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Special Features
- Original Japanese 117 minute version in both Japanese language and new English soundtrack
- Behind the scenes of the English voice recording
- Complete storyboards
- "Birth of Studio Ghibli" featurette
- Japanese trailers
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Hayao Miyazaki gained widespread attention in Japan for his complex ecological manga series, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1982), which he adapted for the screen two years later. One thousand years after a war devastated much of the Earth, humanity clings to existence at the fringes of a vast, polluted forest inhabited by monstrous insects. Only Nausicaä, the princess of the tiny realm of the Valley of the Wind, grasps the environmental significance of the forest. She sees beyond petty wars and national rivalries to the only viable future for the planet. In Nausicaä, Miyazaki began to explore elements he would develop more fully in his later films: daring, compassionate heroines; exciting flying sequences; colorful side characters; strong interpersonal relationships; and a call for an ecologically sustainable way of life. Nausicaä prefigures Sheeta in Castle in the Sky and Chihiro in Spirited Away, just as the rough and ready Asbel anticipates Pazu in Castle in the Sky and Ashitaka in Princess Mononoke. For years, Nausicaä was available in the United States only as the badly re-edited Warriors of the Wind. The new English dub from Disney presents the film in its entirety, with strong vocal performances by Uma Thurman, Patrick Stewart, Alison Lohman, and Edward James Olmos. (Rated PG: violence, frightening imagery) --Charles Solomon
Product Description
Based on his own manga updating of a Japanese folk tale, animator Hayao Miyazaki's imaginative sci-fi saga is set in a war-ravaged future Earth. When a battle between rival nations threatens to destroy a verdant valley that is home to mutant insects, one young woman--the princess warrior Nausicaa--fights to save it. With the voices of Alison Lohman, Edward James Olmos, Patrick Stewart, and Uma Thurman. AKA: "Warriors of the Wind." 117 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: Japanese Dolby Digital stereo, English Dolby Digital stereo; Subtitles: English; featurettes; theatrical trailers. In Japanese with English subtitles/Dubbed in English. Two-disc set.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
239 of 259 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Greatest Animated Film of All Time,
By Strategos "The Guardian of Time" (In Space above Planet Earth) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (DVD)
I have been an animation fan all of my life. I've seen almost every Disney animated flick countless times. I've studied the work of Chuck Jones and marveled at the best of Don Bluth.I have been a fan of Japanese animation in partuclar for years. I have seen countless animated films and studied them in depth. I own almost every Studio Ghibli film ever made (including Whisper of the Heart, the Cat Returns, Castle in the Sky, and Castle of Cagliostro). I am here to tell you that Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is without a doubt the greatest animated film I have ever seen in my life... First of all, this is the first film that the animation genius Miyazaki ever attempted through his own studio. It is also a greatly condensed story, being adapted from a manga that it's creator wrote which was quite lengthly. That being said, this movie is PERFECT. The animation may be old, but it rivals, and sometiems even demolishes, animation released in the theaters today. The action sequences (and particularly the flight sequences) are truly amazing to behold. The sound effects are marvelous. The music is mind-blowing. The pacing is perfect, the voice-acting beyond perfect. The quality of the artwork continues to astound. But that's not why this is the greatest animated film ever. At it's heart this is s complex story of man vs. nature and man vs. man. How many times have we been over the topic of how man's meddling is threatening to destroy the world, and how perhaps one day the world will fight back? In the world created in this film, the world has been destroyed by what can only be desribed as an apocalypse (of man's doing). In response, plants and giant bugs are taking over the whole world and inhabiting vast patches fo wasteland. Various countries are fighting endless wars with each other in a quest to survive. A new danger arises though, as one of the ancient weapons which destroyed the world is found. The nations all claim they want to use it to destroy the bugs that would destroy humanity (not to destroy each other, as each nation claims it's rivals would). Toss into this mix an oasis from the harshness of the desert wastelands where everyone lives in peace and harmony...and a young girl may hold the secret to ending the eternal battle between man and nature. The story in Nausicaa is incredibly stong, and the plot is quite deep. What really holds this movie together though, is Nausicaa herself. This young girl is the single greatest anime character ever to grace film. The key lies in something Miyazaki himself once said. A man who is the protagonist would destroy his enemies and defeat them. But the real world is not like that. In the real world, empathy and understanding is the only thing that can save us. And so rather than fight everyone to the death, Nausicaa takes on the far more dangerous goal of making everyone stop fighting before they annihilate everything worth saving. The Japanese are very in touch with the theme of the futility of war (having experienced its effects first-hand), and this film is a perfect example of the pinnacle of where that philosophy can take us. Miyazaki has changed in his views over time, and this film is not what he considers his best work. I find this to be the ultimate irony. The man doesn't even realize the magnitude of what he has created... I said it before and I'll say it again. This is the greatest animated film of all time. It covers the full range of emotion, from friendship and understanding to death and destruction and the chance of forgiveness and renewal. I can often tell whether I will enjoy a movie by it's beginning. This movie has the best beginning of any movie I have ever seen. I always know if I will continue to love a movie when it ends, and this movie has the best ending of any movie I have ever seen...
229 of 251 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Masterpiece Now Back On Track,
By
This review is from: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (DVD)
Absolutely, BUY THIS FILM. IT IS ONE OF THE BEST FILMS OF ANY TYPE EVER MADE.Disney, after originally having scheduled the release of this masterpiece for August 31, having moved it to Feb. 22, and having taken it off the release list, has now reinstated its release on Feb. 22. It will be released with Porco Rosso and The Cat Returns; originally, it was to be released with My Neighbor Totoro, but The Cat has been substituted. This is mistifying, because Cat is a sequel to Whisper from the Heart, a sweet and endearing film that has never been released in the U.S.; a studio does not usually release the sequel first. What is Disney thinking, and what is to be done with Totoro? That said, Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind was Miyazaki's first full-length original film (I don't count the Lupin films because they're part of someone else's work), and it is utterly superb. It is adapted from the epic manga series that he created in between projects while working for other directors, and only covers about 30% of the enormous story. It has a heavy ecological message, and shows Miyazaki's trademark fascination with flight and unusual animals. The story is deep, rich, emotional, and satisfying. The soundtrack, Jo Hisashi's first for Miyazaki, is one of his best; it is not extremely varied, but it is rich and emotional. A version of this film was introduced as Warriors of the Wind in the late 1980's in the U.S. While the dub was excellent, twenty minutes of cuts made in the film infuriated Miyazaki to the point where he refused to allow any more U.S. sales of his films until Disney agreed to release the films uncut and to do their prodigious best with the vocal talents for the dubs. I still do not feel that their choice of voice actors has always been the best; some of the performances in Castle in the Sky and Princess Mononoke were at best lackluster, but there's always the subtitles and original Japanese soundtrack for purists who aren't happy with the results. This film is an absolute must-have for any animation fan. Even being Miyazaki's first film, it is a detailed, mature work far beyond the scope of most animation directors and storytellers. I just hope that Amazon will release this film in a 3-pack with Porco Rosso and The Cat Returns.
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lush, Moving, Fantastical: Miyazaki All the Way,
By Debbie Lee Wesselmann (the Lehigh Valley, PA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (DVD)
This classic anime by Hayao Miyazaki pits a spunky, loving princess against those who misunderstand the precarious balance of nature in their diseased environment. Like most Miyazaki heroines, Princess Nausicaa is an independent girl, full of wisdom despite her young age, and one who approaches life with both awe and determination. When well-meaning but ignorant invaders from another land threaten to destroy the Valley of the Wind, Nausicaa must rely on her special understanding of nature to save them all.Some of the themes and undertones of later Miyazaki works can be seen in this earlier film. In particular, the environmental interdependence of man and his environment that later defines "Princess Mononoke" begins in "Nausicaa." The "ohmu," giant armored bugs who attack when one of their own is injured, have the mysterious inner lives that many of the fantastical spirits/gods possess in "Spirited Away." His fascination with wind and flight , lush and complex scenery, and the dynamic "acting" of his characters mark "Nausicaa" as an archetypal Miyazaki work. Although I watched this anime in the original language with subtitles, Disney has assembled a remarkable cast of voices: Uma Thurman, Chris Sarandon, Patrick Stewart, Edward James Olmos, Alison Lohman, and Mark Hamill. (The extras in the DVD contain interviews with these English-speaking actors about their dubbing experiences.) I watched bits with these voices, and they are actually quite good in that they capture the emotional force and rhythms (to a degree) of the original. For those who get too distracted by reading subtitles , the high-quality dubbing should be appreciated. Still, I am a purist, much preferring the original language. Because of its larger issues, Miyazaki's animation appeals to adults perhaps more than to children. His intense battles and ominous creatures will probably frighten younger kids, hence the PG rating. Highly recommended.
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