vita video game , which shipped in japan last year .
arete is a curious little girl , who also happens to be a princess . clever and resourceful , she is the epitome of cool , and a truly inspirational role model . she is empathetic to the core , and tries to understand the reasons behind other people ' s actions before judging them , though she has her own problems to worry about . deprived of freedom and objectified as a prize for men to win , she never lets her circumstances dim her bold soul . she is obstinate and refuses to accept what she doesn ' t believe in ; her love of life is what keeps her ever hopeful , and because she never feels sorry for herself , we don ' t either . the sight of such a rich spirit confined in a cage is certainly sad , and is undoubtedly what gives the first half of the film its air of melancholy . but we never pity arete – we root for her . her character development is beautiful , and seeing her grow from a timid but intelligent princess into the brave adventurer she becomes is extremely satisfying . we are often teased with the notion that she will be saved by someone else eventually , but she ultimately puts an end to her misfortune using no magical object or outside help , but with her wits alone .
what amazes me is that this work is old - school allegory . arete symbolizes the feminist and existentialist aspects of the work ; she feels timid , but she wants to find her own meaning of life . stuck in the towers and objectified as a treasure , she is sick of becoming a princess - - a twist on the archetype and an attack on the disney princess culture . there is a gradual progression of her character development : from an isolated figure afraid of having a meaningless life to a braver and maturing female . she is logically the person you will add to your favorite characters if you liked the movie a lot . boax , the villain , also controls a number of themes as well : the role of magic ( or technology if using the work to compare and contrast today’s society ) , male superiority , and the villain archetype . other supporting characters reflect the wickedness of fairy tales in a realistic lens . anyone interested in writing or reading inventive tales will rejoice .
speaking of character , they don’t have much personalities . arete just wants to sees the world and is curious . boax is a meanie - pants , really half is dialogue is just yelling . boax’s servants grovel and amble are there though amble has a backbone and grovel is a frog .
though arete is the focus of the film for the most part , that is not to say the supporting cast is devoid of value . in fact , the main antagonist boax is done quite brilliantly . a wicked wizard on the outside , he has the soul of a spoiled and simple - minded child . he insists on glorifying a past long gone , and cannot deal with the sight of his world crumbling around him . his own long and enduring existence is soon coming to a halt , and that thought terrifies him . to say he is an allegory for patriarchy would be an understatement . he represents a whole set of values which slowly but surely are losing their influence over societies around the world . and yet , he remains a relatable and charismatic character with a whole lot of individuality . while ample is not as charismatic , she is an important ally to arete . both are forced into a submissive position ; nevertheless , while she never actively helps the princess , though she tries to , it ' s their mutual empathy what makes the cook share the precious piece of knowledge arete uses to save herself . by joining forces , these two competent , empowered female figures weaken others ' influence over their lives .
sadly , the point of the film is that she must overcome prisons , both mental and physical , in order to attain that freedom , and it is in these sequences that the screenplay just drags and drags . it is almost a shame that boax turns out to be merely selfish and petty rather anything greater . . . the
villain
in this piece is never really sympathetic , but never really more than an outside threat , you realize very quickly that princess arete can and will outsmart him even with her proverbial hands tied . the outcome almost seems to be a foregone conclusion , and that ' s what the children ' s audience is going to be looking for here .
uptown girl : for her first husband , anankos . this ended up being a plot point when she had to manipulate her sister into letting them marry , much to arete ' s anger . later , her second husband sumeragi was the uptown boy for her , since she was supposed to be just a commoner .
set years before the game ' s present setting , it follows mikoto ' s life as a princess of valla , before eventually becoming the queen of hoshido . while most of the fic ' s story is original due to how the time frame is largely unexplored , it follows the canon laid down by the game and tries to fill in the blanks of some unanswered plot points .
truth serums : the throne in valla is enchanted so that anybody sitting on it cannot lie . when hydra remembers his identity as the soul of anankos , he ' s able to prove it ( along with his non - hostility ) to arete and mikoto because he sat down on the throne sometime during their conversation .
when vallites lose loved ones , it is customary for family members to cut off their hair , with the amount cut off being proportional to how close they were to the deceased . arete shaves down to the scalp after her husband is killed by anankos , and mikoto does likewise after sumeragi is killed and kamui is kidnapped .
he decides arete and mikoto aren ' t a threat to him and lets them go when they ' re in his grasp ; the sisters go on to delay his plans long enough for corrin , azura and the royals to grow up . had he simply killed them when he had the chance , he would have won .
arete is at once adorable and inspiring , in that fairy tale heroine manner , so all is not lost with this movie . lectures on philosophy are one of my greatest peeves , and she throws a couple out there , but thankfully , most of her character development focuses on her perspective . arete is not only starved of human contact , but also just the general gratification of being able to live . her yearning for things so gosh darned basic , things as simple as friends or everyday emotions , illustrates the degree to which she is sheltered and makes her pitiful in a heart wrenching way . she ` s even more affecting because she doesn ` t just cry and accept the pity . instead of lamenting her own misfortune , she always keeps her hope and her wits about her through tough situations to get the freedom which she so desires . arete ` s mild mannerisms are a break from the utter exaggerations of most anime characters , and is a benefit to her cause for sympathy . emotional understatement is much more effective than rampant bawling . her rounded personality makes her more complete , more nuanced . her timid demeanor and slight build serve to contrast and highlight her internal fortitude . when all is said and done , arete stands side by side with the best animated heroines targeted towards children in any feature , japanese or otherwise .
japanese animation in recent years saw the rise of younger directors such as makoto shinkai ( your name , 2016 ) or mamoru hosoda ( wolf children , 2012 ) . if you like european
high - blow
movie , katabuchi is for you . you will soon find that his understanding of classical movies and literature is extraordinary . princess arete is his first full - length movie and has many good points . however , the slow development of the story might bore the viewers . my suggestion is to watch his more recent mai mai miracle ( 2009 ) or in this corner of the world ( 2016 ) first , since these movies are more entertaining . if you like these movies and want to know more about katabuchi , you will enjoy this one .
mikoto ' s first husband and kamui ' s blood father , whom she finds as an amnesiac man and nurses back to health . after he regains his memories , he learns he was actually anankos ' s soul given physical form , and helps mikoto , arete and their children escape . he then vanishes as his evil half takes over as the main antagonist of the story .
sort of ; the letter was sent by the real garon as a genuine offer of peace , after arete died trying to warn him about anankos . but he was killed and replaced by anankos ' s familiar shortly after sending it , and anankos took the opportunity to further divide hoshido and nohr . the lost king elaborates on the events surrounding garon ' s
replacement
.
however , the aesthetics are ultimately unimportant , as this film is about several very interesting themes that are cleverly woven together . as i’ve mentioned , the first thing that struck me was the commentary on gender roles common in fantasy stories . there’s a real sadness about arete’s fate , the fact that she’s objectified and essentially caged to preserve her preciousness . she’s smarter than her potential suitors , and sees through them for the power hungry pillagers that they are . she’s sensitive to the lives of the peasants that she observes but can never influence , and when she escapes her tower to experience the real world , the people of the court conclude she’s become cursed . the build up is very slow ( but never monotonous ) and it’s forty minutes into the film that the conflict really begins when she’s pawned off by her father to be married to an evil wizard ( the “evil wizard” part isn’t a traditional fairytale trope , but the “pawning off by her father” is ) . when the wizard imprisons arete again , there’s an interesting parallel between the princess’s trapped state and the wizard who essentially isolates and imprisons himself , and another parallel between the wizard and a witch character that appeared earlier… one of whom is prepared to foolishly wait for something which will probably never happen , the other not .
shotgun wedding : invoked by mikoto . she knows that she cannot get married to hydra due to him being a commoner , but she also knows that arete would be forced to allow a union if they have sex out of wedlock so as to preserve the family ' s honor . mikoto then sleeps with hydra and purposefully gets caught by one of her gossipy maids , leading to a quiet and hastily thrown together wedding .
traditional fairy - tale model . it uses clever metaphors and sensible story - telling to address its primary underlying theme : the reaching for freedom through self - discovery . arete must face her journey alone – no one will come and save her . the only way she can be set free from her predicament is by her own hands . she must re - discover the magic inside to shake off the shackles that bind her .
this is just the tip of the iceberg of the ideas that the film explores , but the pacing prevents anything from feeling crammed or overcooked . arete’s actions during the final arc of the movie are both ironic and admirably heroic . i’m nitpicking by naming this film’s flaws , but the plot occasionally relies on convenient coincidences and the pacing probably severely limits its appeal . but anime that are as insightful and meaningful as this are a rarity .
studio 4ºc is well known for its smooth animations and appealing visuals , and it does not disappoint with princess arete . the relaxed pacing allows the movie to take its time and layer each scene so that they all feel dimensional . movements all look fluid , whereas the minimalistic character designs are cute and fitting of the fairy - tale premise . while the color scheme complements the medieval setting , the faded colors do make the movie look a bit dated , though everything else looks so pretty this detail can be easily overlooked . backgrounds seem as if they came right off a storybook ; outside environments look like oil paintings , and the interiors are all very detailed . on the sound department , it is equally superb : the theme song krasno solntse by origa is breathtakingly beautiful , and it complements the melancholic feel of some scenes perfectly . the ending theme kin ' iro no tsubasa sounds nostalgic , yet heartwarming . as for the rest of the ost , it is consistently solid , with some tracks more memorable than others .