great film, but watch it with subtitles!!!!!

Rating: 8/10 (22 April 2006)

Although I'm not a big fan of stories with no real conflict or character depth, Totoro was an admirable feature. I could have easily watched this film without sound and enjoyed it. The quality of the mise-en-scene was astounding. Nowhere besides in Japanese cinema do you get such images; The long shots, with little or no movement, a form of sentimentality in its most subtle form; The blending of colour so soft that the softest of sunsets cannot match this films tranquility; Combining images of normality and comfort with images of the fantastic, making us feel that even the typical is an extraordinary event. Cinema is not about story telling. The true cinematic masterpiece tells a story with images. The true cinema is a dynamic series of impressions. It is why two directors can use the same screenplay and make two completely different films. I would never view this film for its narrative merit, but would see it again simply for the power of its image. This movie is deserving of the title "Great Cinema"