A Movie Double-Header Weekend

This was a movie double-header weekend as we saw two films (to make up for not going out at all last weekend with the winter storm we experienced).

Friday night was opening night for “Mary and the Witch’s Flower” (based on the book by Mary Stewart). As per usual we practically had the theatre to ourselves as there were only maybe a dozen or so people at our screening (and not many more in the rest of the cinema as far as we could see).

The movie was created by former members of Studio Ghibli, which is obvious from the style and the way the characters are drawn. As our version was dubbed, I didn’t have to struggle with reading subtitles (and trying to stay awake, which can sometimes be a struggle). I was a little surprised by the thick Scottish accent of the actress who did the voice for Mary, though that fits with the drawings of her aunt’s Kincaid-esque house and the English countryside. However, the song at the end of the film was sung in Japanese, and totally didn’t fit with the rest of our dubbed version, but as it’s a movie made by the Japanese, that’s understandable, and totally expected in most anime films.

The basic plotline revolves around the character of Mary, a bored, red-haired (or ginger as the Brits say) girl living with her elderly aunt while her parents are away on business. Thanks to a cat, an old broomstick, and a magical flower, she has adventures at Studio Ponoc’s answer to Hogwarts called “Endor College.”

Honestly, I wouldn’t have minded if things could have gotten wrapped up a bit sooner, but then it wouldn’t have been nearly as exciting without that last plot twist.

Good first effort by Studio Ponoc!

Sunday afternoon we drove to the OSU campus to see the movie “Jane” at the Gateway Film Center. Not surprisingly we got the smallest room (which seats about two dozen best as I can tell), but it was barely half full, so probably a good call by whomever books these things.

The movie is a biopic of the infamous primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace, Jane Goodall. Having read the lengthy piece about Ms. Goodall in the October 2017 issue of National Geographic, and having followed her career since I was a child, I was eager to see the film footage which had only been discovered in 2002 (at the death of her ex-husband, Hugo van Lawick), and never before seen by the public.

About half the film is video footage of Jane at Gombe Park in Tanzania studying the chimpanzees, and then later joined by her future husband, Mr. van Lawick, and then other college students much later on again. We also get to see precious footage of home movies so-to-speak, that Mr. van Lawick had taken of their son, Grub throughout much of his early childhood in Africa (he stayed with them until turning 6, then he split his time between school in England and summers in Africa).

Sadly, Ms. Goodall and Mr. van Lawick’s relationship broke down once National Geographic reassigned him to the Serengeti. Ms. Goodall was reluctant to leave Gombe. The chimpanzees also experienced a fair amount of turmoil due to violence between opposing tribes, and then later a polio epidemic (which was suspected of being brought in by the humans, but later dismissed when evidence proved otherwise).

I am grateful someone had the foresight to compile this never before seen footage and release it to the public as it was fascinating, inspiring, if not a touch sad at times (seeing some of the chimps die), but overall a wonderful experience.

Jane Goodall, age 83, still carries on her work today as an ambassador for the chimps and animal welfare issues.