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DVD Description
From Studio Ghibli, home of Spirited Away, and director Isao Takahata comes this epic animated feature. Originally released in Japan in 1988 but never before available in the UK, G r a v e o f t h e F i r e f l i e s has rightly earned a reputation as an anime classic. Set in Japan during World War II, the film focuses on Seita and his little sister Setsuko. After their mother is killed in an air raid, and with their father serving in the navy, they are forced to fight for survival in the devastated Japanese countryside. Food and shelter are scarce, and even their own relatives are too concerned with their own survival. All they have is each other and their belief that life must carry on. Takahata and his team, including character animator Yoshifumi Kondo (who has subsequently worked on other acclaimed Ghibli films from director Hayao Miyazaki) have created a visually stunning and emotionally powerful film that meditates on the devastating consequences of war and has rightly earned a reputation as an anime classic.
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital Stereo ), Japanese ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), English ( Subtitles ), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Anamorphic Widescreen, Featurette, Interactive Menu, Scene Access, Storyboards, SYNOPSIS: A Japanese boy of 14 and his 4 year old sister, attempt to seek refuge from the atrocities of World War II in the small city of Kobe. In post-World War II Japan, a janitor finds a metal sweet container beside a deathly ill boy. The janitor tosses the canister into the night, unwittingly beginning a most unusual tale of survival amid war. Brother and sister Seita and Setsuko, flee their disheveled home and deceased parents to make their bid for a new life. Before American troops begin to occupy their country, the children resort to dwelling in an abandoned bomb shelter in the countryside. Though these siblings later get a sense of safety, they realize necessities such as food and water will not be easy to come by. This stunning and emotional film comes from the studio that made SPIRITED AWAY. ...Grave of the Fireflies ( Hotaru no haka ) ( Tombstone for Fireflies )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
81 of 81 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is a film apart from any other Ghibli film I have seen. Where as Miyazaki films (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke) are fantastical, this film is very much grounded in the gritty reality of our resent past. Set at the end of World War II it is the harrowing story of 2 children facing life in a war-ravaged Japan. Make no mistake, this film is not typical Ghibli escapism. The grim realities of war are never sugar coated, this film pulls no punches.
The characters are just as grounded in reality as the setting. There is no idealised hero here. Seita is a boy struggling with responsibilities no child should face, he strives to look after his sister as best he can in a situation beyond his means to control. This film is all the more powerful because of the real characters. The cold reaction of people to the children's misfortune is uncomfortable to watch, but probably more real than we would care to admit.
Even with such a grim subject matter it still manages to be beautiful and even magical in places. I'd be lying if I said this was my favourite Ghibli film, but very few animated films have emotionally affected me as much as Grave of the Fireflies.
Recommended with a sad heart.
55 of 55 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
After seeing the 'ghosts' at the beginning of the film, you assume that effectively knowing the end is going to spoil it in some way - but it doesn't. The film fills in the gaps and brings the very human story of two siblings fighting for survival during the Second World War in Japan.
This isn't a film for very young children as the message would probably get lost, and some of the imagery might be a bit distressing - it's meant to be. This is a film with a simple story, but dealing with complex relationships and politics. You long for young Seita and his sister Setsuko to triumph in a situation beyond desperate, and though many of the scenes are very emotional - it doesn't stop them from being tremendously beautiful.
This is one of only a handful of films I've seen set during a world war where the 'other side' has been shown. It's important to remember that there is suffering on all sides during a war, and that children often suffer the most. The two children at the focus of this film could be of any nationality - and that's what is important.
I had to force myself to watch this through to the end - not because it's a bad film - but because it's so good. It really affected me emotionally and I watched most of the last thirty minutes with tears in my eyes. The little girl really reminded me of my youngest daughter and even now when I think back to the film I start to feel quite emotional. It's not often that a film hits you like this one can - this isn't one of the best films I've seen recently, this is one of the best films I've seen ever. The moment I realised what was in the Fruit Drops tin which was tossed aside as rubbish at the beginning of the film, my heart sank and I burst into tears.
In a nutshell: The waste and futility of war has never been to beautifully told. The horrors of international politics contrast against the innocence of two children who lose their mum and have to fend for themselves in a world with quickly diminishing resources . The sad thing is that this isn't entirely fiction, it is based on an autobiographical account of a young man's experience during the war. Even if it were fiction, it probably sounds the echos of hundreds of individual true stories, each as heart-breaking as this one. This is without doubt an unsung classic cinematic work of the twentieth century that deserves to be watched by everyone.
This isn't a film for very young children as the message would probably get lost, and some of the imagery might be a bit distressing - it's meant to be. This is a film with a simple story, but dealing with complex relationships and politics. You long for young Seita and his sister Setsuko to triumph in a situation beyond desperate, and though many of the scenes are very emotional - it doesn't stop them from being tremendously beautiful.
This is one of only a handful of films I've seen set during a world war where the 'other side' has been shown. It's important to remember that there is suffering on all sides during a war, and that children often suffer the most. The two children at the focus of this film could be of any nationality - and that's what is important.
I had to force myself to watch this through to the end - not because it's a bad film - but because it's so good. It really affected me emotionally and I watched most of the last thirty minutes with tears in my eyes. The little girl really reminded me of my youngest daughter and even now when I think back to the film I start to feel quite emotional. It's not often that a film hits you like this one can - this isn't one of the best films I've seen recently, this is one of the best films I've seen ever. The moment I realised what was in the Fruit Drops tin which was tossed aside as rubbish at the beginning of the film, my heart sank and I burst into tears.
In a nutshell: The waste and futility of war has never been to beautifully told. The horrors of international politics contrast against the innocence of two children who lose their mum and have to fend for themselves in a world with quickly diminishing resources . The sad thing is that this isn't entirely fiction, it is based on an autobiographical account of a young man's experience during the war. Even if it were fiction, it probably sounds the echos of hundreds of individual true stories, each as heart-breaking as this one. This is without doubt an unsung classic cinematic work of the twentieth century that deserves to be watched by everyone.
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
EVERY summer we watch this film on TV in Japan, adults, students, old folks, kids, everybody, because we do not want to forget the WW2. Every time when I watch this film, I cry, but I feel satisfied that I watched, and make me to think someting deeply, in many ways, each time is different. This film is very sad one, compared to Totoro, and I do not recommend you to watch this film when you are not happy/ready, but at the same time, it is the right time for you to give you some strength. My grandparents, and my mother, who had experienced WW2 in Japan, they say it was worse than the film. To me, it's is still enough! My mother was a little girl so she does not remember most of it, but she remembers she once had lost her mother during an air raid on a city, but luckily they both found each other later. This film is more than anime, surely it gives you something for your life. For adults? yes. For kids, yes, even they don't understand or gets bored, but if you make a time to sit down with your kids to watch the film, and hold their hands, they will catch something from the film, I think, as I did when I was younger. No words needed to them. Then if they ask you questions, and when you are not sure anything about the WW2 in Japan, it is ok, just be honest and tell them, "I don't know, and I'm not sure, but this could have happened anywhere in the world."
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Stunning film.
As has been said many times but I feel the need to repeat, this is an extremely sad film and may not be suitable for kids (I won't say it is or isn't. Read more
Published 3 days ago by Rose
SUPERB
THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST EMOTIVE ANIMATIONS YOU'LL EVER SEE.
THE LANSCAPE AND ENVIRONMENT ARE BEAUTIFULLY DRAWN AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PROTAGONISTS, A LITTLE GIRL AND... Read more
THE LANSCAPE AND ENVIRONMENT ARE BEAUTIFULLY DRAWN AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PROTAGONISTS, A LITTLE GIRL AND... Read more
Published 1 month ago by TAY
Beautiful, but heartbreaking.
I am a big fan of the Studio Ghibli collection, and so far all the ones i've watched have been really uplifting, with happy endings and I go away with a warm fuzzy feeling. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Debra Bagley
The most depressing film i have ever seen
If you would like to cry through a film from start to finish, then buy this film. If not, don't buy it.. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Arris
Cried my eyes out.
Watched this for the first time with my younger sister after a friend of mine described it as incredible. Read more
Published 5 months ago by popfiction
very sad :(
Arrived in excellent time and condition, but the film itself had me in bits! Very sad indeed, not for the easily upset.
Published 7 months ago by hayley murphy
This film is truly heartbreaking
'Grave of the Fireflies' is one of those rare films that tugs you by the heart and won't let go until the very end. Read more
Published 10 months ago by D. Diep
Children are the victims of war
Wow. This film is heart wrenching. I watched it after Totoro and soon realised I should have watched them the other way around. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mr. D. M. Edwards
Heartbreaking!
My first Ghibli movie and boy was it emotional. The films follows the story of a brother and sister in a devastated Japan during ww2. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Steve H
Beware
I bought this after seeing a you-tube extract set to music. Whilst it is a moving story, dubbing it with american actors is bizarre given that its about America bombing Japan. Read more
Published 11 months ago by PVG
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