Studio Ghibli is know for many well loved family films such as My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and many more. However, there is another lesser known award winning film that was actually screened as a double feature with My Neighbor Totoro, and that film is Grave of the Fireflies (1988).
Dresden Pictures recently acquired the rights to Grave of the Fireflies and will be producing a live action version that is scheduled to start filming in 2014 (Produced by Liam Garvo and James Heath). In 2005, a made for TV live action version was produced, which aired on NTV to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. The plot of the TV version greatly deviates from the original animated version.
How much will this new adaptation change the original story? The plot of Grave of the Fireflies (the animated version) is extremely sad, and it definitely yanks on your heart strings numerous times throughout the film. I actually re-watched it before writing this review and I must say, I cried more than once. When I learned that a live action version was in the works, I wondered how Dresden Pictures would tackle this delicate subject matter. It’s similar to how I felt when I learned there was a film adaptation of The Road (SUPER depressing). Why would anyone want to watch such a downer movie when it was hard enough to read through the book? With animation, tragedy can be addressed, but of course is not as graphic as live action can be.
Grave the Fireflies follows an orphaned brother, Seita (age 14) and his little sister Setsuko (age 4) as they struggle to survive in constantly fire bombed Kedo, Japan during WWII. The story is based on a novel of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka, and is a semi-autobiographical tale/apology to his sister he could not save.
Another question I have is will the characters actually be played by Japanese actors? There were quite a few complaints when non-Japanese actors played characters in Memoirs of Geisha. This film is about people who lived through the fire bombings in Japan and it would be disrespectful to take their history away from them. Also, is the film audience ready to watch young children suffer? Hopefully Dresden Pictures will keep the integrity of Setsuko’s age and not make her 10 years old or even age her brother. There is something very raw and real about watching these young characters persevere against all odds and even risk everything so they can be together and maintain their own way of life.
Maybe this is a film that needs to be made today to remind people that in war it is usually the innocent that suffer the most. Even though the story is heart wrenching, it is a beautiful film that follows the love of a brother who does everything he can to keep his sister alive.
